Questions from Trevor: When in your travels have you feared for your safety? your sanity? your life?
Questions from Kevin: Did you ever feel genuinely frightened? In which country were the people least welcoming? How often have you encountered swindlers? How safe is travelling off the beaten path?
Questions from Wendy: What is a terrifying moment where you were in some danger? Most of what you do is terrifying, but have you been fearful of physical assault?
First: I don’t have any pictures of scary moments, because they don’t invite pausing to take photos. So here, instead, is a picture of my only tandem skydive. Exiting the plane – really scary for about a second. The rest – so exhilarating. Thank you, Jeff Warden, retired SAR Tech, for an unforgettable experience. Dangerous? Maybe, but so is driving on the highway.
Fearing for my safety?
Flying from Lukla to Kathmandu. Lukla’s Tenzing–Hillary airport has a reputation for being one of the most dangerous in the world. One flight from there was enough. I now add a week to treks in the region so that I can walk out.
Once during a trek in Nepal in spring 2019, while traversing a steep snow-bound trail in icy conditions, it occurred to me that a slip would mean a long fall to death. We walked with care, ensuring every step was secure before taking the next.
Another time while riding in Kyrgyzstan. The tale as described in Soul of a Nomad:
We ride up a deep valley, … The trail climbs and is soon far above the stream, wending its narrow way along a cliff.
As my horse strains to climb over an outcrop on the path, I hear a cling and I feel myself and the saddle sliding towards the abyss. I grab a handful of mane and lean the other way. Looking down, I see the girth strap hanging free. The saddle is no longer attached to the horse.
I call out to the horseman who is just ahead. He turns. I point. His eyes widen. He hops off his horse and hurries back to help me off mine. Leaning against the cliff wall, on the edge of a precipice, I hold his horse while he uses some bits of rotting twine to tie the errant saddle around mine. Swinging my leg out over the drop, I remount. We ride until the trail widens, then everyone takes a break while my saddle’s girth is replaced.
Pat and I felt vulnerable three times during our Via Egnatia adventure. In the Footsteps of a Roman Legion tells all. In a remote region of Macedonia, we encountered a couple of men who appeared to be involved in clandestine business. On our first evening in Greece in Neo Kaukasos, no one would assist us with purchase of food, accommodation or transportation. Also in Greece, while in Arnissa, we walked into a human smuggling operation.
Fearing for my sanity?
This is an interesting question. I know a few people who question the sanity of going on unorganized adventures. Feel comfortable on supervised tours, the idea of striking out into the unknown with a friend and guidebook is their definition of insanity. I’m more in fear of losing my sanity from staying home for the past two years.
Fearing for my life?
While kayaking off the east coast of Vancouver Island in a storm. That tale of terror described in nail-biting intensity in Pomegranates at 4800 Metres.
Genuinely frightened?
In 1997 when my thirteen-year-old son fell from a zipline rupturing his spleen and breaking his femur, then in 2006 when my husband Mike was diagnosed with brain cancer were the most terrifying moments of my life because I feared for their lives.
I have been frightened for short periods both while travelling and at home. Fear is a product of being aware of a potential danger. It’s a healthy survival mechanism that makes us take action to remove ourselves from danger.
Country with the least welcoming people?
Greece in 2016 was rampant with Xenophobia. In the Footsteps of a Roman Legion goes into the details. That was my sixth visit to Greece, but I doubt I’ll return. Pat and I met many more helpful, friendly folk than those who were unwelcoming, but we encountered enough unkindness to sour our experience of Greece.
Fearing physical assault?
When I was serving with NATO in Germany I was sexually assaulted by my German landlord. I defended myself, incapacitating him from continued attack and was unharmed.
I have well-turned “Spidey senses,” I don’t go wandering around the bar scene, out much at night or into sketchy neighbourhoods any time of the day. I research local issues around assault and pay attention to warnings.
I don’t fear physical assault, but I don’t go looking for trouble either. I wouldn’t wander around a city in Morocco at night on my own, but there are numerous neighbourhoods in Kathmandu where I am comfortable walking after dark.
Is what I do terrifying?
No. There have been a few scarry moments. My definition of terrifying would be something like diving with sharks, driving in rush-hour traffic on the 401 or through Montreal, bungy jumping, being on a ship in a storm, being stalked by a cougar, being kidnaped by terrorists, being caught in a conflict zone, being in a significant earthquake, in the path of a tsunami or forest fire. I try to avoid the terrifying stuff and stay well within my comfort zone.
Swindlers?
A Mongolian tour operator named Boldoo, owner of Nomadic of Blue Sky, comes to mind. That story is described in Soul of a Nomad. No doubt he swindled us, but we had a good time anyway.
Dare I also suggest many Turkish carpet sellers? I bought a carpet from one, for which I’m sure I paid too much, but I like it. Some Uzbek carpet sellers are just as bad.
Polyester blankets are sold by the thousands in Kathmandu under the guise of yak-wool blankets, but as everyone knows, is that really a swindle? It’s the same with made-in-Nepal brand name gear – it’s common knowledge that a real North Face down jacket does not sell for US$35.00. So, while I buy them, I don’t feel swindled because I know they are warm and fake.
Are Chinese tour guides spewing government-mandated propaganda, swindlers? Not in the true sense of the word, so I’ll leave them off this list with a warning: Beware the Chinese tour guide. “Tiananmen Square? 1989? – no, nothing happened.”
No doubt, I’ve fallen prey to numerous swindles, but the swindlers were so slick, or I was so naïve, I don’t know it.
Safety when travelling off the beaten path?
There is a perception that independent travel off major tourist routes might not be as safe as something like a bus tour around Europe. More tourists have been killed in terrorist attacks in London and Paris in the past several years than have been killed in Mongolia for instance. I’ve found no record of any tourists being killed in Mongolia. Lots of people visit Mexico where there is sometimes deadly violence against tourists. Not so in Kyrgyzstan, where I can discover no reports of tourists being murdered. Many major tourist centres around the world have rampant crime such as pickpocketing and purse-snatching. This sort of activity tends to be less problematic in non-touristed areas. If a wealthy-looking person wanders around night streets of an impoverished neighbourhood, anywhere, they could get mugged. That said, some areas of the globe are in the grips of unrest and do not invite safe tourism. Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Mali, Syria, and Yemen come to mind. That leaves a lot of territory to explore in relative safety. Off the beaten track might be safer than on it.
There are of course, precautions that I always take, on or off the beaten track.
I do not:
1. Go out alone at night in certain parts of some cities or rural areas. Predators hunt at night.
2. Engage in excessive drinking or accept drinks from chance encounters.
3. Display ostentatious bling and excessive wealth.
4. Engage in risky behaviour with questionable, unmaintained equipment or unqualified, unregulated operators. (Admission – I’ve ridden local buses on mountain roads in Nepal – not recommended as a safe option.)
I always:
1. Have a basic knowledge of the destination, ie climate, geography, politics, current stability, culture, amenities, safety of public transport, crime rates, holidays and festivals.
2. Am aware of local scams, ie distractions employed by purse snatchers, too-good-to-be-true tuk-tuk fares.
3. Am aware of accepted or typical local habits, ie some Indian men “eve tease” and night trains are reported as being rampant with aggressive “eve teasing” – interpret as sexual assault.
5. Am aware of local rules, follow dress and deportment norms, respect taboos and customs, ie covered head and shoulders.
6. Keep my passport and money secure, ie keep zippers closed and not hang my purse or pack over the back of a chair.
7. Have all appropriate vaccinations prior to leaving home, ie for a couple of trips a series of rabies vaccines, for some countries a yellow fever vaccine. Destination dependent, I update my cholera vaccine with an oral dose of Dukoral. Now COVID vaccines will be required.
4. Register my trip with travel.gc.ca. If there is a disaster, my whereabouts will be known. I’ll be on the radar to receive embassy or consulate assistance.
Dangers while travelling, on or off the beaten track, in a group or independently, are much the same as dangers at home. It pays to be informed, aware, and to take appropriate precautions while having fun exploring unknown horizons.
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