Posts Tagged ‘security’

After all this time in South America it’s easy to become a little complacent in your expectations and you take a lot things in your stride. For example yesterday I saw a man crouched next to to a very wide and busy road having a poo in broad daylight. Didn’t bat an eyelid.

However a few days ago something happened that shocked even me. We were on the bus from Pucallpa to Huánuco, driving through some very beautiful scenery, mountains, gorges and rushing rivers. We were sat in the front row of the bus and as with most buses here there is a partition seperating the passengers from the driver so you can’t actually see out the front.

So it was a but of a shock when the door opened and a man dressed in unmarked fatigues carrying a very large shotgun appeared. The gun was slung nonchantly by his side as he made his way up the bus, the barrel knocking against people’s legs as he went.

Once he got to the middle of the bus he launched into a well-rehearsed spiel about how dangerous the road was, with lots of cars being stopped and the owners robbed (day and night), and his group of happy mercenaries were working with the police to make it safer. Except they weren’t getting paid, so if we could spare some loose change he would greatly appreciate it! And I won’t shoot you! OK, do he didn’t say that last bit but I can’t have been the only to think it.

So he collected his money and got off the bus, leaving us to the mercy of the bandits I was now imaging lining the road lying in wait for us.

About 4 hours later, just when I’d forgotten about the risks posed by these bandits, another man got on, carrying a very similarly sized shotgun and gave us the same speech. I spent the rest of the journey very unhappily clutching my valuables.

An interesting sidenote is that Laura told me this is how the Paramilitary groups in Colombia got started in the 1950′s – locals arming themselves to protect the rural population against bandits. Then they progressed to protecting small landowners rights and then it kinda went downhill from there..

Wallet Garden is a very simple and neat idea, which could come in very useful for travellers (and non-travellers alike). Create an account using an email address and password and it allows you to save the emergency numbers and web addresses for your bank. No important details are saved, simply the banks contact details. So, should the worst happen and your cards go walkabout, all the numbers you need are one click away.

One thing that I have been asked a lot is whether or not Colombia is a safe place to be. For sure it does not have a good reputation for safety, and everyone has heard of FARC, Pablo Escobar and the fate of Ingrid Bettancur. So, it has a violent past, does that mean however that it has a violent present or future?

Certainly, if you read the UK Foreign Office page for Colombia you could be forgiven for thinking that it is not the best place for your holidays. The page is full of phrases such as “advises against travel in this region” and “caution must be taken”, not the sort of thing that inspires confidence. Read between the lines however and what it is saying is don’t go to remote, out of the way areas. Over a third of the country is essentially off-limits, an area the size of California, but this also happens to be covered with the Amazon rainforest where there are no roads or towns anyway.

Speak to locals and they will tell you things have got a whole lot safer under President Uribe who has been in power the last 8 years. Whatever they might think of his politics or his close dependence on the US in the fight against drugs, Colombia is a more secure place – there has not been a foreign tourist kidnapped since 2003, and only one tourist killed in the last 5 years (and that was a robbery gone wrong, not political).

The problem faced by tourists here (and although I use the term tourist, we are dealing mostly with backpackers of all ages) is street crime, which is everywhere. The hostel in Bogota had a list of common scams to watch out for, including fake policeman (and therefore fake fines), people trying to give you drugged cigarettes or beer and your common or garden pickpockets. Whilst this is a pain and something you have to be aware of at all times, to be honest it’s no different to Brasil, where the same rules apply. In the 5 days we spent in Bogota I did hear of one fellow traveller getting mugged, although in the end nothing was taken. However, we had been to the same place the day before and the hostel advised us to take a taxi (costing just over a dollar). He had been given  the same advice, but decided it didn’t apply yo him so he walked AND took a shortcut down an alley between two houses and he got mugged. I won’t say I told you so, but… No, it’s not the same as a week’s holiday in the Dordogne, but it’s really no worse than anywhere else in South America.

The major difference with Colombia compared to say, Brasil is that there are Police EVERYWHERE, and Real Armed Police, not Fake Police. Laura and I went on a tourist train from Bogota to a town 50k north of the city, and 3 armed police came along for the ride. They’re on the buses, outside banks, on street corners. It does give you a small sense of security, one which you don’t get in Brasil. If that weren’t enough, not only do you get Police guarding major points of interest, but you also get the Army, soldiers with really big guns. This is especially obvious on the main roads between towns, which historically have been areas owned by the guerilla groups, giving them free rein to hijack lorries and the occasional bus. Not so much anymore.

The thing with Colombia is that you need to stay on the beaten track. The government has launched a major, high-profile advertising campaign attempting to lure tourists to the country (it has the rather unfortunate slogan: Colombia – the only risk is that you’ll want to stay, which I always read as: Colombia: the only risk is that you’ll be made to stay) and investment is happening everywhere, and in order for that to work, the country has to be safe. Don’t go off into rural areas, do follow the advice of locals and stay aware of your surroundings – you might get your camera nicked, but apart from that you’ll just have a wonderful time.

But, you don’t have to take my word for it, thoughts on the same subject from a hostel owner who’s been living here six years.