26 Jul 2023
Right when the tour started, it didn't feel like we were being guided by a local; there was no charisma or energy to our guide's commentary. It sounded more like a Wikipedia description of the city and landmarks rather than an insider's view. He had difficulty communicating in English, and we mostly just nodded that we understood what he was saying (out of respect). Throughout the tour, he also suggested several dining options that were clearly tourist traps. We felt extremely awkward the entire time and he made no attempt for us to feel like we could blend in as part of the city or culture. We expressed to him, quite early on in the tour, that we were feeling very tired and asked if we could cut the tour short (2 hours instead of 3). He said sure, but he ended up dragging it on and we were still out for the whole duration anyway. We felt uncomfortable the entire time. He also made insensitive and disrespectful remarks about minorities and people of color, claiming that they were poor and couldn't afford to live downtown. I thought that we would get a much higher quality experience based on the existing reviews and price point, but we were sorely disappointed.