quote:

Originally posted by Laura M:
someone I know was in Kenya and said it's not really safe at night, and that there are carjackings going on. This is Nairobi she's talking about. how true it is I can't say, but this is according to her.

Actually, that is not entirely true. Yes there are carjackings from time to time, but not at the rate your friend it trying to imply. Some areas are definitely no go zones at night e.g. Kibera, Eastleigh. However, in areas like Westlands, Karen. Runda, you can literally leave your keys in the car without a worry all night.

The following is a common Tanzania safari scam. It happened to a few other travellers I met too.

I paid for a 4 day safari which included 2 days in the Serengeti. On the 3rd day of our safari, we were left at the gate of the Serengeti from early morning until about 3pm, so the company could save 1 day's entry fees to the park. We then had to leave the park on day 4 by 3pm. It turned out, all of us in the group had booked through different companies, that had sold us all onto a guy named Abraham Shaidi . I had also paid my tour company for 2 night's hotel accommodation. The night after the safari was never paid for, and I had to pay for it again. The Arusha tour companies used for the safari were;
Angus Brothers (Moshi)
Great Masai Adventures (Arusha)
Crown Eagle (Arusha)
Kindoroko (Arusha)
Sandland Tours (Arusha)
These companies will sell your business onto a third party. Perhaps you get a good safari and guide, or perhaps you will have issues like I did. Either way, they are a gamble to go with.

quote:

sub Saharan Africa in general:
Try to avoid taking pictures within cities. This is simply asking for trouble.

Could you explain this a bit further? What kind of trouble?

I am South African living in South Africa. Security around the stadiums will be high.We had to world cup cricket here and the world cup rugby I am sure if they thought it would be to dangerous they would never have had this major tournaments in South Africa. One word don't go sitting in a pub somewhere and criticize the country then maybe the locals will not take friendly to that. By the way the local people in Cape Town are normally very friendly with tourists. Trust yourself and you instinct. Hope you have a good time here.

Beware of a man named Titus Tossy who is based in Arusha, Tanzania. He runs "volunteer" opportunities that are a scam. After he scammed me, I tried to get some of his listings on idealist.org and other sites pulled, but the name of his "company" change frequently as he has a background in computers and just builds new websites. Just wish I could have gotten the word out before others had the similar experiences. PM me if you need more information.

Morocco:

I found that hostels and restaurants who hired people (or goons) to harass you on the street to get you to go to specific hostels or restaurants were actually, some of the worst restaurants and hostels in whatever city I was in. I learned quickly, the best hostels and even budget hostels, and restaurants don't need to resort to this. In Tangier, the people were the worst, and even aggressive! If people walk up to you in Tangier for a hostel, don't do business with them, they are very shady. I know from experience, they will follow you around, much more than other cities! One guy kept coming up to me saying "Where you staying my friend." and even said "That hostel doesn't exist anymore, I checked online." Interesting, since I was there that night. But also SHADY!!

Also, many times, a Moroccan who seems friendly, will walk up to you if you look lost and, without fail, he will say these exact words "Where are you going my friend?" or "Where do you want to go my friend." Always "my friend." I fell for this two or three times because I give strangers the benefit of the doubt when there is little risk of anything bad happening. One such story and the LAST: I said I was looking for an internet cafe and the guy said he would lead me to one, "with pleasure". We had a nice talk and I mentioned that I was a poor student, in the conversation, it came up naturally. As I entered the internet cafe he said "10 dirham please." I refused and he insisted. I said, "what, you can't do a good deed for five minutes, for free." He asked again. I said, "look man, this is my last day in Morocco and I have very little dirham left (true) and I told you, I am a poor student (true). He said, "I am not leaving until you give me ten dirham" and followed me to my computer and proceeded to watch me until I stopped what I was doing. I refused again and said "Give me some privacy." It got to the point where he said "You make me want to do bad things to you." I said "I will call the cops!" A lady must have understood what was going on and thankfully, started yelling at him in Arabic! He glared at me and said "I'll be waiting for you outside." Spooky. So for the rest of the day, if a Moroccan came up to me, and was the least bit persistent, I was extremely rude. So sorry to the legit people I must have hurt, I was scared. Sadly, you have to be careful with whom you ask for directions, and who you choose to lead you. Another boy in Marrakesh asked for ten dirham as well for a short walk and got pretty pissed when I offered 2 dirham. I guess the best response to "where you going." is to say where and say, but I am poor and have no money to offer. Than they can decide if they still want to help you. Sad, but it will help you avoid my story perhaps.

Anyways, one guy I was rude to in Tangier saw me later and stepped in front of me, "Friend, you ignored me earlier, I just want to talk." I said "look, I had an awful experience, just leave." He ended up being persistent in a peaceful way, that struck me just right. He ended up taking me for tea and we had an awesome talk and he said he was deeply embarrassed in regards to how some of the hostel workers in Tangier operate. He totally understood my intial reaction to him and he said "F---ing hostel workers sometimes" and offered to take me to the police to complain.

So be careful for shady businesses and people offering help! Some people will try anything to extort even a few dirham from you and WILL resort to aggressiveness if you don't give in.

One guy tried to charge me ten dirham for using the bathroom. But I took a walk in, one look at the shit stained walls and floor and got out right away. Poor even by third world standards and I am tolerant of nasty bathrooms. I said, I was in there a second, and you know it, and left when I saw the condition of the bathroom. He tried to insist, but sometimes, you have to remain firm in your stance and he finally gave up. 10 dirham even for a nice bathroom in Morocco is insane!

On the whole, Morocco is a safe country. Don't get me wrong, those are just a few warnings.

Be careful in Ouagadougou at night. If possible, don't take a bag, and ask the locals if a certain neighbourhood is safe to walk around at night. If not, take a taxi. My bf and I were riding a moped near the Hotel les Palmiers, when we saw a man trying to steel a white woman's purse (or actually my bf saw, I didn't notice anything until he started screaming - it was quite dark and we didn't have a headlight). When he didn't manage to grab the bag, he stabbed the woman and her Burkinabe companion, then ran off when we intervened. We accompanied them to the hospital, and a local there said he had been attacked in the same area a couple of years earlier.

I don't want to alarm anyone, or disuade them from going to Burkina Faso (rather the opposite, go go go!), but as I said it's best to always ask the locals if a certain area is safe, first, and always be alert at night.

This is an area in which South Africa needs to improve on. Generally speaking many accommodation providers have wheelchair ramps and bathroom facilities for the disabled. Most public buildings cater for wheelchair access and most sports stadiums have areas accessible to wheelchairs. Malaria is endemic to certain areas of Africa and all visitors should take precautions against Malaria. Anti malaria medication should be taken prior to arrival, during the stay and after departure. Comfortable clothing is recommended. On Safari, lightweight cotton trousers, skirts or culottes are recommended. A cotton bush jacket or golf jacket with pockets will be useful.