The Tourist Trappers

India being India, getting to my next destination, Khajuraho, would never be easy. What we'd been told, in extremely broken English, was that we could take a direct bus taking around seven hours. In reality this entailed one flat tyre and thirteen hours of travel on three different buses -each one more cramped than the last. So much so I practically had had people on my lap by the end and our bags had to be precariously piled up on top of the bus. But it was actually strangely enjoyable. We travelled with the locals who were very friendly and intruiged by us. It was nice to be smiled at as we played with an inquisitive toddler who kept trying to unzip my bag.

Just before I got off the bus I distinctly remember saying to my friends that I had a good feeling about the place which is ironic as I was completely off the mark. I've learnt that although trusting your gut when travelling can is important, it's wise to approach this with caution, particularly in India given its reputation for having a funny impact on people's guts!

Renound for its many temples housing intricate carvings of the Karma Sutra, Khajuraho sounded fascinating, and on the surface the town looked like a really nice place with its many endearing cafes, restaurant and shops. Yet hidden under the surface we discovered a web of scamming and lies.

The first night we met three chatty Indian guys, all around our age, who were on holiday in Khajuraho. We never questioned the plausibility of this as there are several Indian and Western tourists who visit. They appeared to be very well educated, speaking excellent English as well as Spanish and French. In my head I'd hastily assumed they belonged to the growing Indian middle class with their increasing incomes which they choose to spend living a very Western lifestyle. They would casually make references to Western Pop culture - Bob Marley, Hollywood films, how much they enjoyed drinking with their friends. Looking back I am convinced that it was all a ploy to find ways of relating to us.

When they offered to show us around the main sites, we gladly accepted as they'd visited several times so would be good guides. Although this kind offer aroused a small element of suspicion in me, I tried to push my cynicism aside as I've met some very genuine selfless people in India who see welcoming guests as extremely important and will go out of their way to help you expecting nothing in return.

The next day the three of us got on the back of their motorbikes (sorry mum!) and off we went. The ride was so much fun and we got to see so many more small villages and bits of countryside than you would on foot or by public transport. We felt quite lucky that we were driven around from temple to temple and given time to stroll about. It was almost too good to be true but then the trouble began....

One of the bikes stopped for petrol yet conveniently the guy didn't have any money in his wallet and would 'pay it back later' to my friend who probably gave him more than was needed. On the way to the last temple we were taken to a wood carving shop which we just had no interest in. This was obvious to them so they asked if we would like tea. 'Of course we want tea, we always want tea' we stupidly said. At a chai stall, was what was implied, but in their friends shawl shop is what was meant.

Before the shopkeeper started his sales pitch, the guys tried to make 'interesting' conversation which they thought would appeal to us. They exploited Khajuraho's links with the Karma Sutra and seedily asked if we'd heard what 'ADIDAS' stood for (the answer being 'All Day I Dream about Sex') and what PUMA meant (Please Use My Ass). The conversation continued along these lines and although impressed with the amount of western brands they could use as acronyms for sleazy sentences, we all knew we just didn't feel right about them and they made us fell quite uncomfortable.

We half pretended to laugh and obligingly looked at some shawls (as the English are just so polite) but made a quick exit when the shopkeeper was busy talking to new customers. The last straw came when they took us for lunch at a 'cheap' restaurant but they themselves didn't want to eat as they were'nt hungry (only for commission!). Playing at their game my friend said that she felt ill and I wanted to 'use the internet' (our agreed code sentence for getting out of awkward situations). We declined the offer to rest at theirs and all made sure we didn't commit to any plans in the evening, although they attempted very heavily to persuade us. We were relieved to have escaped.

Later that day my friend Mike found out more about what was going on. Some seemingly innocent young boys around 10 - 12 started chatting to him and lo and behold, they too could speak some English, French and Spanish. They began to boast about the many girls they'd slept with! They asked if Mike knew what PUMA meant. 'Please Use My Aeroplane of course!' This confused them as the response was usually different and they didn't understand what he had said. Mike probed them and found that they did indeed receive commission for bringing tourists to places. What I found sad and disturbing, was to hear the children talking in such a way. It made me feel uneasy.

Wandering around more we found that every Indian that approached us, said they were a tourist, could speak 'many language', but always the same lines and all they all used the sleazy phrases and stories. It wes as if it had been programmed into them and everyone in the town was in on the scam to befriend tourists and find ways to get money out of them through lies and deception. I despise this way of doing business. Having to con and lie to people to make money is just so wrong. I wonder whether they really need to do this to make a decent living? They all seemed quite well off, but perhaps without the scams they would not be. Needless to say we left as soon as we could. It furthered my dislike for popular tourist hubs as they always attract the inevitable tourist traps and made me appreciate just how nice the area around the school is.