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McAfee’s Third World Travel Guide

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Re: McAfee’s Third World Travel Guide

#11

Post by eshvk »

melling wrote: post #9

I spent 9 months backpacking from Guatemala to Buenos Aires. There are thousands of people who do this sort of thing every year, and you'll meet lots of expats. In fact, until you hit Colombia, you probably can get by without knowing much Spanish. Personally, I would just skip this article, buy the Lonely Planet and live a little. Some places that I'd recommend seeing: http://wikitravel.org/en/Antigua_Guatemala http:…

I would be interested in visiting some or most of these countries in a few years time. At the risk of sounding cliched, I don't obviously want the touristy experience but want to experience the country(ies) and am prepared to do that for a few months. I currently know zero spanish, do you suggest picking up a guide book or should I invest time learning it at a school (I live in SF)?

Re: McAfee’s Third World Travel Guide

#12

Post by nlh »

I find reading articles like this exhausting. I've got to imagine being a criminal/sketchball while on the road in whatever country you're in is equally exhausting.

Is it not just possible to travel abroad, carry proper documentation, a bit of cash, and enjoy yourself? Does every situation really require constant vigilance to knowing when to run or not, how to make eye-contact, when to make excuses, etc.?

Perhaps I'm superbly naive. And perhaps I've just not seen enough of the world, but I've gotten along just fine without having to resort to cloak-and-dagger behavior everywhere I go. Sure, checkpoints happen in some places. If you're pulled over, you should have a legit passport and a few dollars if you're asked to pay. But only if you're asked.

I feel like some people ask for trouble wherever they go. McAfee seems like one of those people.

Am I nuts?

Re: McAfee’s Third World Travel Guide

#13

Post by k-mcgrady »

eshvk wrote: post #11
melling wrote: post #9

I spent 9 months backpacking from Guatemala to Buenos Aires. There are thousands of people who do this sort of thing every year, and you'll meet lots of expats. In fact, until you hit Colombia, you probably can get by without knowing much Spanish. Personally, I would just skip this article, buy the Lonely Planet and live a little. Some places that I'd recommend seeing: http://wikitravel.org/en/Antigua_Guatemala http:…

I would be interested in visiting some or most of these countries in a few years time. At the risk of sounding cliched, I don't obviously want the touristy experience but want to experience the country(ies) and am prepared to do that for a few months. I currently know zero spanish, do you suggest picking up a guide book or should I invest time learning it at a school (I live in SF)?

I've found memrise.com pretty helpful for learning basic vocabulary (although I'm using it for French and Italian not Spanish).

Re: McAfee’s Third World Travel Guide

#14

Post by wildranter »

dageshi wrote: post #5
ghshephard wrote: post #3

Is there anyone who has lived in one of these South American areas like Belize for a long time able to confirm any of this system of paying bribes to police officers at traffic stops? Also, is his statement about police 'planting drugs' just so much self serving nonsense, or has anyone ever had a police officer actually do that? The entire essay sounds somewhat specious to me...

I've not been to south america, but I spent a fair amount of time in south east asia. Different part of the world but similar practices and yes the basic details of his story checkout. Police do setup roadblocks on random days on random roads in order to "check things". In Cambodia and Thailand a favourite was to check that you had the "correct helmet" a law recently being passed that meant you had to wear a helmet w…

The police setup checkpoint happened to me once in Brazil. They let me pass that time because they had their hands already full of drivers to "deal" with.

Re: McAfee’s Third World Travel Guide

#16

Post by acabal »

ghshephard wrote: post #3

Is there anyone who has lived in one of these South American areas like Belize for a long time able to confirm any of this system of paying bribes to police officers at traffic stops? Also, is his statement about police 'planting drugs' just so much self serving nonsense, or has anyone ever had a police officer actually do that? The entire essay sounds somewhat specious to me...

Sure, bribing cops at traffic stops is common. My dad lives in Colombia (he's Colombian) and I was visiting him there last year and go back often.

We were once stopped by a traffic cop for "passing in a no-passing zone" (passing is a necessity of traffic there, because many freeways are typically one lane in each direction, and sugar cane trucks are common and drive at 20mph). Basically just stopped to extract some cash.

The way it plays in that area of Colombia is, the driver asks if there's anything he can do for the officer, maybe he can pay for the ticket on the spot. The officer then asks you to pop your trunk so he can "check it out". Both of you get behind the car, you slip him 50,000 pesos (~$25, a very generous bribe), shake hands on go on your way.

My dad's excuse isn't that the cost of the actual ticket is too high--it probably isn't much more than the bribe--just that it's too inconvenient to pay it. Bureaucracy in Colombia is as byzantine as you might imagine, and you'll probably end up bribing the bureaucrats to process your papers faster anyway.

Now if I was a regular white traveler going through Colombia, I probably wouldn't even be stopped at all--the police know they can't hassle you in the long term like they can a local, they know even if you get a ticket you won't know how to pay it, and they have easier people to target.

Re: McAfee’s Third World Travel Guide

#17

Post by adinb »

nlh wrote: post #12

I find reading articles like this exhausting. I've got to imagine being a criminal/sketchball while on the road in whatever country you're in is equally exhausting. Is it not just possible to travel abroad, carry proper documentation, a bit of cash, and enjoy yourself? Does every situation really require constant vigilance to knowing when to run or not, how to make eye-contact, when to make excuses, etc.? Perhaps I'm…

I had a similar situation in Rome, Italy of all places...was shaken down by a subway officer for having 'invalid stamps' on our subway passes (they were obviously completely valid).

If we just paid a fine of xx euros directly to him, everything would be just fine...otherwise, he'd need to take us to the station, delay us (we were military and in the country for a NATO conference) to the point we'd miss our meeting.

Being in the mil and all, I was rather steamed, but my wife's cooler head prevailed. Obviously I now understand a little more about the 'system', even in civilized euro countries.

I have no doubts to the accuracy of most of this article.

edit: we did speak some Italian, fluent Spanish, German & a bit of Russian. Didn't matter one bit. Did make the mistake of actually producing documents & complaining/not smiling & joking. Probably would have been fined less if we did.

Re: McAfee’s Third World Travel Guide

#18

Post by [deleted] »

nlh wrote: post #12

I find reading articles like this exhausting. I've got to imagine being a criminal/sketchball while on the road in whatever country you're in is equally exhausting. Is it not just possible to travel abroad, carry proper documentation, a bit of cash, and enjoy yourself? Does every situation really require constant vigilance to knowing when to run or not, how to make eye-contact, when to make excuses, etc.? Perhaps I'm…

[deleted]

Re: McAfee’s Third World Travel Guide

#19

Post by [deleted] »

nlh wrote: post #12

I find reading articles like this exhausting. I've got to imagine being a criminal/sketchball while on the road in whatever country you're in is equally exhausting. Is it not just possible to travel abroad, carry proper documentation, a bit of cash, and enjoy yourself? Does every situation really require constant vigilance to knowing when to run or not, how to make eye-contact, when to make excuses, etc.? Perhaps I'm…

[deleted]

Re: McAfee’s Third World Travel Guide

#20

Post by [deleted] »

nlh wrote: post #12

I find reading articles like this exhausting. I've got to imagine being a criminal/sketchball while on the road in whatever country you're in is equally exhausting. Is it not just possible to travel abroad, carry proper documentation, a bit of cash, and enjoy yourself? Does every situation really require constant vigilance to knowing when to run or not, how to make eye-contact, when to make excuses, etc.? Perhaps I'm…

[deleted]
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