How does this end?

roopesh_kohad

I bet he would have easily lost that wager but would have never paid you if you stopped at that. This is initiation of conversation and now that you have won a wager, you are "obliged" to take one or more of these unless you lose or avail any of his services (travel, hotel etc..). So, basically he is the one who will end up net gainer. Its like gambling, unless one loses everything one can't leave. He will make sure, he ends up gainer.

You could run or call for help after that but most will be embarrasssed to part some of their money or avail his services.

shashank.aggarwal

C'mon..guys...I told you he simply was a trickster...they have various methods of surprising you and lesser people generally succumb to them...

he wouldn't have heard anything, hurt you, had no nexus with your hotel...

They do lot of stuff to confuse you..they will give slips of paper to write various things...the might ask you to write the name of your favorite flower...animal..name...anythi ng...its complicated and I do not remember exactly but if you apply your brain at that time you can understand what they are trying to do...

I have encountered these guys many times and know their working..

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machadinha

I mostly and honestly don't understand what's so scary about it. So he wins or loses, then what? Good laugh and walk away kind of thing. Why all the running and self-defense fantasies. Good lord. I'm sorry but sounds like a man having his ego brushed and not being able to get over it months after the fact or what is it to me. "What if I'd been Steven Seagal." Indeed, what if you would have been.

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stanr

@ Steven Seagal.

I didn't say scary, I said interesting. Interesting in the very same way you would find a magic trick interesting -- only imagine that you see about a quarter of the whole trick, and then try to figure out what could have happened in the rest, and how the trick works.

It's also interesting from the point of view of psychology. This man had to approach two strangers (one foreigner, one not) with a very weird proposal, based on some calculation of odds of success. Was there anything that made him think that there is a chance of success (i.e. do I totally look like a tourist doofus?). What constitutes success for him? Was there something in his "routine" that would have achieved it?

Of course, some of the more exciting scenarios to consider are the ones with clear criminal intent. It is less interesting to think that his exit strategy is "sorry yaar, I don't have the money" and speeding away.

It's entirely possible that I'm overanalyzing, and (like T.I.P. suggested) the dude was high and just trying his luck with anyone. But whatever, I find thinking about this entertaining.

Perhaps next time I'm in Delhi, I'll seek him out and just take him out for some food, to learn what he was up to.

So people, any other trickster experiences? Share, because I can't be the only "tourist doofus " to get strange proposals. I found a few accounts on the forums, but maybe there's more?

Noodle

Here used to be some guys who would approach foreigners with the ever same "Magic trick, Madam? Magic trick?" line, and continue immediately with "See this leave, Madam ..." waving a green leave around, intending to proceed to execute some "magic trick" but I never stuck around to see what it was. Once in a while I saw them crouching on the ground with some foreigners crouching in front of them watching intently, and apparently the leave trick was being performed ... I guess in the end they would ask for money. Don't know if they were tricksters or real magicians

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dhans

Wagers have two sides, so if he's wrong, he should pay you 60 dollars.

Hans

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Brisso

Sihk psychics or fortune tellers are found all over - even once in Sumatra I met one - usually older, well dressed and carry photos of their yogi or themselves as a devotee. Asking you to write a secret on paper was part of the routine.

Usually they will simply tell your fortune for a donation - they can be very compelling for the unsuspecting tourist though.

shashank.aggarwal

Yeas....they are exactly the people I am talking about in my posts above..!!