Article For Greek Kamaki Options

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There exists throughout the world a stereotype of Mediterranean men and their obsession with courting women. In Greece these men have a special name, Kamaki (in English, a fishing lure), because these men spend time in tourist heavy places preying on women. Historically women in Greece had very limited and restricted roles, rarely coming out of the house. This has changed dramatically in the last generation, but the Greek Kamaki can still be seen as an extension of a society where access to women had to come from non-Greeks or from marriage. Kamaki are less active today than a decade ago, but the fact is there are still men who are looking to have sex with as many foreign women as possible. The "lure" can range from asking directions to offering to share a cup of coffee. There are some travelers who come to Greece looking for the "Four S's," sun, sea, sand, and sex, but if you are not one of those it is best to keep moving.

Bar scams present another annoyance for travelers. They are not wide spread but worth looking out for if you are in downtown Athens. Traditionally a traveler (usually a male) is lured into a bar and once he is comfortably having conversations with locals several women will appear and ask him to buy them overpriced drinks. Eventually at the end of the evening the traveler is handed an enormous bill.