ever been robbed in a foreign country?

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Re: ever been robbed in a foreign country?

Postby babihutan » Sat Dec 06, 2008 12:00 am

nowonmai wrote:I've never been robbed as the people love me wherever I go.

oh, I only mentioned the armed robberies. I must fare pretty unpopular, as I've had my wallet picked three times, first time in Surabaya boarding the big Pelni ship, found myself in a mass of hundreds of desperate passengers fighting to board. amidst the Chaos, my wallet with everything in it vanished from my zippered cargo pants........silly me! I learned i would have to do better than that. The next time, in Santiago de Cuba, drunk in a bar with my buddy started to wrestle, some friendly gentlemen came to break us up, only, (unbeknownst to me) to break open my pocket and take my wallet. Sleeping in a hammock on a quiet beach in Mexico Oaxaca, I had my wallet taken from my pants (back pocket) money removed, and wallet left beside me. No idea how I slept through that, no tequila was involved. And The other time, walking alone with my day-pack on across my left shoulder walking on right side of the road, a motorbike ran into me from behind, my pack's strap ripping, sent it flying, but the dude wiped out, and didn't get any.
My lesson learned in all of this is I'm a pretty easy target, however in every scenario, I had let my guard down and underestimated the risk. funny how the bad guys always know the right moments cause 99% of the time, I'm very vigilant.
coldharvest wrote: Yeah, what's up with them blacks eh? never up to any good


...they do make good music.

Indeed!
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it's simple

Postby tastyginger » Sat Dec 06, 2008 1:39 am

dont walk around with anything important
like id or passport regardless of what the authorities tell you
just carry a photocopy if you really want to

carry just the cash for the night if you kNOW you are going out drinking or smoking

put some cash in a ball belt not a money belt and not the kind you hang around your neck, they lift up your shirt and cut it off

two africans ..they were not American but from Africa. They swam over on rubber rafts or were smuggled in somehow...
usually it's Morroccons, Albanians and Russians, oh ya, Romanians etc...

There is no P.C.ness in Europe.

Carry a cheaper phone for travelling, if you carry your ipod your iphone etc...then...be ready to lose them.
don't LOOK like a tourist, ie: look at how the locals dress, at least TRY to fit in.

and really if you are stoned, drunk or whatever, call a taxi if you can or get someone to do it for you.
If you can spend 200 euros on getting blitzed you can afford 20 euro to get back to the hotel.

And note, most people do get robbed at some point in Europe. With all the illegals .....its outta control.
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Re: ever been robbed in a foreign country?

Postby Fenrisco » Sat Dec 06, 2008 11:01 am

Nope.

One attempt in rural Taiwan, but the fellow's poor English let him down. Foolish guy was alone on a dark night in the middle of nowhere and didn't even seem to have a weapon (unlike me). Geography allowed me to extricate myself without further incident (stroll off down an incline that the lazy robber's scooter wouldn't take, sprint to a vantage point, hide, and watch the numpty lying in wait for me where he thought I should come out; he gave up in disgust after ten minutes).

The Netherlands is quite a place for semi-organized petty crime. As everywhere else, it pays to not only look aware, but (and this is the important part) be aware and on the qui vive. A case in point: walking back from a bar one night with a couple of girls (also non-Dutch) I noticed a fellow following us. Contrary to the spirit of this thread he was neither African-American nor black, but looked eastern european; Albanian or somesuch. The girls saw nothing but I told them to walk on ahead while I hung back to increase the distance between them and the tail. They were pretty tipsy so didn't question me, luckily. After about ten minutes we passed the train station, and I saw a Dutch woman who would often hang around there and, I assume, deal in the hard stuff. From a distance I gave her a look and a nod over my shoulder and she, recognizing me as a "local", made a "cut it" gesture to the tail, who immediately veered off to pester someone else. Averted what could have been a bit of nastiness.
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Postby el3so » Sat Dec 06, 2008 5:03 pm

tastyginger wrote: And note, most people do get robbed at some point in Europe.

Generally good advice, but I cannot agree with that last line.

Some petty crimes are hard to avoid when living the metropolitan life, esp when using public transportation, but nowhere near the majority of people gets robbed over here.
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Re: ever been robbed in a foreign country?

Postby lightstalker » Sat Dec 06, 2008 11:44 pm

I got mugged by Roma in Bosnia several years ago.Also got mugged and assaulted by a taxi driver in Albania the same year. Shit happens
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Re:

Postby Penta » Sun Dec 07, 2008 2:45 pm

el3so wrote:
tastyginger wrote: And note, most people do get robbed at some point in Europe.

Generally good advice, but I cannot agree with that last line.

Some petty crimes are hard to avoid when living the metropolitan life, esp when using public transportation, but nowhere near the majority of people gets robbed over here.


I agree. I've never yet been robbed in Europe - perhaps it's because I'm cosily ensconced in the Bentley. ;) Still, better not speak too soon; there's always a first time.


babihutan: wallet in your back pocket? Silly boy. You guys who can't remember something so basic when you're drunk should sew up all your back pockets before you leave the country.
Shes never interfered with me. I have no complaints about her.
Same here.
Mega ditto.
I met her once and I found her to be a nice lady. Not kookey in any way.
Penta has always been gracious, kind and very sane in all my interactions with her.
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Re: ever been robbed in a foreign country?

Postby babihutan » Sun Dec 07, 2008 3:51 pm

Penta wrote:babihutan: wallet in your back pocket? Silly boy. You guys who can't remember something so basic when you're drunk should sew up all your back pockets before you leave the country.


yeah, and the real irony of it all is the fact that I never put my wallet in the back, but PURPOSELY chose to do so in that situation thinking the fact that I'm lying on my back in a hammock with my wallet pressed firmly against my ass cheeks would make me rob-proof. Young and dumb!
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Re: ever been robbed in a foreign country?

Postby RomanianDUDE87 » Mon Dec 08, 2008 5:11 pm

Robbed by two African-Americans in Amsterdam. Did they show you their passports?

Fuck I love it when people try to to be PC but can't comprehend that black people may not be African-American.



I can recognise an american accent but I didn't really have to since they said stuff like 'We're from New Orleans Magnolia ghetto bla bla bla. (I know where that is because I used to listen to rap, juvenile etc lol)Fuckers talked a lot, but it didn't matter to me at the time where they were from, even if they were martians I would have still given them my cash with that knife to my neck =))

stuff happens when you least expect it.
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Re: ever been robbed in a foreign country?

Postby bourbonchef » Mon Dec 08, 2008 11:17 pm

coldharvest wrote:
Anyways I was wondering about any tips you guys might have to deal with this

I'd go through their wallets after I battered them to death.

THATS FUNNY!!!!!!!!!
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Re: ever been robbed in a foreign country?

Postby friendlyskies » Tue Dec 09, 2008 1:29 am

I've been pickpocketed four or five times - now I just carry cash in several pockets out of habit. Most recently, I left my purse open while walking past a crowded bus stop. I felt something, and out of the corner of my eye saw this old junkie lady removing her hand from my purse, flipping her stupid handkerchief around like I wouldn't know. So I grabbed her arms and kind of lifted her up, she was strung out and weak, while I tried to go through my purse, to make sure my wallet was still there. Her scrawny tattooed boyfriend tried to make a fuss, and a little circle of people formed. I finally fished out my wallet, and all $20 or so was there (it's my dummy wallet). Then I let her go and they took off running, like I was going to chase her down or something. But more often, I'm trying to pay for something and it's like, "Oh fuck, I got pickpocketed."

I had my camera snatched once, but this hot Canadian guy chased the thief down and got it back. I also had a guy steal my friend's backpack off a train late at night. I was traveling with a Marlboro duffle bag that the thief hadn't deemed worthy. Ever since, I travel with cheapo duffle bags instead of fancy backpacks, seem to deter thieves.
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Re: ever been robbed in a foreign country?

Postby babihutan » Tue Dec 09, 2008 1:38 am

friendlyskies wrote:I had my camera snatched once, but this hot Canadian guy chased the thief down and got it back


that was yours? I never did get my "thank you" for that!
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Re: ever been robbed in a foreign country?

Postby friendlyskies » Wed Dec 10, 2008 12:03 am

babihutan wrote:
friendlyskies wrote:I had my camera snatched once, but this hot Canadian guy chased the thief down and got it back


that was yours? I never did get my "thank you" for that!


Please, that nasty Honduran weed wasn't good enough to make you forget *that* thank you!
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Re: ever been robbed in a foreign country?

Postby Chimborazo » Wed Dec 10, 2008 4:38 pm

coldharvest wrote:
Yeah, what's up with them blacks eh? never up to any good

...they do make good music.


Yes, they are a very musical people.
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Re: ever been robbed in a foreign country?

Postby marie-angelique » Wed Dec 10, 2008 7:38 pm

i got robbed by Al Italia when i flew home from Barcelona, they charged me 150 Euros to fly with my bicycle, which weighed 13 kilos, and i had no other checked luggage. bastards!
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Re: ever been robbed in a foreign country?

Postby ShanghaiedStampede » Thu Dec 11, 2008 6:16 pm

I was mugged quite a few times in Moscow. None of which were successful. Also avoided a kidnapping. The only time I was robbed successfully was by a mob of little Gypsy bastards. Children. Fast, tiny hands...
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