Although the purpose of the gathering that evening was to celebrate Teej and have a good time, we did allow Mr Karki to share his experiences about his world tour so far. He took the opportunity and shared his experiences and ended with his request for donations to support his mission. Except a few, almost all the people who had gathered were students and it wasn't a large crowd - probably 20 - 30 people. Still we managed to collect some $100+ and handed it to him.
That's when he showed his true color.
He was not satisfied with the amount we had collected for him and he demanded that we give him more. We tried to explain to him that we were all students and didn't have much to donate at that moment. However, he was very rude and ungrateful. His tone and attitude was simply disgusting!!
The interesting thing to note is that he was NOT an invited guest to our program. Somehow he manged to get the contact number of one of our friends in Miami and called him after boarding a bus from Atlanta to Miami. He basically said that he was on his way to Miami and wanted a place to stay for few days. Our friend who being very social and helpful natured, offered to accommodate him in his apartment. Given that we are in a "pardes" so far away from home, we tend to be sympathetic and helpful to our fellow Nepalese people whenever we can. In the same vein, our friend picked him up from the Greyhound bus stop and brought him home. He also explained to Mr Karki to not have high expectations of donations, if that was what he was looking for.
Long story short, the next day (Saturday, Sept 11) our friend dropped him at the Tri-Rail station in Miami, bought a ticket to West Palm Beach, wished him good luck and bid him farewell. Although we had a bitter experience the earlier evening, we were all glad he was gone and thought that was the end of it.
Apparently not!!
This character had the audacity and the nerve to call our friend again and demand that we pay him his incurred travel expenses to Miami. He even threatened to come back to Miami and attack if he did not get paid. He even verbally abused our friend over the phone.
How can a person who is supposedly on a mission to spread the message of world peace be so selfish, arrogant, rude and ungrateful?
After coming to know about the threats he had made, I did a quick search on the internet and found that other people had also had similar experiences with him. It was clear to me this guy was on a mission none other than to dupe everybody including his fellow Nepalese people and collect "donations".
Now, when I look back and think about it, I wonder if he really rides his bicycle some 6 to 10 hrs a day as he claimed in some interview. He seemed to have a fat belly and his face was also filled with fat. The weight that he carried in his stout body did not seem to fit the profile of a cyclist riding 6+ hours per day. The fact the he traveled to West Palm Beach from Miami via Tri-Rail also raises question about his "cycle tour". During his presentation, he mentioned that authorities in USA did not allow him to ride his bicycle on the highways. That is true and it is for his own safety. Who would want to be on a bicycle without a helmet on an interstate highway? However, sidewalks on city streets are not off limits to cyclists. The distance from Miami to West Palm Beach is about 70 miles and you can travel between the two cities avoiding major highways. That is not an impossible trip for someone who claims to have traveled thousands of miles around the globe in his bicycle. I am sure there would have been challenges. But isn't that what he wanted to do and signed up for?
In a New York times blog, Mr Karki is quoted saying - “I want you to write this, sir. Nepalese in other country have been very generous, but in this country, they do not give.”
The above comment clearly shows that this guy is simply after money and he is ungrateful to all the help he has received so far in this country from our Nepalese friends.
It seems most of the time he travels by trains, planes, and automobiles and rides his bike just within the cities when he wants to look around.
So, I would like to bring it to the attention of all Nepalese who are in the USA (as this guy is still here), and also around the world to not host this fraud any further. He is a disgrace to our nation.
This character had the audacity and the nerve to call our friend again and demand that we pay him his incurred travel expenses to Miami. He even threatened to come back to Miami and attack if he did not get paid. He even verbally abused our friend over the phone.
How can a person who is supposedly on a mission to spread the message of world peace be so selfish, arrogant, rude and ungrateful?
After coming to know about the threats he had made, I did a quick search on the internet and found that other people had also had similar experiences with him. It was clear to me this guy was on a mission none other than to dupe everybody including his fellow Nepalese people and collect "donations".
Now, when I look back and think about it, I wonder if he really rides his bicycle some 6 to 10 hrs a day as he claimed in some interview. He seemed to have a fat belly and his face was also filled with fat. The weight that he carried in his stout body did not seem to fit the profile of a cyclist riding 6+ hours per day. The fact the he traveled to West Palm Beach from Miami via Tri-Rail also raises question about his "cycle tour". During his presentation, he mentioned that authorities in USA did not allow him to ride his bicycle on the highways. That is true and it is for his own safety. Who would want to be on a bicycle without a helmet on an interstate highway? However, sidewalks on city streets are not off limits to cyclists. The distance from Miami to West Palm Beach is about 70 miles and you can travel between the two cities avoiding major highways. That is not an impossible trip for someone who claims to have traveled thousands of miles around the globe in his bicycle. I am sure there would have been challenges. But isn't that what he wanted to do and signed up for?
In a New York times blog, Mr Karki is quoted saying - “I want you to write this, sir. Nepalese in other country have been very generous, but in this country, they do not give.”
The above comment clearly shows that this guy is simply after money and he is ungrateful to all the help he has received so far in this country from our Nepalese friends.
It seems most of the time he travels by trains, planes, and automobiles and rides his bike just within the cities when he wants to look around.
So, I would like to bring it to the attention of all Nepalese who are in the USA (as this guy is still here), and also around the world to not host this fraud any further. He is a disgrace to our nation.
