Reverse begpacking: Blindfolded guy gives free hugs & money in Somerset

Another iteration of 'begpacking'.

Belmont Lay | November 30, 2017, 11:29 PM

Just when you thought you have seen everything, you have seen nothing yet.

Such as this tourist (pictured above) who is passing by Singapore and offering strangers his help.

The catch? He was giving away free hugs and requesting passers-by to help themselves to his box of money on Nov. 30 evening at Somerset.

Harmless antics

The Caucasian man had put up cardboard signs and a box as he stood blindfolded and barefooted just outside of the H&M outlet in Somerset.

His motives were not completely clear but his antics drew curious stares and a small crowd formed around him.

Within a span of five minutes, several individuals stepped up to give the man a hug each and engaged in conversation with him. He would lift his blindfold each time when conversing with them.

His offer to help people appeared to have been without any strings attached, as the passers-by did not give him money.

Others were contend on peering into the box to check out its contents and no one appeared to take money from him.

[related_story]

Reverse begpacking

A particular segment of Caucasian backpackers have made the headlines in recent months for busking or outright begging on the streets of Asian countries, such as Thailand, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore, to fund their travels across the region.

Known as "begpacking", this phenomenon has been roundly criticised.

This mentality of seeking funding from locals to fulfill travel wants is seen as borderline exploitative and a riff on the long-standing imbalance of power between the West and former colonies in Asia.

Other critiques were more sympathetic, arguing that these travellers -- who, more often than not, are Caucasian -- would only turn to asking for money from the public as a measure of last resort, such as falling on hard times.

To tackle this problem, Thailand reportedly started cracking down on tourists who arrive in the country with no money and resort to begging or illegal work to fund their travels.

Immigration officials at several border checkpoints would ask foreigners entering the country on a tourist visa to prove they have at least 20,000 baht (S$827) in cash.

In April 2017, a notorious German begpacker was denied entry into Singapore and deported when he tried setting foot into the country again.

This was following news reports covering his antics of begging and gallivanting in this Southeast Asian region and his self-proclamation that he spent his money on booze and at the red light district.

Here are some totally unrelated but equally interesting stories:

Mums share their experience in helping their kids go cashless

Shell created a quiz to help me find my ideal city and I didn’t get Singapore

This guide to interacting with persons with disabilities will make you a better person