This reminds me of Bert Kreischers' story about his travels in Russia as part of a language immersion trip.
I got arrested in Kazakhstan and represented myself in court
11–20 of 246 posts
Re: I got arrested in Kazakhstan and represented myself in court
#12Great read. I've never been in a situation where a bribe might have helped and so it's good to get some idea of "how bribes work" for possible future reference. I have noticed that it seems valuable to project being "poorer" rather than "richer" when traveling. Naively it might seem like throwing money around would grease all sorts of wheels but the opposite has been my experience (although probably I just don't have…
John MacAfee has a great guide. Context is important. You need to know the situation, you have to be situationally aware. You can't just start showing money (maybe alcohol or other "currency" depending on their penchants are more apt). You have to know a bit about the locals. See http://www.whoismcafee.com/the-travel-guide/
Serious question: given how ... unstable ... McAfee seems to be, how reliable is this guide?
Re: I got arrested in Kazakhstan and represented myself in court
#13Cute story, but wonder if the outcome would be the same if the author hadn't originally been Russian and didn't speak Russian.
While it most likely would have been different in some way, the treatment he received in Kazakhstan still seems to be better than the authors treatment in the US prison system.
That seems to be largely due to the small-town nature of where he was, and the boredom of the guards. Plus, presumably the author is a friendly, affable sort.
Re: I got arrested in Kazakhstan and represented myself in court
#14Cute story, but wonder if the outcome would be the same if the author hadn't originally been Russian and didn't speak Russian.
While speaking a common language usually (but not always) helps, being a US citizen is the way more important part of the story.
Police in the United States are used to generally treating everyone (including foreigners) with impunity, while cops in other countries dealing with US citizens are more wary of causing a diplomatic incident. There's also the novelty factor: people from high status countries are seen as interesting, and the more uncommon your presence is there, the more friendly interest officials take.
He's making a mistaken inference by assuming that how the police treat US citizens also reflects how they treat locals.
Re: I got arrested in Kazakhstan and represented myself in court
#15Earlier quoted context omitted.
John MacAfee has a great guide. Context is important. You need to know the situation, you have to be situationally aware. You can't just start showing money (maybe alcohol or other "currency" depending on their penchants are more apt). You have to know a bit about the locals. See http://www.whoismcafee.com/the-travel-guide/
Serious question: given how ... unstable ... McAfee seems to be, how reliable is this guide?
Well, going to these places is by the nature of them, risky for non locals. Knowing what works, how locals operate helps. Don't overplay your hand, don't insult (even unintentionally, it can cause affront). I think it helped that he seems to be very situationally aware. It's not going to work well, if you're green at it. Like many things, it probably takes luck and practice and interpersonal skills.
Re: I got arrested in Kazakhstan and represented myself in court
#16Heartwarming story. What I've experienced is, all over the world, people will try to help: if you seem like you need help and don't have all the answers/money. For travelers -- if you know the local language, speak it. I had a scary experience in the same part of the word and managed to "ingenious" my way out of it. Speakign the local language just helps people identify with you more. treat them like a person and the…
[deleted]
Re: I got arrested in Kazakhstan and represented myself in court
#17Something similar happened to me. I was a citizen of Uzbekistan at the time. I was about to fly out of Almaty. When the lady at the checkpoint saw my passport, she asked where my exit visa was. I never knew all the Uzbek citizens needed one to leave the post Soviet territory. So, I was denied my seat on the plane. Had to renew my ticket for $50. Come next day, another lady at the checkpoint says the same thing - without the exit visa I am not going anywhere. The plane was already boarding and I was about to miss it again. She saw me getting agitated and says "why don't you talk to this man here?". He said everything could be arranged for mere $300. Even though I was an actual student and poor as a church mouse, I had to pay it. I was let out.
Re: I got arrested in Kazakhstan and represented myself in court
#18Earlier quoted context omitted.
It might've actually worked out better if he hadn't spoken Russian. Speaking the local language evokes a "who are you to bypass the rules?" sentiment and enables the officers to pass the time hanging out with you. A non-speaker would just be a huge hassle.
I haven't found the same to be the case. Being able to speak the local language and to be able to portray yourself as "local boy made good" seems to bring out something in people where they want to root for you.
Yeah, I think it can go either way. I've had a few situations in Russia where speaking the language evoked "You idiot. You should know better and let me set you straight." while speaking English evoked "Stupid American. Here's how we fix it."
Re: I got arrested in Kazakhstan and represented myself in court
#19Earlier quoted context omitted.
John MacAfee has a great guide. Context is important. You need to know the situation, you have to be situationally aware. You can't just start showing money (maybe alcohol or other "currency" depending on their penchants are more apt). You have to know a bit about the locals. See http://www.whoismcafee.com/the-travel-guide/
Serious question: given how ... unstable ... McAfee seems to be, how reliable is this guide?
I mean, this is advice about doing something crazy. We aren't asking him for tax advice ;)
Re: I got arrested in Kazakhstan and represented myself in court
#20Earlier quoted context omitted.
John MacAfee has a great guide. Context is important. You need to know the situation, you have to be situationally aware. You can't just start showing money (maybe alcohol or other "currency" depending on their penchants are more apt). You have to know a bit about the locals. See http://www.whoismcafee.com/the-travel-guide/
Serious question: given how ... unstable ... McAfee seems to be, how reliable is this guide?
Based on what I've heard from colleagues that have spent extensive amounts of time in Central America, it's 100% spot-on.