Bubble's Travel Updates

[rickshaw92]

Did you go to the Carlsberg brewery in Blayntire?

[south_sea_bubble]

I was robbed again.

After a 30 hour bus ride through Mozambique, I reached Maputo. Five thugs with badges singled out four passengers: three Kenyan nationals of Somali ancestry and me, the yellow guy. (Somalis are economic migrants everywhere in Africa. The Chinese have a huge recent merchant presence in Mozambique. There is resentment and I"m sure it's what made what happened permissable.)

We were taken to the police station. I was taunted as ching-chong the whole time. But my American passport spared me. The Somalis were stripped naked. I was just searched. Their money was taken. $20 was gingerly stolen from me. I forked it over because I just wanted to get the hell out of the situation.

I feel very sad.

[Stiv]

SSB,
sorry to hear that but i think all things considered $20 and no beatdown is pretty reasonable in some circumstances almost expected.

I'm actually impressed that's all they got. When you said robbed I expected to hear worse. I think you did well.

~Stiv

[Ultra Swain]

Don't feel sad brother, you are living the dream/nightmare. Getting robbed by the cops is par for the course. Hell I went down to TJ to buy thyroid pills last year and ended spending 20 minutes driven around the shantys by the cops until I forked over 20 bucks. Its a small price to pay and you got out in one piece. Keep on trucking Bubble.

[Kurt]

First time I was ever mugged was by policemen. It sucks but actually they are more reasonable than the criminals here in the US. You stand a chance of at least negotiating what they will take from you and are not as likely to be harmed.

[rickshaw92]

Shit happens there Bubbs. I once had to cough up 10 yank dollars for a 'messy passport tax' going from Hungary to Romania.

[soulohio]

I was robbed again.

After a 30 hour bus ride through Mozambique, I reached Maputo. Five thugs with badges singled out four passengers: three Kenyan nationals of Somali ancestry and me, the yellow guy. (Somalis are economic migrants everywhere in Africa. The Chinese have a huge recent merchant presence in Mozambique. There is resentment and I"m sure it's what made what happened permissable.)

i heard the same thing happening on Trinidad and Tobago when I was scouting a breakaway from USVI...the Chinese immigrate in, bust ass and get their act all squared away. Meanwhile, the local island boy hangs out and watches his neighbors prosperity...and waits for an opportune time to liberate his suceess and hurl a few insults about the yellowman taking his island away....actually had some blood and guts spilled over the situation a few years back. Stay safe amigo.

[dgold0101]

South Sea, when you had the ethiopian visa, did they trouble you for a way out ticket?

[south_sea_bubble]

It was never mentioned at the gate but I got my visa in advance in Cairo.

In Doha International now. Wow the locals are atrocious. In any case I might not leave the airport: 1. $28 visa 2. Doesn't look like any cheap way to get around.

[RYP]

"We were taken to the police station. I was taunted as ching-chong the whole time. But my American passport spared me. The Somalis were stripped naked. I was just searched. Their money was taken. $20 was gingerly stolen from me. I forked it over because I just wanted to get the hell out of the situation."

did they take the $20 dollars out of your ass or did they make you do it? Dude 20 bucks is cheap admission into the "I wuz robbed club" Some of us have donated hundreds of dollars, cameras and laptops.

So since I assume you are Chinese just do that angry Bruce Lee face next time they call you names.

[tech]

After work I was always seriously drunk in Maputo. They should never have given me a car. So you saw the bad side of crooked cops. There's a good side. I always enjoyed it. Say I was caught doing something wrong. Now the cop is going to do something wrong too. It's symmetry, it's a basis for understanding, maybe a kind of friendship. You can have the fake anger over the size of the bribe. You can have your fit, he can have his. Your friends can join in, so can his. It's street theater. After it's over you cut a cigar in two and share a smoke. Shit I loved that.

Compare that to the ticket I got on my bike for going 12 miles over the speed limit. Dude wrote me a ticket and then made me listen to a lecture on motorcycle safety.

[south_sea_bubble]

Dude,

The Iwuzrobbed club is not prestigious. It would be cool to be in the kidnapped club. I didn't get my money's worth.

Tech,

That sounds refined and all but Maputo is not your avg African capital. Did you notice how the three-man patrols would almost hunt down foreigners, looking actively to shake down? Have you EVER passed one of those three man patrols without hearing them say to each other "hey, look"?

I didn't expect to find Congo in Maputo. BTW, how are the cops in Kinshasa?

[tech]

Dude,
Tech,

That sounds refined and all but Maputo is not your avg African capital. Did you notice how the three-man patrols would almost hunt down foreigners, looking actively to shake down? Have you EVER passed one of those three man patrols without hearing them say to each other "hey, look"?

I didn't expect to find Congo in Maputo. BTW, how are the cops in Kinshasa?

Yeah ok, stomp on one of my good memories of africa. The guys with the AKs and sunglasses in Maputo reminded me of Haiti. Course Haiti didn't have the kids with their legs blown off from land mines. Maimed children add ambience to a place.

I know zip about kinshasa. I worked in Moz, SA, and Egypt in Africa. I don't travel across the street unless someone pays. No more time. Buena suerta dude.

[south_sea_bubble]

Never got bothered by the cops in Haiti.

In Mozambique EVERY patrol would note my presence--one guy would say "ching-na" to the others. Once, when I walked on a lonely street at night, the patrol noted and stopped me. The guy who spoke English asked a lot of questions, but finally determined that yeah I was an American tourist: bummer, I was let go. So I spent 48 hours in Maputo and got robbed once and had another police robbery on the horizon. Maputo has to be one of the 10 most police corrupt capitals out there.

[tech]

Bubble here's the thing. When your feet hit the ground start asking the question, 'what is the best bar in this town.' Keep asking til you get a satisfactory answer. It sounds facile but the search for a good bar will keep you out of alot of trouble. Doesn't matter whether it's cincinnatti or port moresby. People respect a man with an understandable goal. I believe I'll go open another carta blanca myself.