Being safe but not paranoid

Leeroy says on Jan 6, 2008, 16:25:

Quite. I was kind of hoping to elaborate on what not giving papaya actually is! While it might seem obvious to some of us, clearly it is not to all.

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Leeroy says on Jan 6, 2008, 16:26:

:)

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RUV says on Jan 6, 2008, 17:00:

Good stuff.

A friend of a girl friend had a white powder blown on her face by a Taxi driver. She was very groggy but had enough to sense to crawl out of the taxi. She got some help. It took her a day or so to come out of her daze and another week to fully recover. This happen to a Colombian. It should be easy to setup on a foreigner.

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john_stark says on Jan 6, 2008, 17:03:

Rule Number One varies by where you are. Before we go to El Centro, Medellin, all the jewelry comes off. No watches, no necklaces, no bracelets, nothing. We plan where we're going and go there with no messing around like a commando operation. In and out.

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Andy S says on Jan 6, 2008, 18:13:

I'll be leaving most stuff like ipod, passport, bank cards in the hostel personal locker with a key and just carrying like £20 on me with another £10 down my shoe for emergencies....Is that safe?? I also met a guy who suggested sewing some little secret pockets on the inside waistline of jeans to keep spare cash/bankcard/photocopy of passport

Also is it best simply to NOT flag down taxis in the street as a rule of thumb? Sounds like you don't get a chance to relax on the street here at all, hope it doesn't end up doing my head in....

was going to wear a sweatband over my watch too, and I have a SIM card backup reader to store all my numbers in just in case....

And Medellin? It's really that bad?? :-(

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Andy S says on Jan 6, 2008, 18:40:

maybe I should go dressed like this:

http://img.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2007/04_01/robocop0904_639x800.jpg

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Andy S says on Jan 6, 2008, 18:45:

I can't win!!

I'll just land everywhere by helicopter then, even if its just to buy a bottle of coke from a stall

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osuspain says on Jan 6, 2008, 19:03:

Also, make photocopies of any identification or credit cards prior to the trip. Leave a set of copies with someone very trustworthy in the U.S. in case one is lost or stolen one can identify it quickly and call the 800 number while knowing what the c.c. number.

That saved me on a trip to Colombia. Went out the night before my flight in Bogotá. I got in about 4:15am and had to leave for the airport at 4:15am literally grabbed the bags and headed out. When I had to pay the taxes I checked my back pocket and the c.c. was gone. either it slipped out or whatever.

However, I had all the photocopies in the U.S. and called from the airport. Immediately, it was cancelled, no charges had been made. During my flight home I was not worrying it all was taken care of.

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www.calirentals.net (☼Travelguide writer) says on Jan 6, 2008, 19:32:

droble77 says on Jan 6, 2008, 19:45:

Just do what the locals do and you will avoid most trouble. Go out at night in groups! You don't often see groups of 1,2, or 3 people, unless it's a couple out on a date but even then, it's usually a group date or they meet up later on with other people. It's partly a cultural thing because Colombians are so gregarious so the bigger the group the better the rumba, but obviously, they're not stupid, they're being pragmatic with safety in numbers.

So don't be a loner like GIB hailing taxis all alone late at night in some isolated part of Bogota. Unless you have Special Forces training like GIBmeister, for normal human beings, just share a taxi with your friends and there shouldn't be any problem. There's usually no need for a gringo, expat or visitor, to hail a taxi alone at night on the street. To me, that sounds like dando papaya, but I suspect some people like to live a bit on the edge, then they're shocked when other people haven't experienced/seen all the crazy shit they have. . . ;) Whatever, man, I don't judge, I know what my limits are and what my tolerance for danger is, and even then, something bad can still happen but at least I know I took most of the precautions. But yeah, if you're pushing it security-wise, then I would be a bit paranoid too like certain people here. . . ;0)

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travelingirl says on Jan 6, 2008, 22:17:

Hahaha, Andy! That picture you had was hilarious. ;)

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Andy S says on Jan 7, 2008, 00:44:

"and wear waist bags on your front,not on your rear or side.they once got me for a cell phone that way. while i was walking someone came up from behind me and unzipped my waist pack and took off running with my phone.

whats a "SIM card backup reader"??

Luxury Apartments and Economic Rooms available for Rent in Cali."


bum bags?? ooofftttt!! I wouldn't wear one of those anyway, lol

a SIM back up reader is a little keyring device you can buy from most mobile phone or computer hardware shops. They're only about £10, you take your SIM card out and insert it into it and it reads all the information off your phone, when the green light comes on its finished copying everything. Really useful wee thing to have, means if your phone goes missing you're not worrying about getting all your numbers back, as you simply insert the card of your next phone into it and it copie the stored info onto the blank SIM card

http://www.fonefunshop.co.uk/simback/72406.jpg

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travelingirl says on Jan 7, 2008, 00:58:

Maybe the "waist bag" is really the "money belt" that you wear under your clothes and not the fannypack from the 80s and 90s? However, we've had the money belt discussion before and I think the general consensus from the men on here is "no way in hell am I ever going to wear one of those". haha

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travelingirl says on Jan 7, 2008, 00:59:

Yeah, they use SIMs in Colombia but not here in the States.

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eywed says on Jan 7, 2008, 01:04:

nextel uses sims here in the states , T mobil also.

Ay Hombe!!!!!

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Andy S says on Jan 7, 2008, 01:08:

I'll never get why you americans call it a "fanny" over here fanny means a ladies *****

lol

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travelingirl says on Jan 7, 2008, 01:11:

Okay, eywed, I stand corrected. ;) Someone told me there were no Sims here. Oh well.
Haha, hilarious about the word "Fanny".

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eywed says on Jan 7, 2008, 01:14:

TG , If you spend time in the states and colombia I have been told to go with a phone service in the states that uses sims cards and when you go down to Colombia you can use your american cell phone with a new Colombian sims card.

Ay Hombe!!!!!

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travelingirl says on Jan 7, 2008, 01:17:

Tried that. But I was told by the peeps in Colombia that they wouldn't just sell me a SIM card. They wanted me to buy their freakin phone to use. Maybe I should have went down to San Andrecito or somewhere to see if I could find one from a vendor. Or maybe the phone companies I went to thought they could get a gringa to buy an expensive phone and make a little money off me.

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travelingirl says on Jan 7, 2008, 01:19:

I think I misspelled that... maybe San Andresito.

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eywed says on Jan 7, 2008, 01:22:

I was told there around $10.00 then you buy a calling card and fill it up. I have not tried it yet dont know that I will. When I went to Medellin I did not want no one bugging me while I was having a good time getting away from things like cell phones.

Ay Hombe!!!!!

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travelingirl says on Jan 7, 2008, 01:24:

Yeah, I was going to do the sim thing but when I was told I couldn't, I just used my friend's phone when I needed to. It was nice being away for a while and no one being able to call me. hehe

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eywed says on Jan 7, 2008, 01:28:

Ahhhhh the best phone is a friends phone. Nice!!!!!

Ay Hombe!!!!!

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travelingirl says on Jan 7, 2008, 01:30:

And it was her work phone too, so cost/minutes weren't an issue. ;)

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eywed says on Jan 7, 2008, 01:35:

Even better. I sent you a pm .

Ay Hombe!!!!!

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www.calirentals.net (☼Travelguide writer) says on Jan 7, 2008, 02:13:

travelingirl says on Jan 7, 2008, 02:25:

Haha! I finally broke down and bought a $2 address book to store all my numbers and addresses in. So sad that ever since I've owned a cell phone, I have no phone numbers memorized except for my own and my parents' long time home phone number.

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www.calirentals.net (☼Travelguide writer) says on Jan 7, 2008, 02:46:

www.calirentals.net (☼Travelguide writer) says on Jan 7, 2008, 02:50:

Andy,Do you know if those SIM card readers that they sell on ebay are compatible with the SIM cards here in Colombia?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=290196144523&s...

http://www.calirentals.net/

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www.calirentals.net (☼Travelguide writer) says on Jan 7, 2008, 04:20:

Andy S says on Jan 7, 2008, 09:52:

thats good advice, when I said 20 I said £20 thinking in british money, which amounts to almost 100k anyway in pesos, so yep I would do the same I guess....I keep forgetting that £20 to me is like not even a night out but to a colombian theif is a lot more! So thats the best option then, bank card at home and between 100 - 200k in your pocket? What if they ask 'where's the bankcard'? Are they likely to drive me to the hostel to get it?? christ I am shitting myself about colombia now....how long did it take you guys to get used it?

arthur, I have no idea about those SIM card readers, thats a point actually, I don't know if they will work for any SIM card or if they are specific to the network....I presume any card reader will read any SIM card....I'll test my one as its a vodaphone one and my sim is O2. I'll let you know the outcome

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Andy S says on Jan 7, 2008, 10:20:

hahahahahaha.......actually in a recent survey we give more per head of population to charity than anybody else in the UK.....you miserly sasinac! lol

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Andy S says on Jan 7, 2008, 11:19:

bah dum tissshhhhh!!!

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john_stark says on Jan 7, 2008, 19:12:

I'll give head for charity. The Dinah Shore weekend in Palm Springs. Lesbo muff diving!

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