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Travel
Safety - Locking up advice:
Travelling by overnight bus to Bangkok a few years ago (picture
above left), my girlfriend and I found seats immediately behind
the driver. When the main lights went off, I discretely hung my
valuables bag over the back of the partition separating the driver
and myself, inches in front of me and well away from the aisle.
Nobody was moving around the vehicle, so I dozed off. In the morning
I got off the bus, opened up my bag, and found everything gone.
So, if you put a bag down, even in the most apparently secure
spot, put your leg or arm through the strap before you relax.
Safety before sleep!
In
1988 John and Petya Lowe, newlyweds in Southern India, sold me
their sole remaining possession, a sleeping bag, having had their
bag stolen from under their 2nd class train seat, from the other
side. What stung wasn't the loss of passports, money or clothes,
it was the honeymoon photos.
Large bags or packs should be locked up, and locked to baggage
racks or stanchions with padlocks or bike chains, especially when
travelling on trains.
In
1973, Steve Gershon was doing the Helambu trek in Nepal. He slept
one night in the middle of nowhere, at 4,600 metres, in a cow
shed. In the morning he found his backpack open, clothes, camera,
and worst of all his peanut butter, had disappeared.
Don't
relax your guard. Habitually lock everything, and you may still
have it at the end of the travels. Rather than carry all valuables
at all times, you can elect to leave them in your hotel safety
deposit.
Stephen Buckell, company lawyer, once left a credit card, among
other things, in his midrange hotel in Rio de Janeiro. On his
return to England he was surprised to find that he had bought
two hi-fi systems, a coffee percolator, an imported air-conditioning
unit and an extravagant Japanese meal with his card while in Rio.
He was lucky that the hotel person who borrowed his card from
the safety deposit didn't opt for a Ferrari Testarossa.
Others
have left traveller's cheques in the not-so-safety deposit. On
collection a cursory glance shows no problem, so off they go.
Days or weeks later, coming towards the end of the chequebook,
they find that the last few cheques have gone missing somewhere
en route.
The cure for this kind of complaint is a small, tough, lockable
bag, like the men's handbags that were fashionable a few years
ago. Put your valuables in that, lock it, then put that in the
deposit box.
Rateros
are well aware of money belts, so create your own. Sew a pocket
into an elastic thigh bandage or stuff a small wad of cash in
your sock or in your hat. But, always keep a little in your pocket
for the wacked-out addict with the big blade.
One long time expatriate resident of Rio carries a roll of old,
valueless bills, covered with one new note and held together by
a rubber band. He hasn't used it, yet.
Travel
Safety - Currency Exchange information:
Another area where some lose out is through sleight of hand. In
many countries the official exchange rate differs dramatically
from the black market, often up to 300%. This can mean great savings,
if you can do the job without having notes mysteriously disappearing
from the bottom of the wad. I have been entertained by failed
black market con tricks in Beijing, Moscow, Warsaw, Budapest,
Sana'a and Lima, as well as official change rip-offs in Kathmandu,
Bali and Paris. How many more succeeded, rateros only know.
A
relatively safe system goes like this:
First, compare and negotiate rates with various dealers. Then
calculate exactly how much you expect to receive from the best
offer, (which may well be from the local con man, especially if
his rate is way better than others). Tell him how much you want
to change; show him your currency if necessary, but don't give
it to him yet. Take the appropriate amount from him and count
it carefully. If it is correct, count it again, then put it in
your pocket. Do not give it back to him. If he is straight he
will allow you to do this.
If he protests, give it back and tell him to take off.
If there is no argument, give him the correct hard currency.
All
this sounds intimidating, and may discourage you from travelling
beyond Brighton for your holidays. But consider experiences like
these as education, part of life's rich tapestry and the stuff
of great stories.
Dostoevsky was convinced that 'Suffering is the sole origin of
consciousness', so go out there and get conscious, of strange
lands and cultures, ancient sights and streets, and the modern
rats that roam there. Travel safe!
Travel
Safety 1 | Travel Safety 2 | Robbery
Stories 1 | Dangerous
Animals | Driving Abroad
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