quote:

Originally posted by Sor Raimunda:
WARSAW WARNING (originally posted by gonefishin)

There is an Irish Pub located in Warsaw near the Centrum Shopping Center. It's almost directly across the main boulovard....the one that leads to the train station.

I stopped in one night, was enjoying a shot of vodka at the bar and a Polish english speaking guy sat next to me and began to chat. He was freindly enough and insisted on buying me another and welcoming me to Poland. I drank it and almost immediatly completly blacked out.
I woke up in the Warsaw jails drunk tank with blood stains on my legs, which had apparently drained down from my nose. That's a sign of poisoning.
Later that morning I was released and my wallet returned less about $200.
I made it back to my hostel (Nathan's Villa) and was told that wasn't the first time that that had happened with this Pub.

Hi,
I just joined ur forum. I am from Poland. You have to watch out when you are alone in a foreign country, in any country. I would be afraid to stay at any strange bar myself without my friends around, even I am Polish. The problem is you have a glass of beer and can't leave this glass alone when you go to a toilet for instance. When you are back you never know what is inside. Poland is dangerous, Warsaw especially. However all big cities in the world are dangerous. Friendly people are not always really friendly. Or they are friendly because they want to do something bad.
Greetings
philS

take many of these warnings with a pinch of salt

I've seen most european cities in the last 5 years
and have never been robbed or mugged (not sure how i've managed it, the drunken states I have been)

Guidance (do as i do)

1) Don't go into a bar with strangers you meet on the street, or accept drinks from strangers (get chatting to people at the hostel and go out with them)

1b)if you have your backpack on, do not get p1ssed/drunk..
one or two or three drinks max

2) know where your wallet is at all times, never in the back pocket or the front of a very baggy pair of jeans

3) Around Tourist attractions you are most at risk, remember this, and if a local comes up to you, it is more than likely they want something..

4) don't have all your credit/debit cards in the same place, as if you lose one you've lost them all
keep some money and cards at your accomodation
(when travelling by train, keep one or two cards in your rucksack hidden in the spine, that way a bag slasher won't find it)

and finally

Enjoy yourself

MADRID UNDERGROUND PICKPOCKETS

I was reccently in madrid and my camera and glasses were stolen from the front pocket in my backpack. I felt really stupid because I knew so many people that had warned me about the pickpockets, and I was wise(lucky) enough to keep my passport, wallet and phone in my front pocket, with my hands in them at all times. But this left my backpack vulnrable to pickpockets.

My advice is to use moneybelts and dont leave your valuables in the easiest pocket to open in your bag.

Also make copies of your passport, and keep it locked up if possible (in the hotel/hostel) as you really dont want to lose this. You do need some sort of ID on you at all times, but your driving license / other ID card should be sufficient especially with copies of your passport.

Finally dont put all your eggs in one basket and carry all credit or debit cards in one pocket.

Hold on to everything at all transportation terminals. When I was 11 and on a trip to Italy, in the time one man asked us for directions and we responded that we didn't speak Italian, our video camera was stolen. They knew we were tourists and did it all so quickly, we didn't realize it was happening. This was in Milan.

The old distraction tricks are prevalent worldwide, it seems, and the only solution I know of is to hold on tight to everything.

quote:

Originally posted by tina17:
Romania warning

Bucharest, February 2004.

I was on an trip with a friend of mine. We were in Bucharest and wanted to get a Mini Bus to Targoviste. It was snowing, and really cold, with streets covered in ice, making walking a really difficult task (guess the first warning about Romania, is better avoid it in the winter - especially if you come from a warmer climate...)

That's a very old incident. I have been in Bucharest a lot of times and used those minibuses to get to Calarasi (a really famous route for problems) but nothing happened. You are right that the station is very confusing but the trick is to read the name of the town listed on the bus! they also have the hours.

Piece of advice: learn just 2-3 words in Romanian which can be helpful like "One ticket to..."/"Un bilet catre...". They can really save you in such stations.

Budapest Warning

If you happen to be in Budapest and walk up Gallert Hill to get to the Cave Church be careful not to engage in "gambles". A lot of guys just stand there asking you to take a chance. They speak perfect Hungarian but i have a hunch they are not necessarily Hungarians. [edited] Fortunately we did speak Hungarian and didn't engage. You can easily recognize them but I can't tell you how unless i'll use an inappropriate word.

Nothing happened to us b/c we didn't engage into any gamble.

If I can issue a non-warning, I'd like to say - I spent three days in Belgrade attending a seminar for people of Roma or "gypsy" background who were attending a media training. I left my bag unattended at times - no one stole from me. I had a very good experience and am still in email contact with three people I met there. One is a post-graduate student of literature in Novi Sad.

I don't mean to direct this comment at anyone in particular, because there are lots of posts which mention Roma or gypsy people in a similar way. Obviously people should be free to share their personal experiences and comments on message boards ... these are just mine

Paris - Sacre Couer

Watch yourself if you're a woman by yourself! I was with my husband and mother but walking a little ahead of them. I came across the mass of the guys with the string scam and picked up my pace. One came right up to me and pushed it in front of me and I said "no" and kept walking. He persisted and followed me and I said "no" about three more times. Finally he grabbed my arm and said "What you mean no?" Well, I flipped out when he grabbed me and told him to get the f^%$& away from me and he got in my face and called me a motherf&%^* repeatedly. By that time I backed away and my husband was behind him so he swung the guy around and pushed him out of the way. Lucky for us the other scammers with him were not cool with this turn of events and tried to settle us down. There was at least ten others working with this guy on that side and for what it's worth, I didn't see any of them touching tourists. Nothing got stolen, but having a man grab me like that scared the hell out of me. Once we got away from the situation, the guy kept following us up to the entrance to Sacre Couer and watched where we were going. We took a different route back, avoiding the steps, and left the neighborhood without incident.

yeah these guys are a real pain, but if happens.
the spanish steps in rome is also a favourite haunt
my friend was in rome last weekend

and the guy was that quick it was on his arm within seconds of saying 'NO' they then wanted 5 euro's a piece


You did the right thing, kick up a big fuss really embarrass them and they should disappear

otherwise

'Zut alor' very loud should get local passer by looks
not that a parisian would do anything :O(

Sorry to hear you had this experience at Sacre Choeur. All the years we've been taking visitors there, we've never had a bad encounter, but it is true that there are many street vendors on the steps leading up to Sacre Choeur. Go very early on a Sunday morning and maybe you can get there before the con artists are awake! Just like other 'working people', even the con artists an pickpockets have regular hours.
As to the expression, 'zut alors' which is VERY genteel - something comparable to 'heavens to Betsy'. I think swearing in English is perfectly acceptable - or in any language which lets the agressers know you are going to make plenty of noise. A Vercingetorix growl will do the trick also.

for those of us who like to drink allday and night

a heed of warning

a friend on a stag do in barcelona last week, managed to lose his friends in the underground
He'd gone to the toilet and unfortuantely his friends got on the train, anyway the doors closed on him as he ran to get on

He asked a security guard at the station the best way out of the station and some guys hanging about offered to help direct him. he said no thank you, but they led him outside..

My friend said he was ok and decided to leg it..

unfortunately he woke up the next day in hospital with drips in his arm

he was found by an ambulance crew dressed only in his boxer shorts, and a ripped to shreds t shirt

they got his wallet, phone, watch, shoes, jeans and even his socks, the nurse explained in broken english that they had scanned his head and whole body and there was not a mark on him, it sounded like they had covered his mouth with some substance (like you see in the film)

So just a reminder
stick with your friends
try and avoid at all costs people who look dodgy and hang around tube or train stations

l

Sacre Coeur and those annoying African men who shove their stupid bracelets on you and then use obsenities when you refuse to take them!! Why can't the Paris police do something about these men?

My sister's daughter who is only 13 had her arm grabbed, a bracelet beginning to be shove on her hand. My sister immediately told them to let go of her and she firmly said no. They didn't like her tone and began to be verbally abusive. Makes me sick sick

Another Sacre Coeur victim here. But I managed to get away without paying a penny for it. I guess I was lucky in that saying I had no money somehow worked. They asked for 20 euro, so it was just ... NO. A friend of mine who also went to Sacre Coeur on a group tour said her guide warned her about them.

Lisa, good for you. It is high time we took control of the situation and refuse to pay. We don't ask for those stupid bracelets anyway.

Another one from Brughes. Be very careful with the small coffee shops there. We visited two and each time were forced to pay higher prices than was listed on the menu. When we argued, the woman said it was her place and she could change the prices! This happened twice in one day.

quote:

Originally posted by Moen:
Never, ever, go to the Youth hostel in Thessaloniki (although i think it was the only hostel i could find in this town). The hostel itself is on the third floor, while the showers are in the basment. basment means, dark and dirty. The beds aren't clean either. Only the location is good.

Went there too, it is indeed dirty and has gestapo showers in the basement. BUT I had a wonderful time there because of all the fun people I met. It was cheap and there are few rules. Everybody sat together and we went out in the evening like we weren't strangers at all. Ofcourse is won't always be like this but I am just saying that how you like your time in a hostel doesn't only depend on the quality of the accomodation. I would certainly go back there despite the conditions.