so my sister got mugged in ghana

[sho'nuff]

GQ, im glad your sister is all right , though.

 

[globetrotter]

GQ,

sorry to hear about the unpleasantness, and I am glad that your sister is ok.

if you are mugged in south america, cooperate. don't get killed over a few bucks.

 

[GQgeek]

Originally Posted by Sartorian

GQ, money belts are too unwieldy; best advice I ever got for traveling with money, esp. in the developing world, came from my Sikh friend's dad, who himself lived all over the world: when you arrive to the big town where you're going, head to a tailor, have him sew some cotton fabric into a hidden pocket that hangs off the inside of the waist of your pants, behind the belt area. I did this with several pairs of pants and it cost me about 10 bucks total. When walking around, carry a small amount of local currency, and keep the rest hidden in that pocket. Make it big enough for your passport and you have very little to worry about. It's also far easier to access and much cleaner than any money belt.

Have a great trip; travel in the developing world is challenging and hard, but it can also be far more interesting, entertaining and fun than it is in developed countries: I'm envious. I highly encourage you to travel to smaller towns and villages, wherever you go. They're usually nicer than the big cities.

Oh, and you may know this, but make several photo copies of your main passport pages. Leave one at home, take a couple with you, keeping them in separate places. It's a lot easier to replace a lost or stolen passport at a US embassy if you have this. Any specific questions, feel free to PM me.

Good idea about the passport. I'm also bringing my birth certificate. Day 1 when I am there will be shopping for things I need later in the trip, mostly clothes that I won't mind ruining in the rainforest.

Originally Posted by globetrotter

GQ,

sorry to hear about the unpleasantness, and I am glad that your sister is ok.

if you are mugged in south america, cooperate. don't get killed over a few bucks.

I will use my dragon stance.

Ya, I have no intention of getting stabbed for 80 soles, which is probably as much as I'll carry with me at any one time.

I'm staying in a mix of hotels. Some are luxury hotels with safes or safety deposit boxes and others are not. For those that are not, would it be best to keep my passport on me, as well as all of my Amex travellers checks?

 

[texas_jack]

Originally Posted by Sartorian

I.

A friend of mine who travel a lot in S America says he always keeps a 10 dollar bill in his pocket and if he's held up (happened twice) he immediately gives them the bill and they usually leave. They're usually happy when they get the money with out a problem and leave without asking if he has anymore (which he usually does).

 

[Sartorian]

Originally Posted by GQgeek

Good idea about the passport. I'm also bringing my birth certificate. Day 1 when I am there will be shopping for things I need later in the trip, mostly clothes that I won't mind ruining in the rainforest.
I wouldn't advise bringing your birth certificate, though if you want, you could bring a copy. But I've never seen any reason to need something like that traveling: it wouldn't help you for ID any more than a passport would, and the main reason you'd need ID would be to get a new copy of your passport or help from some other western business (Amer. Express, etc.) But TBH, as someone who works in immigration law, a birth certificate is most essential to your life here in the States. OH, one thing you should always have traveling: extra passport photos. Bring along a bunch, maybe 6, for visas, etc. Far as clothes go, I'm not sure where you're going, but if you're going to be in Africa, the one thing I'd recommend is you bring some crappy cargo or khaki chinos (Gap, BR, something like that) and a pair of beater jeans. You can also find some jeans at a 'dead man's' market, but you may or may not find something in your size. If you get clothes made, shirts are dirt-cheap at local tailors, but you just can't find good pants material in most places in the developing world.

Originally Posted by GQgeek

I'm staying in a mix of hotels. Some are luxury hotels with safes or safety deposit boxes and others are not. For those that are not, would it be best to keep my passport on me, as well as all of my Amex travellers checks?
You kind of have to gauge the staff at a hotel, along with where you will be hanging out during the day. But yeah, if there's not a safe available, you probably want to keep stuff on you. It's generally good to just follow the rule of diversification and keep emergency reserves in separate places. You could also get a hidden pocket stitched into a travel bag--like behind the padding in a backpack or something.

Originally Posted by texas_jack

A friend of mine who travel a lot in S America says he always keeps a 10 dollar bill in his pocket and if he's held up (happened twice) he immediately gives them the bill and they usually leave. They're usually happy when they get the money with out a problem and leave without asking if he has anymore (which he usually does).
Good strategy, that works. I've not traveled much in S. America, but one thing I know about it is it generally tends to be a lot more dangerous than much of Africa (outside of say Nairobi, Kenya, or Lagos, Nigeria). Pickpockets are a much bigger worry than forceful mugger types. My ex-girlfriend suffered an attempted theft before she left, but the thief wasn't able to yank the bag off of its cordura strap or remove that from her arm. He tried to run away with the bag and ended up dragging her along the street: the biggest damage she suffered was a lot of scrapes and bruises, but she was never actually in any danger.

Originally Posted by LabelKing

Have you been to Libya? I would like to go to Libya. Also, I've heard that Ethiopia is interesting. During the brief Italian occupation, there are various elements of Italy there--architecture, restaurants, etc.
Have been to Egypt and Morocco. I lived in Niger, on the southern side of the desert from Libya. Qaddafi used to visit. I'd love to go to Libya, some amazing ruins there. My ex just returned from a summer in Ethiopia. Beautiful country, she had a wonderful time. I work with and live near a lot of Ethiopians. Most beautiful women in the world, despite what Amerikajinda might say

. Only thing about Ethiopians is they're extremely prideful and eugenic in their view of others. That being said, I'd love to visit, especially here:

 

[GQgeek]

Thanks, Sartorian. I won't be alone and my girl is latina so she's knows what to watch out for. I have a feeling that the airline will come out of this as a bigger thief than any mugger could.

 

[globetrotter]

GQ,

I haven't really traveled in places where I wasn't staying in a reasonable hotel, so I am not sure. If I had to, I would say carry the passport, and maybe nothing but the passport and a credit card, in a money belt seperate from everything else.

I also remember seeing, in some places in the world, businesses that had safe deposit boxes for short term rent to backpackers. that may be an option.

 

[GQgeek]

Originally Posted by globetrotter

GQ,

I haven't really traveled in places where I wasn't staying in a reasonable hotel, so I am not sure. If I had to, I would say carry the passport, and maybe nothing but the passport and a credit card, in a money belt seperate from everything else.

I also remember seeing, in some places in the world, businesses that had safe deposit boxes for short term rent to backpackers. that may be an option.

I'm not too worried about losing money or a passport. More than likely, if I am robbed, they will take my dSLR and lenses. That would suck, but it's a hell of a lot better than having passport and money stolen.

 

[mrpologuy]

I got an email saying somebody from Ghana can get me a lot of money if I help them out.

 

[GQgeek]

Originally Posted by mrpologuy

I got an email saying somebody from Ghana can get me a lot of money if I help them out.

Ya my sis says there are people in internet cafes all day long trying to scam westerners. The computer she uses for messenger constantly tries to send me viruses in the form of infected downloads when we chat.

 

[riveroaks]

Originally Posted by Sartorian

...I wouldn't advise bringing your birth certificate, though You can also find some jeans at a 'dead man's' market, but you may or may not find something in your size.

Have been to Egypt and Morocco. I lived in Niger, on the southern side of the desert from Libya. Qaddafi used to visit. I'd love to go to Libya, some amazing ruins there.

My ex just returned from a summer in Ethiopia. Beautiful country, she had a wonderful time. I work with and live near a lot of Ethiopians. Most beautiful women in the world, despite what Amerikajinda might say

. Only thing about Ethiopians is they're extremely prideful and eugenic in their view of others. That being said, I'd love to visit, especially here:

Sartorian - appreciate your insightful comments and suggestions. Is the "dead man's market" just like it sounds?

Also, could you elaborate on the Ethopian eugenic view?

Thanks!

 

[Sartorian]

Originally Posted by riveroaks

Sartorian - appreciate your insightful comments and suggestions. Is the "dead man's market" just like it sounds?
Ha, sorry. In Africa, people buy, sell and trade at mainly large markets in any bigger town. This is especially true in W. Africa. One section of the market is always full of old western clothes, mainly shipped and donated from charities like the Salvation Army, Goodwill, churches, etc. They refer to them as 'Dead Man's markets' because most people can't believe anyone would just throw away the clothes; the assumption, therefore, is that the clothes must have come from people who have passed away. Most common things available there are T-shirts, used button-downs and jeans. One of my fellow Peace Corps volunteers actually had the experience of shopping at a Dead Man's market once and coming across an old T-shirt from his high school back home

. Of course he bought it.

Originally Posted by riveroaks

Also, could you elaborate on the Ethopian eugenic view? Thanks!
Heh, yeah sure. Ethiopia is the only sub-Saharan country that was never colonized (the Italians took it over during the fascist days, but the level of subjugation was far less than that in the rest of the continent, and I think it only lasted for about 10 years). Anyway, it also represents one of the birthplaces of humanity--those churches at Lalibella date back to the earliest Christian sects, in fact--before there was even a Catholic church. Many people also believe the Ethiopians represent the lost tribe of Ethiopia. The world's top distance runner and probably greatest distance runner in the history of the world is an Ethiopian, Haile Gaibresellassie. Anyway, they basically have a rich and ancient tradition, with a written language and absolutely beautiful people. (Don't forget, they also have great coffee). It's also a beautiful country. Most Ethiopians think of themselves as being better than the rest of sub-Saharan Africa, as a result, and they are very prideful. This attitude carries over into their views on marriage, etc. VERY few Ethiopians will consider marrying a non-Ethiopian; especially the educated people. I'm probably just a bit bitter, as I tried to get some of the guys I work with to set me up with an Ethiopian lady and they'd smirk and tell me I didn't have a chance in hell. The women are worse than the men in this regard, but it's a pretty predominant view, not unlike that held by Indians, for example, or Jewish people or Japanese. Personally, as a mixed-race person, I find such attitudes antiquated and a bit offensive, even having lived all over the world and understanding the cultural backgrounds for them.

 

[vincent]

OH GQ..Thank God your sister is ok

 

[Go Surface]

That's really unfortunate. Good thing she's ok.

At least she didn't leave Ghana with a bastard child though.

 

[Nugget]

I hope you sister is not too shaken up!! Those things can spook you for a while.

This thread has done well not to end up bashing Africa.

Here in Kenya mob justice can be pretty brutal and it does happen that people get beaten then burnt to death. I don't think it happens often and it doesn't tend to make the news etc..