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Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is South America dangerous? If so, what precautions should I take? A: Many risk-averse friends and family members thought I was anything from a bit careless to completely insane for going to South America. A few wondered whether I would survive. After all, there are drug cartels, thieves, natural disasters, man-eating animals, and other undesirables that must be avoided. Even when I shot back that these same dangers also existed in our country, those doubters responded that at least they knew how to avoid the dangerous places in the U.S. True, true…I dedicate this section to my parents because they instilled some sort of awareness about me so that I kept out of trouble for my entire trip. Please don't be scared off by all of the potential dangers. By following the basics, you will keep your belongings to yourself.
My general guidelines:
- Be aware at all times
It only takes a second to lose your passport, money, and other things that will cause you tremendous grief. I took this to the extreme. I constantly looked around for shady characters and kept that angry expression on my face when I was walking alone in unfamiliar territory. Fortunately, over six months, I was left alone.
- Avoid large crowds
If you find yourself surrounded by thousands of people at a big event, keep a hand on your wallet or money belt. I was once at a parade and felt someone's hand in my pocket. So I reached down to my pocket and found that it was unzipped. I looked next to me and saw a suspicious man with his hands at my pocket level and his eyes focused intently on the parade, probably too intently. I zipped my pocket and looked over at him for a few seconds then watched as he moved away. I proceeded to follow him closely for about 50 yards to a wall. At this point, my friend thought I was nuts but she followed me in amusement anyway. I kept about 10 feet behind him until he turned around and looked me in the eye. I glared at him. He quickened his pace back toward the crowd and started yelling at me. I kept following him until disappeared in the mass of parade onlookers and felt good about doing my part to keep the crooks honest.
- Buy Ex-Oficio pants
Those pants have zipper pockets everywhere. After a few weeks, I ditched my uncomfortable money belt and just tossed my bulging wallet in my front, zippered pant pocket. Money belts have been cut countless times in less time than it takes to blink an eye. For the zipper, the thief has to figure out where the loot is and find a zipper surprise. Good enough for me.
- When alone, don't talk to strangers and don't trust anyone
Most people are nice, however the more stories I heard, the less I talked to people on the street. As a result, I didn't get mugged. Other travelers were more carefree in regards to strangers and some of them wound up talking to one too many. Girls should especially be careful. If you're with another person you'll probably be fine because many of the bad guys aren't so big. I generally felt safe, even when alone, because I was aware of my surroundings and just looking for a little, mischievous Peruvian guy to step out of line.
- Keep some cash separate from the jewels
Poor thieves can usually be satisfied with a quick buck. You can put 5 or 10 dollars in another pocket for when trouble strikes you. Rather than losing everything, you can offer up the fin and the little weasel will probably take off with it, leaving you with your passport and the rest of your money.
- Bring travelers checks
Travelers' checks are accepted in the cities, albeit at slightly lower rates, however, the price of the insurance is a small consideration. You shouldn't need to carry much cash on you unless you have to pay for a trip.
- Lock your bags
Locks serve as a fine deterrent, in most cases, they'll encourage the crooks to find an easier target. You'll want to keep bags locked at your base while you're out for the day because hostels and hotels are not immune to thievery.
Undoubtedly, if you travel through South America, you'll meet more than one person who has been robbed or threatened in some way. It's actually kind of a bonding experience between travelers to be able to share stories. By the second month of my trip, I had already been warned about four or five techniques that seemingly friendly locals have used to rip off unsuspecting tourists.
A few examples:
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One of the worst places to be is the bus station in La Paz, Bolivia. Tandem teams are notorious for approaching tourists about the time and then swiping a bag or two before the tourist even sees the bad guys disappear. The way I survived an intense hour there was to tie my bags to my clothing and keep my wits about me. Anytime someone spoke to me, I would pretend that I didn't hear a word. I was on constant alert and had no trouble. Keeping a disturbed look on my face probably scared away a few would-be thieves from approaching me.
- A trick often employed by thieves would go as follows: Someone would squirt a tourist with mustard or ketchup, while trying to clean off the tourist's shirt and apologize, another person would make off with the goods. A variation on this approach would be for the villians to hand the tourist a baby to hold for a moment then have the other accomplice swoop in for the wallet as the tourists stands there with the baby DOLL in arms.
- Even when you're checking your e-mail at the Internet café, you have to be careful. While in La Paz one day, crafting my latest journal entry, I noticed a few misplaced locals in the small computer lab. I moved my Jansport bag closer to me and peered over at them on a few occasions. About ten minutes after I had first noticed those suspicious looking Bolivians, I heard a scream from two PCs down and found out that an American girl's bag was missing. I ran outside the building and looked around but couldn't find the crooks among the thousands walking the streets.
- You may notice a pattern developing here because my next incident is also from an experience I had in La Paz. I took a combie (mini bus) with a friend to the outskirts of La Paz to do a little day hike and get a good look at what I had found to be one of the more beautiful backdrops for a city. When my friend and I arrived at the Valley of the Moon, we were approached by a local man who offered to sell his trinkets to us at deep discounts. Because he considered us friends after knowing us for 5 minutes, he decided to take the rest of the day off to be our guide in the Valley. He insisted that we go to the local zoo to see some rare breeds of animals. Along with the animals, we noticed a man who seemed a bit out of place, watching the ducks for such a long time near us. When our guide wanted to take us to the more remote areas of the zoo, we said we'd had enough. Our guide insisted on us going back with him and wanted us to miss the nearest combie so that we could walk back a little bit. When we jumped in the combie, his friendly demeanor seemed to turn off. Watch out for friendly guides!
- On most South American buses, your bags will be strapped to the top of the bus. While the bags are placed under a tarp so that they stay dry, they are not tied in well enough to stay. More than once, I heard about someone who waited for the bags to be dropped from the bus after a long ride, only to find that the bags were re-routed somewhere during the trip by a sneaky bandit. During stops for gas, keep an eye on your bags.
next: Can I go alone?
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