Each country has con artists to be aware of while traveling alone. In Europe there are gypsies who will follow you everywhere until you pay them to go away (sometimes they will save you the trouble and pick-pocket you on the spot). In many Asian countries there are similar happenings, and Kathmandu, Nepal is no different. Upon arriving, your guide or hotel manager should warn you about certain people who will befriend you on the streets. They will show you around town, while seeming innocent and incapable of wrongdoing, and a day or two later they will demand a payment for their “help” or rob you outright. In this situation I found myself on a recent vacation. First, let me say that most Nepali inhabitants are the kindest, most peaceful people I have ever encountered in a foreign country, so upon meeting two young and friendly men while walking to a festival, I wasn’t at all concerned that they would do any wrong, especially to me. Boy was I mistaken. After the festival the two young men showed me around the town to lesser known sites, and I was very grateful for their kindness. We got along very well. All the while they gave me history lessons as we stopped at temples and markets. It was very welcoming to have locals showing me around the city. On the way home we stopped for a beer and they offered to hang out the next day because there was no University class. I accepted and we went for a brief tour of some local gardens.
Later that night they unexpectedly stopped by my hostel (in friendly conversation I made the mistake of mentioning where I was staying. Please be careful not to do this), and after coming out to say hello they informed me that they were charging me twenty dollars for their time. “I didn’t hire you or ask for your time. It was voluntary,” I said. But they persisted. One of my faults is being too kind and trusting, so I had trouble leaving. You would be better off leaving at this point, I believe. They went into begging mode, which made me feel worse, so I listened to them wallowing. “But we can hardly afford school and our families are very poor” (even though they had brand new shoes and clothes, and were among the more wealthy looking people)(the average Nepali makes around three dollars per day). Finally I had enough. At this point I realized they were sneaks and probably did this stuff for a hobby. I wasn’t happy about giving them anything, but finally gave them five dollars to go away, and I never saw them again.
It was an unfortunate occurrence, as next time in Kathmandu I can’t be trustful of the locals. So please, if you are traveling to Nepal soon, remember that friends aren’t made in a day. Hire a guide for sightseeing and be careful if you encounter overly-friendly people. I’m not suggesting to suspect people; just don’t let your guard down until you know what their true intention are. Good luck and safe travels.