I can understand the incomprehensibility expressed by people who live in places where tipping is not customary, about places where tipping is not only normal, but expected. This is a prime example of culture shock!

Upon reflection, the system of hidden charges, including taxes and tipping, is unfair to consumers. The true cost is never the "sticker price," but the indicated price + an arbitrary percentage. Many societies have evolved vibrant and viable political and economic systems without hidden charges. There is nothing "normal" about it, except that many of us have become habituated to shelling out extra.

When I travel to the United States, I notice that the rules of tipping are slightly different than they are in Canada. A shuttle bus operator in Los Angeles told me that he could easily identify Canadians because they never tip him. (This was the first time that I had heard that anybody tips bus drivers. Now, when I go to the United States, I make sure that I arrive with $10 in singles so that I am prepared for the inevitable unexpected tips.)

As visitors to foreign places, we have a responsibility to pay attention to the strange and incomprehensible rituals of our hosts!

I suppose at the other end of the spectrum, there is the phenomenon of haggling. The "sticker price" is not the price, but a starting point for negotiations. When I travelled in India, I witnessed Westerners freaking out because of the constant, unrelenting need to bargain. And learning when and where to not bargain is half the battle. It wasn't always easy, but I eventually cottoned on.

As always, for bicycle tourists (or any other kind of traveller), the rule is always, "while in Rome, do what the Romans do."