I’ve been wandering around the globe and found out one thing that we, citizens of the world, often miss nowadays: honesty. So, what has honesty got to do with traveling? A lot, especially when it is sacrificed many times for tons of reasons. Look around us: souvenir vendors bullying buyers, showing an expired or a fake student card to get a discounted ticket to the museum, taking a subway without paying the fare, modifying a taxi meter to cheat passengers, pick-pocketing tourists’ wallets, and oh dear, gimme more examples. I know you can do it.
“Honesty is the best policy”. An old saying that will never be obsolete. Signs we see around us speak for themselves how much we’ve been dreaming of scam-free cities.
Fruits in the wooden basket are for sale, not samples. But no employees outside keeping an eye for the fruits either. Honesty of the buyers is being tested.
Check your bill. Claim a refund if there’s any service charge included.
“COPET DILARANG MASUK” (no pickpockets allowed). Nothing more to explain. Though real pickpockets pretend not to understand what it means or just don’t give a shit.
Still at Mirota, when the big signboard at the back is zoomed in…..
“WATCH YOUR MOBILE PHONE AND WALLET. It’s fun to be a pickpocket, huh? Get goodies for free? Sorry, man! GET REAL, WAKE UP!” Call your priest, if not the police, to make a confession.
image credit: http://www.penang-traveltips.com/taking-the-taxi.htm
“This taxi uses meter. Bargaining’s not allowed. Get the receipt.” Though I didn’t take this picture, I experienced how it applies in real life in Penang. Very few or none of those taxis actually use meter, including the ones with the sign on the door. The sign says, “I’m lying to you!”
GalOnTrip 
There is a coffee shop in Batanes, Philippines called Honesty Coffee Shop. Once you enter, noone is manning the place and you can help yourself, eat anything you want, drink coffee or cola etc. You are then expected to pay the amount of food that you consumed in cash by putting it in a box and scribbling the things you consumed on a notebook. It has become a sensation on its own and tourists normally go out of their way to visit this store. 🙂
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that one i’m curious! thx for telling me and stopping by!
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Its interesting, I do not know there is such store in Jogya,.Next time you can ( or you might have done) pictures in Joger and put comments on those signs tooo
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sayangnya di joger interior tokonya ga boleh difoto…..
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Here, it’s all about karma.. so some store signs simply lean on the spiritual message as a means of deterrence 😉
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hmm….yep. they also want to remind visitors there’s a price for everything. thx for visiting!
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Honesty market … honesty for sale: If you want some you pay for it inside. 🙂
I guess “Borga inni” just means pay inside?
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i don’t speak icelandic unfortunately, but i think that’s what it means. thx for stopping by!
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lol. the sign from mirota make me laugh 😀
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i like that to. that one’s funny… thx for stopping by and following!
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