Tourist Catchphrases in Petra

Tourist catchphrases in Petra

As in many tourist zones of the world today, the touts and vendors 0f Petra have discovered that if they can make visitors laugh there is a much better chance of selling them something. But there is only so many times in one day that a tourist can hear a donkey man shouting to them that his pack animal has “air conditioning” before the effect of this tactic begins to wane and Petra is left in a sea of unrequited humor.
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Tourist catchphrases in Petra

• “Try before you fly” – I think this has to do with flying on a donkey, not too sure.
• “This is a Bedouin Mercedes” – in reference to a donkey or camel

• “No charge for looking” – is there ever a charge for looking at souvenirs?

• “Taxi? Taxi? Jordan Taxi?” a Bedouin on a donkey rides by.

• “Excuse me, sir, would you like a limousine to the monastery?” – note: limousine means camel.

• “This donkey has air conditioning” – not a bad proposition as Petra is in the desert and gets real hot around mid day. But somehow the humor of this joke also falls flat, as air conditioning seems to be the last thing that sweaty, hot, big-boned tourists want to hear about when they are cooking in a desert inferno. I don’t know about donkey rides, but this catchphrase probably sells an immeasurable amount of ice cold Sprites.

Tourist catchphrases in Petra