All too often I get beaten in the battle of wits with six-year old street urchins who try to separate me from my money or sunglasses. On this particular day exasperation led me to a breakthrough.

My brother Chris and I had gotten up early to photograph the ruins at Angkor Wat before sunrise. By 7am we had already been up for 2½ hours and were arguably more awake than the street kids who surrounded us as we went looking for breakfast. One little girl who could not have been more than six or seven-years old zeroed in on me, while the rest of the pack targeted Chris. I can’t say I won the battle, but at least it was a tie. Our conversation went like this:

Girl: “Mister, you want to buy a bracelet?”
Me: “No thanks.”

Girl: “One dollar you buy a bracelet.”
Me: “No thanks.”

Girl: “Bracelet very nice you buy for 1 dollar.”
Me: “No.”

Girl: “Mister, you buy bracelet for girlfriend.”
Me: “No thanks.”

Girl: “Mister, you buy bracelet for girlfriend then she loves you and gives you 100 kisses.”
Me: “I don’t have a girlfriend…”

Girl: “You buy bracelet then you can get beautiful girlfriend”
Me: “No thanks.”

Girl: “Mister, you need beautiful girlfriend. You no have girlfriend. You need girlfriend!”
Me: “No thanks.”

Girl: “Mister, buy just one, you get girlfriend.”
Me: “If I buy one bamboo bracelet next I will have to buy a silver bracelet, then I will have to buy a gold bracelet, then I will have to buy some matching earrings, then I will have to buy a diamond ring, then I will be married, then I will have kids, then I have to stay home, then I can’t travel to Cambodia. If I can’t travel to Cambodia then we can’t be friends, don’t you want to be my friend?”

Girl: “OK”
Me: “Hello friend. My name is Pete. What is your name?”

I now had a little friend who joined me for breakfast and she helped finish my eggs while keeping all the other “friends” away.

Somehow I had thrown this little urchin off of her carefully practiced script and away from the perpetual sales pitch. Incidentally, had this not worked I was fully prepared to point to my brother a few yards away and mention that he had a girlfriend that LOVES bamboo bracelets.