Spice garden on the Matale road real or commission scam
4 Answers
Healthy suspicion. The Matale "spice garden" strip is notorious: drivers receive a commission for bringing tourists in, the "free" guided tour is genuine for the first 15 minutes (cinnamon trees, cardamom, vanilla, real and informative), and then you are taken into a shop where the sales pressure is intense and prices for the herbal balms, hair oils and "cure-all" products are several times normal retail. It is not a robbery, but it is engineered to extract money. If you are curious, enjoy the tour, learn about the spices, and walk out empty-handed; you owe nothing. If you do want spices, buy them in a Cargills or Keells supermarket, or a market in Kandy, at a fraction of the price.
I told my driver upfront "no shopping stops" and he was fine. Some drivers even appreciate the honesty since it lets them just drive.
Telling the driver no shopping stops tomorrow morning. Thank you for the heads up.
Same applies to many "gem museums" on the Kandy/Ratnapura road and to some "batik factories", they pay drivers a commission. You can say "no shop, just temples and the road" to your driver and a good one will respect that.
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