It Seemed Like A Good Idea At That Time

I've been reading a lot of articles regarding the most "overrated" tourist attractions all over the world and I thought it would be a fun way to reminisce on all my past travels. So here I am jumping onto the bandwagon to share some of my good, bad and ugly experiences.

1. The Gondola Ride in Venice:

We were warned to not expect too much from this canal laced city. Narrow streets, indifferent locals, extremely small hotel rooms and exorbitant prices do not constitute a dream holiday for many people. Despite all this, I absolutely loved Venice! My husband was quite disappointed with our tiny cell of a room in our over priced hotel but I couldn't really be bothered. For me it was all about being in a place where history was made. As I walked through the narrow lanes of Venice, I was amazed at how this  city had flourished as a commercial capital in the past.

{photograph :Cristian Popescu}

However, I must admit that the Gondola ride in Venice is by far the most hyped "thing to do" for lovers and tourists alike. We had pre-booked our ride through our travel agent. The ride took off from the San Zakaria district, which was about 45 minute in a water bus from our hotel. Given my tendency to feel uneasy while travelling in boats, I think the only reason we booked the gondola ride was because we grew up seeing all these wonderful romantic Bollywood movies of lovers coochie-cooing in a gondola propelled by a gondolier who also doubled as an Italian song singer singing in the background. So much for all those mushy movies! In reality our Gondola ride took off at 2:30 pm. The sun was at its scorching best as we navigated through some highly odored canals of Venice. We had naturally booked a group gondola ride with four other tourists since we were told that booking an entire gondola would cost us anywhere between 150-200 Euros for a 45 min ride. Anywayz, our gondolier neither sang nor smiled (like the ones I had seen in all those chic flicks) and riding an  hour long water bus just to sit in yet another water vessel for one more hour was certainly uncalled for.

{My hubby dearest - he kept us all entertained by pretending to be an Italian tour guide.}

2. Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace in London:

I saw this grand ceremony as a teenager. I was staying at my aunt's in Kingsbury. I remember travelling in congested  tubes, walking a great deal and then patiently waiting against the forbidding iron gates of Buckingham Palace along with hordes of enthusiastic tourists.

I could sum up the entire 45 minute long event in one sentence - Guard one left the box and guard two entered the box. That was it! The only thing I found memorable as a disinterested teenager was the stoic expression on the guards faces as they stood their keeping vigil whilst enduring countless number of hysterical tourists day after day.

{photograph: Shutterstock}

3. Dinner Cruise on river Nile in Cario:

We took this one only cause it came free with our travel package. I decided to dress up in a knee length figure hugging dress for our last night in Egypt. Our guide insisted on walking down the road from our hotel to where the boat took off from. After enduring many a stares and strange hissing noises we finally made it to the boat stand only to realize that there was no boat sailing at 8pm (as we had been told by our guide) and that the next one would sail at 9:30pm. I don't know why we decided to wait for the next one but apparently we did! It was a chilly night and after drinking two cans of coke (which our guide brought for us from a nearby store to make up for his lapse of information) and enduring an extremely cold breeze, I was almost ready to pee all over my new Promod dress by the time our boat arrived. We stood there patiently waiting for the passengers to get off while the waiters on the boat set the tables for a second round of diners. As soon as the boat was made ready, I straight away rushed to the bathroom whilst my hubby was guided towards our table. We were seated next to a table of 25 which was reserved for an after-wedding party by an Egyptian couple. Our neighbors were extremely cheerful and loud (understandably so) which prompted us to request for another table. We were re-seated at one right at the back, close to where the buffet was laid out.

As the boat started, we were asked to help ourselves to the buffet. Hungry fellow diners rushed towards the spread and after much maneuvering and jostling we finally managed to get a glimpse of the food. Since my husband and I are vegetarians, we weren't exactly spoilt for choice as far as that night's menu was concerned. We took huge helpings of salad, creamy potatoes and rice (since we didn't stand a chance to cut through the crowd for a second helping) and plonked at our table. By the time we finished our dinner and reached the dessert counter almost everything there had been wiped out and the waiters never refilled the platters.  We sat back and waited for the performance to begin. The live band was terribly loud and certainly not "our kind of music". Then came the belly dancer who shook and wiggled every part of her body except her belly!. After her performance she and a photographer visited every table for a picture and of course a tip. The only entertainment we got from this dinner cruise (besides the chest shaking belly dance of course) was from the Sufi dancer who kept spinning around continuously for well over fifteen minutes! In the end hubby and I both agreed that we would have been much happier had we just stayed back at the hotel and gambled the night away.

While these are all the bad memories that I could conjure up for today, I can't imply enough that these popular tourist activities have proved to be very pleasurable for most travelers. I guess it all depends upon what one enjoys and is looking for. So please don't take my word for it, go ahead and find out for yourself. You never know you might love doing these things, after all a million tourists can't all be wrong!

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p.s.{all images in this post unless stated are mine and NOT available for any kind of personal or professional use.}