Walk with swagger and confidence. Living in Baltimore, MD will do this to you. I've never been hassled, and I'm 5'7 160.
Cities/places where you felt unsafe/insecure
You guys have convinced me to go nowhere near E. Europe.
I got held up at gun point once in Vegas. So it can happen anywhere. It was 10pm on a Friday night. Other guests were around and security. No one saw anything. One had a gun, the other frisked me. They didn't get any money. They were stupid because they went in the hotel lobby first. So they were on video.
Salvador da Bahia carnival.
I wouldn't say each time I've went I was worried I might get killed. Or even robbed as I waded through endless hordes of drunken faveladoes with a $800.00 camcorder despite countless locals repeatedly warning me to put it away.
But maaaannnn......the amount of fights and brawls I saw breaking out in a given week of carnival there, especially in the pipoca surpassed the amount of fights and brawls I've ever seen or been a part of ten fold.
People laying in the middle of the streets unconscious bloodied. Cops barrelling through crowds and beating the shit out of endless people when breaking up these fights. I can't count how many times they'd push or even hit me with a baton,lol.
It was the funnest week of my life....but it's not for the faint of heart. I would go back in a heartbeat, lol.
I wouldn't say each time I've went I was worried I might get killed. Or even robbed as I waded through endless hordes of drunken faveladoes with a $800.00 camcorder despite countless locals repeatedly warning me to put it away.
But maaaannnn......the amount of fights and brawls I saw breaking out in a given week of carnival there, especially in the pipoca surpassed the amount of fights and brawls I've ever seen or been a part of ten fold.
People laying in the middle of the streets unconscious bloodied. Cops barrelling through crowds and beating the shit out of endless people when breaking up these fights. I can't count how many times they'd push or even hit me with a baton,lol.
It was the funnest week of my life....but it's not for the faint of heart. I would go back in a heartbeat, lol.
Some areas of London (especially South) - I grew up there and was robbed twice on the street, once I saw a guy get stabbed right infront of me in broad daylight, also many goons and drug dealers everywhere. This was at a very young age though so since I walk with confidence and matured I haven't had any problems. London is probably safer now than it was then though but there are some parts where the average guy shouldn't venture to.
Roppongi in Tokyo. Never seen a more aggressive group of Nigerian hustlers in my life that will try to take everything they can from you and snap to wanting to kill you if you piss them off. And I've been to a few cities/countries that had a reputation for being more dangerous.
As far back as I could remember, I always wanted to be a player.
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Quote: (11-20-2017 09:32 PM)yankeetravels Wrote:I told like half of them to fuck off in Russian. I was drunk so they didn't seem too dangerous to me.
Roppongi in Tokyo. Never seen a more aggressive group of Nigerian hustlers in my life that will try to take everything they can from you and snap to wanting to kill you if you piss them off. And I've been to a few cities/countries that had a reputation for being more dangerous.
Phnom Penh, Cambodia was pretty sketchy at night in the area between the bar district and the hotel. Was there for a few days and met three people that got robbed at gun point on that stretch. Even heard some gunshots in the distance at night.
I met some Brazilian guy from Rio that was 6'+ with a huge beard; he didn't have any problems walking back. Go figure.
In Bangkok and Siem Reap I cut through dark alleys at night all the time and was perfectly fine. Got harassed by some lady boys in Siem Reap, but no violence. I wouldn't do that in Phnom Penh unless necessary. Even the tuk tuks in Phnom Penh can be sketchy... but usually they just don't know where anything is because the drivers are country peasants unfamiliar with the city.
The rest of Cambodia, besides the touristy parts of Sihanoukville, seemed extremely safe.
Edit: Southeast Washington DC also felt unsafe. Not sure why anyone would ever go there though.
I met some Brazilian guy from Rio that was 6'+ with a huge beard; he didn't have any problems walking back. Go figure.
In Bangkok and Siem Reap I cut through dark alleys at night all the time and was perfectly fine. Got harassed by some lady boys in Siem Reap, but no violence. I wouldn't do that in Phnom Penh unless necessary. Even the tuk tuks in Phnom Penh can be sketchy... but usually they just don't know where anything is because the drivers are country peasants unfamiliar with the city.
The rest of Cambodia, besides the touristy parts of Sihanoukville, seemed extremely safe.
Edit: Southeast Washington DC also felt unsafe. Not sure why anyone would ever go there though.
Quote: (11-20-2017 03:35 PM)Mikestar Wrote:
Some areas of London (especially South) - I grew up there and was robbed twice on the street, once I saw a guy get stabbed right infront of me in broad daylight, also many goons and drug dealers everywhere. This was at a very young age though so since I walk with confidence and matured I haven't had any problems. London is probably safer now than it was then though but there are some parts where the average guy shouldn't venture to.
I've heard from family that safety is getting worse again in London after a peak due to the lack of communities due to immigrants. True?
I've heard from family that safety is getting worse again in London after a peak due to the lack of communities due to immigrants. True?
[/quote]
Immigrants have dominated London ever since I could remember - I am part of that statistic (nearly 50% of London is foreign born). Yeah it is true crime in London is rising but it's not really just the new immigrants, many people here from lower classes get involved in crime easily, compare London in 2006 to now it's not that different, it's just always been a heavy migrant populated city. Community wise there isn't much sense of orderly communities, it's rare you'll ever say hi to a neighbour (but really depends on the neighbourhood). On the whole though safety is not a concern in the tourist spots except from maybe pickpocketing and motorbike thieves.
[/quote]
Immigrants have dominated London ever since I could remember - I am part of that statistic (nearly 50% of London is foreign born). Yeah it is true crime in London is rising but it's not really just the new immigrants, many people here from lower classes get involved in crime easily, compare London in 2006 to now it's not that different, it's just always been a heavy migrant populated city. Community wise there isn't much sense of orderly communities, it's rare you'll ever say hi to a neighbour (but really depends on the neighbourhood). On the whole though safety is not a concern in the tourist spots except from maybe pickpocketing and motorbike thieves.
I was primed/preloaded by locals here and friends who have traveled to Rio/Brazil that Rio is such a dangerous city. Parts of it assuredly are dangerous. But, I am based in Copacabana and have traveled outside of Copacabana quite a bit and don't find it any more dangerous than any other large city. Obviously, always maintain high situational awareness, don't make yourself a target......and, MOST importantly, if it looks dangerous, sketchy or your Spideysense starts tingling.....just fucking AVOID it. Just my $.02.
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Quote: (11-20-2017 02:17 PM)Banna Wrote:Agreed, those cops were intimidating AF. Thankfully, unlike 5-10 years ago they now know not to be too aggressive with gringos. At any given time there you could look down and have 2 different people going through your pockets. Fanny pack FTW.
Salvador da Bahia carnival.
I wouldn't say each time I've went I was worried I might get killed. Or even robbed as I waded through endless hordes of drunken faveladoes with a $800.00 camcorder despite countless locals repeatedly warning me to put it away.
But maaaannnn......the amount of fights and brawls I saw breaking out in a given week of carnival there, especially in the pipoca surpassed the amount of fights and brawls I've ever seen or been a part of ten fold.
People laying in the middle of the streets unconscious bloodied. Cops barrelling through crowds and beating the shit out of endless people when breaking up these fights. I can't count how many times they'd push or even hit me with a baton,lol.
It was the funnest week of my life....but it's not for the faint of heart. I would go back in a heartbeat, lol.
Port Moresby in New Guinea. Moody as fuck.
I was there for mining work, not chasing pussy.
I was there for mining work, not chasing pussy.
Cape Town gave me the wrong vibe walking around. Dudes drooling when you walk by them. Ready to jump. I did walk home from long street every night I went out though, so my own fault. Bogota has some nasty parts in wierd places too but I was always careful. Cape Town sneaks up on you.
3 years ago I was walking alone in Rome at night at 1 am and got the wrong bus and ended up in a shady area of the suburbs.
Unfortunately, I ended up in a gipsy neighborhood where 2 guys tried to rob me with a baseball bat. Lucky me, they were fat and I used to do athletics at a competition level back home; usually no one average can outrun me and I can run for kms without stopping. Even though I was running with a backpack, I was like speedy gonzalez.
I should have known better when all of the sudden all the houses had wired fences and shit, looked like I was walking in Sao Paulo or some latin city in South America.
Found out later I ended up in a hood just populated by gipsies denominated Romani.
P.S.: I found a police station later, I walked in and described what happened. They couldn't care less, they just noted my name and sent me away.
Obviously, this doesn't represent Italy, you can have way worse experiences in some areas in Malmo in Sweden if you're white
Unfortunately, I ended up in a gipsy neighborhood where 2 guys tried to rob me with a baseball bat. Lucky me, they were fat and I used to do athletics at a competition level back home; usually no one average can outrun me and I can run for kms without stopping. Even though I was running with a backpack, I was like speedy gonzalez.
I should have known better when all of the sudden all the houses had wired fences and shit, looked like I was walking in Sao Paulo or some latin city in South America.
Found out later I ended up in a hood just populated by gipsies denominated Romani.
P.S.: I found a police station later, I walked in and described what happened. They couldn't care less, they just noted my name and sent me away.
Obviously, this doesn't represent Italy, you can have way worse experiences in some areas in Malmo in Sweden if you're white
Dhaka,Bangladesh. Crowded, Islam blaring,not a foreigner in sight etc. But now one of my regrets is not winging it for at least a day or two instead of hightailing itout. The folks that I did come across were benevolent enough
Rio had more petty crime like stealing, etc. but in general its ok. Most tourists stay around touristic areas like Copa and Ipanema. On the other hand Sao Paulo is a lot more spread out and some favelas are close to business areas or high end areas like Morumbi. Sometimes you need to navigate a lot to get out of a neighbourhood. I would think Joburg is a lot more dangerous than all the other cities here, but no one really goes wandering at the CBD after dark. I felt a bit unsafe when I didn't have a car and had to rely on mini buses, especially in spread out places near the evening, which would expose you to people on the street. But after having a car, I stayed in a predominately white area (north) and drove around, it seemed exactly like England.
I co-sign Cape Town, lots of junkies there, they seem to have a problem with meth there. Other then that Goma in the DRC and Bujumbura in Burundi have a real shithole feeling to them. Outside of Africa I'd say Juarez in Mexico.
Just did a trip to Cape Town and Joburg. Can't say I felt unsafe walking around central Cape Town at night as long as you keep your wits about you and stick to well lit streets. Typical begging during the day but nothing aggressive. Better idea is to take advantage of the cheap Uber rides anyway. The city is getting hit heavy by crime though, apparently 30+ highway robberies on ambulances this year.
Central Business District of the Johannesburg on the other hand is the symbol of urban decay. They are trying to gentrify it a bit, and there are a few very cool nightlife spots there worth checking out, but still the shadiest places at night that I've seen and I only drove around. Keep your doors locked and don't stop on red in dark streets.
Central Business District of the Johannesburg on the other hand is the symbol of urban decay. They are trying to gentrify it a bit, and there are a few very cool nightlife spots there worth checking out, but still the shadiest places at night that I've seen and I only drove around. Keep your doors locked and don't stop on red in dark streets.
Downtown Bucaramanga, Colombia.... some parts of Bogota too
London: Stayed in a hostel that i'm pretty sure was Russian mafia owned-- as well as various portions of London--wary of knifecrime.
Dallas/Houston: Various ghettos.
Germany, post-2015: The refugee influx has affected the crime rate in all parts of germany, and many of these military-aged refugee dudes don't seem to care at all. Kreutzberg in Berlin sketched me out a bit too prior to the refugee influx, some parts seemed deserted, and in parks all these dudes are offering to sell you any drug you can think of.
Paris (Drancy): I was on an organized tour of France, and I was happy I was in this ghetto with a group, because it was downright scary. Everyone was looking at us strangely. I'm wary in general of paris because of all the petty crime and pickpocketing.
Marseille: Only after arriving did I find out it was a war zone, complete with drug conflicts. You want to be careful late at night.
Brooklyn, NYC: Don't remember what part it was, but it was 7pm deserted, and there were no taxis to be found. Briskly walked out of that neighborhood.
Selma, Alabama: Never have i seen worse poverty in the US, burned out houses, people sitting on their porches, etc.
Belgrade: Various hoods on the edge of town (areas with big apartment blocks) are to be avoided if you're a foreigner, don't want to stick out. I was mainly worried about drunk football hooligans, which is probably the biggest safety issue in Belgrade.
Skopje, Macedonia: The town is divided based on ethnicity, a lot of people told me to avoid the North side of town. You definitely notice the segregation, and it is quite eerie.
Vancouver: Downright funny, because you think Canada is supersafe. The chinatown area gave me the creeps because of all the homeless and drug activity happening here. People will ask you for money so they can buy crackpipes out of a vending machine.
Dallas/Houston: Various ghettos.
Germany, post-2015: The refugee influx has affected the crime rate in all parts of germany, and many of these military-aged refugee dudes don't seem to care at all. Kreutzberg in Berlin sketched me out a bit too prior to the refugee influx, some parts seemed deserted, and in parks all these dudes are offering to sell you any drug you can think of.
Paris (Drancy): I was on an organized tour of France, and I was happy I was in this ghetto with a group, because it was downright scary. Everyone was looking at us strangely. I'm wary in general of paris because of all the petty crime and pickpocketing.
Marseille: Only after arriving did I find out it was a war zone, complete with drug conflicts. You want to be careful late at night.
Brooklyn, NYC: Don't remember what part it was, but it was 7pm deserted, and there were no taxis to be found. Briskly walked out of that neighborhood.
Selma, Alabama: Never have i seen worse poverty in the US, burned out houses, people sitting on their porches, etc.
Belgrade: Various hoods on the edge of town (areas with big apartment blocks) are to be avoided if you're a foreigner, don't want to stick out. I was mainly worried about drunk football hooligans, which is probably the biggest safety issue in Belgrade.
Skopje, Macedonia: The town is divided based on ethnicity, a lot of people told me to avoid the North side of town. You definitely notice the segregation, and it is quite eerie.
Vancouver: Downright funny, because you think Canada is supersafe. The chinatown area gave me the creeps because of all the homeless and drug activity happening here. People will ask you for money so they can buy crackpipes out of a vending machine.
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