Hello Sarah,
YOU WROTE
Andy, Thank you for all your amazing responses. The
trust topic...well what can I say, you nailed it on the head. Need
to digest that a little more before further responding, hehe. And sorry
to hear that Americans are such bores. It's true, we really are, but
hopefully every now and then one surprises you!
A little more on fixers...how do you go about finding a good one in a
particular country while still in the states?
What more can you tell me about women fixers? Is it expected they
will also provide sexual favors? Or not necessairly? Can they be
more trusted? Probably not anymore trustworthy than men (not that you
are trusting any of them...hehe)
Are these really just personal tour guides? What about expensive,
high-end fixers? Do they exist? And what about body-guard-type
fixers?
Ok-that's it for now. Keep up the good work out there. Your
energy is changing the planet...for the better. Sarah
ANSWERS
Q: A little more on fixers...how do you go about finding a good one in a
particular country while still in the states?
A: I do not think a
person can find a fixer while in the USA. I do know there are escort and gray
areas offered, I suppose personal tour guides What you want is person who is
street smart, but not so smart they know the weakness of the USA persons. There
are men in many countries in Chat rooms, Nigeria a big, one man will be chatting
with 20 women, or one women in Thailand will be working 20 men at the same time.
The create an image, and the person think they have a friend that will make life
easy. The person come, and if all is good, they never know they was used.
Q: What more can you tell me about women fixers? Is it expected they
will also provide sexual favors?
A: I am not sure, I suppose yes, not an expectation normally of the man, but
the women would want to sweeten the debt owed, there is not as much value places
on casual sex in other countries, they will have casual sex if they feel
guaranteed they will benefit.
A women fixer, not common, I would say there are men that travel, looking for
a girl to make their life easy and to save money. I see this all over Asia, to
me, having a girl travel with me is like paying a parking meter, they just never
stop wanting to buy. If a man is afraid, they will continue to pay so they are
not alone. If am walking with a women I just met and she stops and wants
me to buy her chocolate or something she really does not want, I may buy the
chocolate, or not, but normally I say goodbye and take a taxi.
The problem with finding a women or man to be your friend, travel mate, or
partner from a poor country is. The want to be rich one time in their life, they
will go to the most expensive restaurant, invite all their friends to show and
prove to them, they have the money. The only way to brag is to have your girl or
many buy for them.
To buy is why they feel a person from the USA is of fashion, sometimes a girl
is enamored with my blond hair or blue eyes, as are the boys, they will look at
me like I am Brad Pitt, very annoying to me, but to a person with low
self-esteem, I think they would love it.
A fixer is to solve problem, they, the fixer is working as a gopher or do
what you want, they are a placebo, they tell you what you project or want to
hear. If you want to talk bad about the USA, they will agree and talk bad, they
will reflect back what you want to hear. They are good, they work in NGO, ONG
because they know how to flatter a person who is not-effective. If a person
repeats back to me what I just said, I know they are trying to work me, but many
people are happy.
Q: Are these really just personal tour guides?
A tour guide is doing a special job and cannot normally do a good job at
anything, although for sure most tour guides that are men want to come and fixe
the women and do that. A fixer knows how to ask and find answers, they know how
to work over people. A tour guide, I do not know, I have maybe had one good tour
guide in 10 years of travel, most are a waste of time.
Q:What about expensive, high-end fixers? Do they
exist?
A: I would say there is people that are probably high end fixers, I was
offering for short while to take people on tours, tailored made, if you want to
go to Iraq, I would take you, Colombia, anywhere you feel you need a special
guide. I would go in before a week ahead and locate the local fixers.. hehehe
and then smooth the path, make life simple, for people who are super rich. I
forget, I think I was pricing this at 1000 per day. There is a tour group in
Asia, I think called Silk Tours, you tell them your idea, and they make it
happen. I met a man from England in Laos on a private tour.
QAnd what about body-guard-type fixers?
A: I would say a body guard must be a fixer, and a good one,or in truth they
would be dangerous. I suspect if I was going to hire a fixer from the USA, it
would be best to search for a bodyguard, someone who believes they can take care
of you and will sell that service. A fixer, does that, they fix problem for a
fee. Normally the fee is the problem, then normally will extract a much money as
the person believe is good to pay.
Example: The wages here are about 500 CFA per day, so if you was an American,
would you be happy if a person gave you five times you normal days pay?
The problem is, 500 CFA is one dollar, so an American thinks, 5 dollars is
nothing, a fare wage is maybe 25 dollars. This is what teaches and enables a
fixer to use people, they have had some stupid American or European walk up and
offer them 50 times their normal pay. They have learned, there are some really
stupid tourist. A person who will charge 50 times their normal daily pay is not
a nice person and is working at a job that is does not have scruples.
I ask a fixer how much, if they would say 1500 CFA, I would say, too much,
and he would say 1000, then I would say ok, and at the end of the day, I would
pay 2000. Everyone would be happy and the inflationary practice of teaching a
person to cheat is not taught.
All this is confusing, I would say, 95 percent of lone travelers find a
person to accompany them, or a drinking buddy, who they take care of under the
idea that the person is helping. In reality they do no want to be alone.
Today, I went to the Market with a women from Togo here in Atakpame, Togo.
This is a problem, the normal women in Africa feels the are going to he mall
with 5000 dollars in their pocket and is going to spend all of it. I want to
stay here for about two weeks and learn French from this girl, I like her, but I
do not want give money out every five minutes to keep her happy. I am not going
to buy here happiness and maintain a constant source of money.
I see fathers and mothers do this with children, just continually give, this
is the same here, I just do not do that, it is too annoying to me.
I gave her a daily small Cadeau or Gift, then I left for Badou without really
talking to her, she thought the Cadeau was good, I said, the Cadeau to me, say,
I do not owe you anything. I hate this African Cadeau thing, but it is the
custom and a girl will go back home and all her friends will say, how much
Cadeau, she has to have one.
Today she refused the Cadeau, because she knows, I feel no sense of
commitment when I give the Cadeau. She is nice, but the fact is, she is from a
totally different culture.
She is my fixer, she helped me find a Mosquito net to use to modify another,
I asked here about Hippos, she helps me to find, she fixes my French, a good
Husband or Wife make life easier.
A fixer is normally a man intent on fixing me up with a women, and tries to
sell or arrange anything I want, they mirror my needs, and say or do whatI
emotionally need. They are annoying but effective, they are very sensitive to
the needs and nefarious wants of travelers, the make offers you would not
believe.
Life is good, life is easy, a good person is good, they feel good with you,
they are on your side, a person will find a mirror or fixer who is just like
themselves. A bad person will find a bad fixer who will do bad things, my fixers
tend to be nice, or I safe very fast.
Think, if you wanted tickets to the superbowl and would pay any amount of
money, who could get them for you, who would you call? This is a fixer, there is
a book called Smart People, all about Fixers.
Andy in Atakpame, Togo, West Africa.
Thank you, Andy HoboTraveler.com https://www.hobotraveler.com/blogger.html
2007-05-07
