People Who Approach You On the Street

In some places in the Third World -- for example India, Egypt, Morocco, Manila, and Kuta Beach -- just walking down the street is a constant hassle of strange people coming up to ask you to do something for them: talk to them, go with them, use their service, buy their product, give them money. In other places, you are left blissfully to yourself to wander around unmolested. I was very surprised to find Pakistan like this, because I had just assumed it would be very much like India; it is not nearly as colorful as India, but neither is it as nerve-wracking.

In general, the people who approach you on the street are not the people you want to get to know. I am about to say a lot about people you do not want to get to know, but I want you to know that you will be able to meet and interact with plenty of genuinely friendly people. Most of them do not come running up to you on the street. You often deal with street touts only because they can speak some English. Sometimes they are quite friendly and useful, at other times they are nothing but a pain in the ass! Don't rely on this type of person for you personal contacts.

How you deal with unknown people who approach you on the street depends on your experiences. In some countries you will be approached constantly in every city and tourist spot until you are driven to distraction. Most of these people are out to make a profit on you in one way or another. Many of them are just low-budget business people. In some countries many of them are thieves or con artists. In a number of other countries you will be left pretty much to yourself. You must learn to decide how best to deal with this situation in each environment you enter; it is one of the challenges of traveling.

If you are out in the countryside, you may want to stop and talk with local people trying to sell you something; you could strike up a friendship or learn something about the culture. If you are in a city and have found all of the touts to be rude and dishonest, you won't want to waste your energy even trying to say "no". If you are a woman, you should assume that any man who approaches you on the street is out to sell you something or make a sexual come-on, or both.

I can tell when someone is going to approach me on the street. You may call it a sixth sense, but it is just an intuition, based on experience. I am aware that their purpose is focused on me, and they are about to approach. Maybe they just want to practice their English, maybe to interest me in any one of a thousand transactions -- from changing money to taking a guided tour -- or maybe to slash my bag or pick my pocket. If I notice two or three of them in different locations around me, it sets off warning bells. They can all come at once -- friendly, distracting, jostling -- and quick as a wink your gear is gone without much chance to avoid it. This won't happen in most countries, but in a few it can. Just move away quickly. You may not feel that you have such an intuition about what people are going to do, but just being aware of everyone around you will keep you safe. You don't have to be paranoid, just be aware.

If I am not interested in dealing with people who are about to approach me, I can take evasive action, usually just moving away or changing direction. If they are in front of me I can just keep on walking and ignore them completely; eye contact is only an excuse for them to come up to you. If I am willing to see what they are up to, I will turn and face them, letting them know that I expect their advance. A sneak thief or bag slasher will probably pass you by in this case. A friendly local may shy away, or he may come up to you, as will any tout or con artist. They want to talk first.

I don't know how many times I have avoided being robbed or conned by being aware. (It's like keeping your door locked.) Maybe it was only two or three times, but more likely it was dozens of times. What I can say is that I have rarely been ripped-off, and I attribute that fact to being constantly aware of everyone around me. I don't do this at home or in Japan, and I do it with less concentration in some countries than in others, but it has become second nature to me, my automatic way of carrying myself in the traveling world.

Don't be too paranoid. If you have already taken the proper precautions, you don't have much to worry about because you are very difficult to rob. Your passport, money, and credit cards are next to your skin, right? Your wallet, with only enough money for the day, is in your front pocket, which is snapped closed, and by now your hand is over it. Your day pack or waist pack is in front of you, and strapped around your body. If I were a sneak thief, I would leave you alone. Relax, but be aware; with the proper precautions, you are in control.

There is nothing dangerous about just talking to people, although I would avoid it if I had my arms full of luggage. When you first walk down the streets of some major cities carrying your rucksack, many people will come up to you with various pitches and sad stories. You are fresh meat, newly arrived, and ripe for picking. When you walk around without your gear, you are not nearly so popular.

By all means, talk to people on the street as long as most of them prove to be genuinely friendly. Some of them just want to meet a foreigner. Some may be offering something you are actually interested in. If someone thrusts something into your hands, don't take it unless you know you are interested. If it is a written paper, you may have to discuss it with him; if it is a product, it may prove very difficult to give back!

If people approach you while you are walking, keep moving as you hear their opening line; they don't have much time to get to the point. If you don't want what they are 'selling', just keep on walking and ignore them. In many countries and rural environments, a polite "no thank you" is all that is needed to discourage them. Try it out a few times -- and learn the words in the local language -- but in many places, street touts consider "no" or "get lost" a perfectly good opening to a conversation.

If you choose to speak with someone who approaches you, just be aware of where the conversation is leading, and continue to be aware of other people around and behind you. If the conversation leads to you doing something you do not want to do -- giving them money, opening your bag, or going off with them -- then just say "no". Keep saying it to yourself over and over as they talk. They can be very persuasive; it is their profession. When you can no longer say "no" without being rude, or if you get angry, just walk away, and keep walking.

In some places, many curious and friendly people will want to strike up a conversation with you, just to be friendly. In other places, absolutely everyone who comes up to you is out to get your money, one way or another. In Manila, I never talk to anyone on the street. There are plenty of nice people in Manila, but virtually everyone who approaches you on the street is a con artist. You can meet the wonderful people of the Philippines in shops, at your hotel, or when you go out in the countryside. Trying to meet them on the streets of Manila is a losing proposition.

My own traveling companions have sometimes remarked, "I don't know how you can live like that, being on your guard all the time. You are so paranoid! I couldn't stand it!" And they are right; if it really bothers you to constantly be on your guard against dangers, then by all means, relax and just enjoy yourself in your own style. Some people actually don't mind paying the price of getting ripped off or conned from time to time; in return, they can feel friendlier and more at ease in their environments. That's not a bad philosophy at all. Mine is just different. Just knowing that I am always vigilant, without having to think about it, makes me feel safer, less vulnerable, and therefore more able to relax and enjoy myself.

Paranoid? Well, yes perhaps. Paranoia is when you think that everyone is out to get you, when in fact they are not. I can tell you that when you arrive at Lima Airport, or walk down the street in Manila, or check into a cheap hotel in Lahore, you had better believe that everyone is, in fact, out to get you, and the only way you will walk away with everything you brought is to be extremely vigilant of everybody and every situation that could possibly lead to a rip-off.

Now don't get too excited; there are plenty of wonderful places in Peru, the Philippines, and Pakistan where your chances of getting ripped-off are no better, and probably worse, than at home. (Except for Lahore hotels, I consider Pakistan a safe country.) But there are plenty of snake pits in the world, and until you stay long enough to know exactly what kind of a place you a dealing with, you had better be carrying your snake stick!

Lima Airport is a good example because it is the first place that many travelers see in South America. Peruvian thieves are quite aware of this marvelous opportunity to fleece new tourists, fresh from Europe or America, loaded down with luggage, and looking around for directions. It's like shooting fish in a barrel. They are, without a doubt, the most magnificent sneak thieves I have ever seen in the world, and their skill is demonstrated by the fact that you never do actually see them! You are definitely going to get off on the wrong foot on your new adventure if you spend your first days (many of them) in police stations (ugh!), airline offices, embassies, and banks because you had your camera, day pack, and/or money pouch stolen before you could get out of the airport.

You may have noticed that all of my examples are from big cities. This is where most of the professional thieves and con artists work. When you get out in the countryside, you will not meet many of them. They may be at very popular tourist places, but the farther out you go, the more genuinely friendly local people you will be able to meet. In the countryside, whatever thievery occurs is usually conducted in your hotel room.

In this section I have been concerned with security from theft. As I've shown, some of the people who approach you on the street may be thieves or con artists. But many of them are just friendly locals or very small business people who want to get your business. Unfortunately, they don't wear badges advertising their true intentions.


A Rip-Off Primer

Here are just a few of the lovely tricks that sneak thieves and con artists have waiting in store for you in several of the well-traveled places you may visit. It is hilarious reading, but no fun when it happens to you. Be aware and you will be safe.

Sneak Thieves (Lessons from the Peruvian Experts)

Con Artists (conmen, confidence tricksters)

I don't think I could begin to tell you all of the con artist's tricks and ploys that you may be confronted with. They make up new ones every day. They usually involve you going to someone's house, going into an alley, getting into a car or bus with someone, or paying some money right there on the street. Some are just very good hard-luck stories to illicit money from you. They can be as intricate as taking you on a lovely outing into the countryside (where you are robbed), joining a friendly poker game (ditto), or being rousted by phony policemen.

The best way to avoid being conned is never to talk to anybody, anywhere. As a more reasonable alternative, be very cautious of anyone who approaches you in a city, or tourist center. If you suspect that it is a ruse, walk away. Don't accept invitations in questionable situations, or in areas where confidence men abound. Sometimes people will claim to recognize you from another place where you have probably been (the airport or a popular resort). Since local people "all seem to look alike", you pretend to remember them to avoid being rude. Now you are "friends" and they invite you to their home. Don't go.

Many con artists, and also hard-sell vendors, will play on the Westerner's aversion to being rude. They will maneuver you into a situation where you cannot avoid doing what they want you to do without appearing to be very rude to them. Learn to be rude! These are strangers whose only business is to rob or extort money from you. Walk away and ignore them.

Some countries and some cities are worse than others. Some are almost free of con artists! Ask other travelers. There are always new scams around and travelers will be sure to have the latest horror stories to warn you in advance. Get the lay of the land before you decide to be a trusting soul.

Fast Change

The most common con is really a sleight-of-hand trick, and it is performed to virtuosity by bogus black market money changers on the streets of cities all over the world. You probably owe it to yourself to learn a humbling lesson from these experts at least once, but don't try it with any more money than you would burn. There are probably at least a dozen different sleight-of-hand tricks that can be executed when changing money. I don't know them all, but I will warn you that if you get yourself into this situation, you will very likely come out a big loser.

You can avoid it by never changing money on the street, and by always asking around among other travelers where they have successfully changed, and what the rate is. If there is a black market, you can usually find a shop where the transaction takes place on the premises, preferably right up front. This is safer because the shopkeeper (was that guy really the shopkeeper?) has an address, and he can get into trouble. Street urchins disappear into thin air before you realize you have been ripped-off.

If you know someone who changed in that shop yesterday, you should feel safe about it today. There are a few countries, like China, where the exchanges usually occur on the street. In this case, ask around to see if it is trustworthy, or go with someone who can identify honest changers, or use the bank. Always have the money you want to change separate and handy. Never show your wallet and certainly not your money pouch when changing money on the black market. It sounds obvious to me, but I've seen travelers doing it.

I say if there is a black market, because dishonest money changers do not gain their profits by virtue of the black market rates. They make their my money by cleverly stealing it from you! There may be no black market for money in that country -- but they can lure greedy tourists into a scam by claiming that there is! It should be a big tip-off to you when someone offers you a rate far above either the official or the black market rate. They just want to get your attention, and they will go even higher if you ignore them. Like many con artists, they play on your greed.

The usual trick is to short-change you. Say the real black market rate is 20. They offer you 25. You get greedy and head off into an alley with them. When you count the money they give you, it is the equivalent of only 22. You complain and give the money back. (One acquaintance of mine actually took this money, stuffed it in her jeans and walked off, making 10% over the real rate and leaving the changers dumbfounded!) But you are greedy, so you give the money back. They re-count it, add enough money to the top to make it right, and give it back to you as you hand over your dollars. Alternatively, if you have already given them your dollars (you might as well have flushed them down the toilet!) you will then have an argument, and they end up giving you back your dollars.

The first case is actually better, because you at least will have been given some local money, although what you were handed, just before they disappeared in five directions, was only equivalent to a rate of 12 or 15! The hand is quicker than the eye. Perhaps you would like to see a card trick?

In the second case, just as your dollars hit your hand again, someone will shout that the police are coming, and the transaction is foiled as every one stuffs their own money in their pockets and runs for it. Back at your hotel, you reach into your pocket and pull out the worst possible excuse for a Xerox copy of a $100 bill! You now have no local money, and that crumpled piece of paper in your hand is worth nothing more than as a very poignant souvenir.  (Yes, I have seen this happen, in Manila.)  Welcome to the club!


Mickey Finn

In a few countries, foreigners, and even locals, are occasionally drugged in bars, buses, and other places. You wake up 24 hours later with nothing but a headache. This happens to very few people, but it does occur.

If you avoid the environments of sleazy bars in Manila, Bangkok, and several other places, you have avoided most of the danger. Even then, you just need to exercise some care. Get in the habit of never leaving a partially full drink unwatched on the table when you go to the toilet. Bottled drinks are safer, especially if you watch them being opened. Again, you shouldn't have to worry about your food or drinks being drugged in most situations, and in most places. But when you get out on the Road and hear some of these wild stories, you won't be able to say, "Wow, Randy never told us about that!"

There have been wild reports of entire buses being drugged by a vendor who passed down the aisle giving free samples of his sweets. Even the driver was drugged in this popular horror story. Still, people do get drugged on buses in a few locations (southern Thailand, Indonesia, Lahore, and Peru that I have heard of). If someone hands you a hunk of her greasy tamale, it is probably as safe as the grease, but if someone pulls out a sweet and offers it to you, it is just a good policy to refuse, unless you are quite familiar with the safety of the country. If they become very insistent, you should definitely refuse. Even cigarettes can be drugged.

You are most likely to be drugged (and it is still not very likely) by a con artist who has already lured you away to a private location. In this case, you are already about to be robbed, so whether or not they drug you in order to do so is just a matter of their personal style.


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