Hard Times and Hard Crimes
Most cities in the world operate identically. There will be a bustling city center where you will find the suits. There will be an industrial area for the blue collars. There are the burbs, the shopping areas, and the slums.
Every city has that one place you should avoid. In New York it’s probably East New York or Bedford Stuy. Los Angeles, South Central. In one of the Die Hard movies, Bruce Willis ties a sign around his neck with a racial epithet in the middle of Harlem. That’s akin to suicide, and so is roaming into areas that are simply not safe. That’s exactly like hanging a sign around your neck, begging people to hurt you.
In Bongo itself, people are getting a little bolder in their constant struggle for survival. There are crooks in Oyster Bay just waiting for some mzungu to try something stupid, such as enjoy a late evening walk or taking an unmarked taxi.
Unmarked taxis by now are part of the racket. They will offer you a quick delivery…to their friends in some abandoned warehouse, where they will mug you and make you wish you had never set foot in that darn taxi. That is actually called kidnapping, and the driver’s friends will be happy to see you.
There are the hoods who go hunting in the parking lots of major stores. Think that askari, that unarmed guard, will help you out if you are held up at gunpoint? That man is not paid or qualified to be sorting out this type of crisis. And needless to say, he will not be a reliable witness, either, even if he saw the whole shooting match unfurl.
Recently an American, mid-twenties, visited Dar to see his girlfriend, who had been working for a NGO up in the country. The man was attacked on his first evening by machete wielding crooks, who sliced him to bits. He died the next morning in the hospital. Here, one would ask the girlfriend what she was thinking, venturing out in Dar like that at night. One would also ask the boyfriend just what exactly he was expecting from Dar. African city, unknown, possibly crime ridden.
And yet, the crooks won’t ask you where you are from or just how your parents would feel if they sliced you open. Hanging around in Dar at night is just plain bad, no matter what part of town you are in. The crooks lurking in the shadows are probably drooling at the mouth whenever they see another mzungu venturing out at night.
Don’t need a taxi? Equally popular are people kidnapping you in your own car. Suppose you are driving with your car door unlocked but must stop at a traffic light or a railroad track. This is something you would do in Small Town, USA, wouldn’t you? In Small Town, USA, people would give you a wink and pull up for some small talk. In Bongo that small talk would be limited to threats and what will happen to you if you don’t hand over all of your valuables. And if they don’t speak Swahili, they are counting on the fact that you understand the language of the machete.
Africa is a fantastic destination for travel, but it is still subject to the same rules of the street as any place. With proper planning and precautions, that dream trip doesn’t have to become a nightmare journey back home.
Every city has that one place you should avoid. In New York it’s probably East New York or Bedford Stuy. Los Angeles, South Central. In one of the Die Hard movies, Bruce Willis ties a sign around his neck with a racial epithet in the middle of Harlem. That’s akin to suicide, and so is roaming into areas that are simply not safe. That’s exactly like hanging a sign around your neck, begging people to hurt you.
In Bongo itself, people are getting a little bolder in their constant struggle for survival. There are crooks in Oyster Bay just waiting for some mzungu to try something stupid, such as enjoy a late evening walk or taking an unmarked taxi.
Unmarked taxis by now are part of the racket. They will offer you a quick delivery…to their friends in some abandoned warehouse, where they will mug you and make you wish you had never set foot in that darn taxi. That is actually called kidnapping, and the driver’s friends will be happy to see you.
There are the hoods who go hunting in the parking lots of major stores. Think that askari, that unarmed guard, will help you out if you are held up at gunpoint? That man is not paid or qualified to be sorting out this type of crisis. And needless to say, he will not be a reliable witness, either, even if he saw the whole shooting match unfurl.
Recently an American, mid-twenties, visited Dar to see his girlfriend, who had been working for a NGO up in the country. The man was attacked on his first evening by machete wielding crooks, who sliced him to bits. He died the next morning in the hospital. Here, one would ask the girlfriend what she was thinking, venturing out in Dar like that at night. One would also ask the boyfriend just what exactly he was expecting from Dar. African city, unknown, possibly crime ridden.
And yet, the crooks won’t ask you where you are from or just how your parents would feel if they sliced you open. Hanging around in Dar at night is just plain bad, no matter what part of town you are in. The crooks lurking in the shadows are probably drooling at the mouth whenever they see another mzungu venturing out at night.
Don’t need a taxi? Equally popular are people kidnapping you in your own car. Suppose you are driving with your car door unlocked but must stop at a traffic light or a railroad track. This is something you would do in Small Town, USA, wouldn’t you? In Small Town, USA, people would give you a wink and pull up for some small talk. In Bongo that small talk would be limited to threats and what will happen to you if you don’t hand over all of your valuables. And if they don’t speak Swahili, they are counting on the fact that you understand the language of the machete.
Africa is a fantastic destination for travel, but it is still subject to the same rules of the street as any place. With proper planning and precautions, that dream trip doesn’t have to become a nightmare journey back home.
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