Hiring a day guide

My husband, Steve, and I have had very good luck with hiring our own private guides when disembarking from a cruise ship, rather than paying the exorbitant prices for the line’s shore excursions.

What we do is ask around the area as we disembark; there are always local tour guides wanting business. We find one who speaks English and has a decent car, decide on a price for the day and off we go. We tell the guide we don’t want to go to the touristy places or the government-run stores for shopping.

In Mumbai, India, in February ’07, “Sonny” was a third-generation taxi driver and quite proud of his services. Charging $50 for the day, he took us to a huge local market where you could buy everything from vegetables to exotic animals. The people lived in the rafters above their stalls.

He also took us through the red-light district, where the women lived in their little cubicles along the street and had them all decorated.

In Na Trang, Viet Nam, in November ’05, “Loc,” whom I have previously written about (June ’06, pg. 89), took us out in the country to show us the craters left by U.S. missiles and such and which now hold the village’s water supply. We also saw temples up in the hills that no one ever visits, etc. His price was $70 for the day.

Using local guides, the places we have visited and the sights we have seen are not to be believed.

CLAUDIA REED

Las Vegas, NV