eoe, i have no idea, but they were hissing at me to give me a reading. these were some sturdy women and i did not want to find out....
I've been surrounded by "zingari" in Italy several times, with no actual loss of goods, as there was nothing interesting in my purse the one time they got to it, and also had conversations, sort of, with one, a violist in Cremona. The fluttering surrounders don't, as a generality, hurt you. I've moved on from fear of them to interest in their situation. Still, the obvious tourist in the bigger cities should keep serious money/i.d. in one of the packets travel stores sell for the purpose.
I'm sure, coming from NYC, that kicky knows all about pickpockets and how to keep his money safe. Also, how to throw out a street vibe that will tell any pickpocket, gypsy or whoever, that they'd better not **** with him.
Am I right, kicky?
I'm from Chicago. If I've got my eye on someone, they are NOT picking MY pocket.
If by "street vibe" you mean knowing how to blend in and not look like a rube or an easy mark, then yep, I have that down real well.
I also think that the reputations of big cities tend to be over-generalized and exaggerated. A lot of people who come here to visit think that they have to be on constant watch for predators, but it isn't that way at all, in my experience. Unless you act like a complete rube.
I have two friends in Singapore. Met both families while on tours; the first family in Scandinavia, and teh second in England and Ireland. When I visited Singapore, the first family hosted me with a personal tour of Singapore, treated me to a fantastic seafood dinner, and drinks at the Long Bar at the Raffles Hotel. The second family I met on my tour to England and Ireland is a doctor and his family. I got shngles on that trip, and Dr Lim had pain meds to help me survive the whole trip. I've kept in touch with both families every year with christmas cards.
My vote also goes for Singapore.
What part of NYC are you from? When I lived there, just like living in Chicago, while on the street, you automatically go into a hightened sense of security, keeping your purse close, latch on the inside, walking with a purpose, just being aware of your surroundings and the people around you. On a crowded subway, you turn it up a few notches, position your body a certain way, keep your packages close, move your wallet from your back pocket to your front pocket, don't blank out reading a book or wearing headphones, etc. Growing up and traveling around in a big city, you learn these things from an early age. It becomes second nature.
Ahhh, I am not a rube, and lived in Venice, CA for many years, an area with multiple gangs. Now I am older and I guess look more vulnerable, but I wasn't a walking "victim" when I was first in Italy. Many of my friends, male as well as female, have had these experiences as well. I suggest not being cocky about your street cred and to listen when people suggest a hidden compartment for serious money.. at least in Rome, Venice, and Firenze.
At the same time, I posted on this primarily to say that fear of gypsies is not really appropriate either. Just take the security precaution.
Inside the clothes money pouch is the best security you can have no matter where you plan to visit.
Awareness is very important. Things are quite different in Europe than they are in North America. More so, it seems, since things started to get wobbly in Eastern Europe.
That's true c.i. I use to carry my money in my sock. Of course, I don't wear socks much anymore but a bra has always been a smart 'bank' also.
I'm Japanese with a camera bag and camera in my hands most of the time when I travel on this planet. Do I stick out? You betcha. The only time I had a bad experience was in Madrid. On one of the main shopping streets, about 3 or 4 guys blocked me with their bodies to attempt a pick-pocket. I shouted very loudly, and with all my might swung my camera bag while twisting my body. They broke away and disappeared into the crowd......
eoe, I am in Manhattan, but I wander all over the place. When did you live in Manhattan? I think the worries about criminal activity have to be higher for women, and I also think that since the early-90's it has become much safer. I have been here since '98, and although I think it's pretty safe, and nothing even remotely worrisome has ever happened to me, there are still some areas where I go on "orange alert".
I'm always on "yellow" alert. LOL
I had money in bra once and I got robbed! I never felt a thing. I couldn't, for the life of me, figure out how or when it happened but it was between me using an ATM, stuffing a twenty in my cleavage, buttoning my shirt and walking approximately 50 yards up a busy shopping district. It was gone when I got into the store. It happened in my hometown, Dublin.
cicerone imposter wrote:3 or 4 guys blocked me with their bodies to attempt a pick-pocket. I shouted very loudly, and with all my might swung my camera bag while twisting my body. They broke away and disappeared into the crowd......
That's not a pickpocket, c.i.. That's a robbery.
Are you sure you got robbed, Heeven? :wink:
Believe me, I searched everywhere. I went into the changing room in the store and stripped. My ATM receipt was still in my bra however.
Well, what I mean is, are you sure the bill didn't just slip out?
Oh I see what you mean - well that never occurred to me because my shirt was tucked into my pants so the money couldn't have fallen down and out, and my shirt was buttoned up (immediately after depositing money into bra) so it couldn't have slipped up out of my bra (it wasn't a tight shirt with buttons popping or anything) without me seeing it. It was just too short a time to "lose" it, I felt it had to be deliberate.
