The Way I See It - En Garde

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Wed, Jul 21, 2010, 4:42 am  //  Ham Hayes

“We have lots of robberies.” As I reported last week, that was the apocalyptic statement by the investigating officer to our recent plight in St. Petersburg. That statement, or something like it, is probably repeated hundreds of times around the world each day. Although I have traveled extensively over the last decades, I do not consider myself an expert on crime or security measures. But I am willing to share some of the things I think I learned from our experience in St. Petersburg three weeks ago. We did some things correctly, but we also had gotten a bit careless over time.  I hope some of our experiences will help you be more mindful when you travel.
 
Fact: We were robbed at high noon on a bus on the main street of St Petersburg. We heard stories from our Russian friends of other daylight robberies of locals as well as tourists. Robberies can and do occur in almost any venue at any time.
 
Lesson: Work on your situational awareness. Whether you are in Seattle or Moscow, observe your surroundings and people in your area. Think of it as people watching. We missed the team of thieves moving in on us as we boarded the bus. In many places it is wiser to avoid walking, or taking public transportation and gypsy cabs. Our local Russian friends didn’t think twice about using local buses…in fact, most of them have no other way of getting around. As a consequence we felt more comfortable and relaxed when we should have been more alert.
 
Fact: We were carrying our passports with us and we lost one of them in the robbery. According to the U.S. embassy, “Russian police officers have the authority to stop people and request their identity and travel documents at any time and without cause. Due to the possibility of random document checks by police, you should carry your original passport, migration card and visa with you at all times.”
 
Lesson: We make it a practice to have copies of all our important documents kept in a “safer” place off our bodies. This saved us a lot of time and grief getting a replacement. When traveling overseas, check the recommendations of the U.S. State Department for the countries you are visiting. Some people we have talked with recommend carrying a copy of your passport and leaving the real one back at your hotel. I don’t know how the Russian police would react to that, so I kept mine on me. The problem we had was aggravated by not using a money belt or passport “purse” worn inside our clothing. So we made ourselves more vulnerable than we needed to be. In other kinds of robbery situations, you may lose your passport in any case, so have that copy stashed elsewhere. 

Fact: We lost all of our credit cards and cash. We did immediately notify our bank and credit card companies which meant we had no immediate means of support as the accounts were then frozen. Other than physical injury, this can be your next worst nightmare. Losing identity papers and your financial means at the same time can make the situation very difficult. Also in our case, the Canadian Embassy said we had to return to Moscow, an expensive proposition. We were fortunate to have friends with us who became our bankers. 

Lesson: In the future, I will keep a separate credit card in a hotel safe, or hidden in my luggage or other place separate from my person. Talk to your bank before you leave about how to arrange for funds to be wired to you from your savings or checking account in an emergency. I spent a lot of time and aggravation on the phone trying to set up those arrangements after the fact.

Fact: It took us two hours to find the police. The police are not very visible in St. Petersburg and their stations are scarce and, more often than not, located in obscure alleys. With help, we found them and got our report filed. In most places, you have to file a report with the police before anything else can occur. The quality of the experience with police varies from country to country. 

Lesson: Do some research before you go on your trip. Find out how to locate the police before you need them and, if you can, what their reputation is.

One or two additional smarter steps on our part would have reduced the chances of our being robbed, but they wouldn’t have eliminated all the risks. I’m sure I’ll think of a few more things to do before my next trip…and perhaps others will throw in a few ideas from their own experiences.
 
As we look to the coming year, several U.S. trips, Australia and Italy are on the horizon for us…I expect we will be a lot more careful….bon voyage!

Thriving Beyond Sustainability - a book review

Tue, Sep 07, 2010, 9:59 am  //  Guest writer

Eric Hirst reviews a new book by Andres R. Edwards, Thriving Beyond Sustainability: Pathworks to a Resillient Society

0 comments

Lummi Ferry Petition is Linked

Wed, Sep 01, 2010, 2:40 pm  //  John Servais

A petition to the federal government online at skookum.us. It asks they step in to resolve the impasse between the Lummi and Whatcom County.

2 comments; last on Sep 06, 2010

Lummi Island - The Price of Admission

Thu, Aug 26, 2010, 3:01 pm  //  Tip Johnson

Legal or Political Football?

4 comments; last on Aug 27, 2010

Politics & Ice Water: Part 1 of ?

Sat, Aug 21, 2010, 8:07 am  //  Larry Horowitz

Politics is like a pool of ice water. When men jump in their balls shrivel up.

5 comments; last on Aug 26, 2010

Lummi Island Softball

Fri, Aug 20, 2010, 3:26 pm  //  Tip Johnson

Islanders need a new game

1 comments; last on Aug 24, 2010

Cantwell Confused

Wed, Aug 18, 2010, 4:07 pm  //  Tip Johnson

Ignoring the real problem

3 comments; last on Aug 19, 2010

Election Results

Tue, Aug 17, 2010, 8:05 pm  //  John Servais

A running blog this election night

0 comments

The Political Downzone of Responsible Land Use Planning

Mon, Aug 16, 2010, 12:55 pm  //  John Lesow

John Lesow rebuts Jack Petree's Herald oped article that strongly criticized county planning.

30 comments; last on Aug 25, 2010

Herald runs a beautiful smear of Rossi

Mon, Aug 16, 2010, 12:03 pm  //  John Servais

Headline and article paint U.S. Senate candidate Dino Rossi very badly on final day ballots are mailed. The Bellingham Herald editors print a perfect smear.

5 comments; last on Aug 18, 2010

Lummi Football

Sat, Aug 14, 2010, 12:20 pm  //  Tip Johnson

Time for hardball?

0 comments

Mail your ballot by Monday, 3 p.m.

Sat, Aug 14, 2010, 6:51 am  //  John Servais

Mailing even late Monday evening is gambling on its being counted. Mail in time.

1 comments; last on Aug 14, 2010

Deceptive Herald article on planning

Fri, Aug 13, 2010, 8:39 am  //  John Servais

Am looking for a writer to rebut Jack Petree's BIAW propaganda article the Herald saw fit to print.

3 comments; last on Aug 20, 2010

The Way I See It - Time to change

Wed, Aug 11, 2010, 4:00 pm  //  Ham Hayes

Fear and attack-rhetoric are leading us in the wrong direction.

1 comments; last on Aug 12, 2010

Candidate choices of John Servais

Mon, Aug 09, 2010, 3:15 pm  //  John Servais

Personal opinion and recommendations from an independent liberal and progressive. ADDED more on Tuesday, Aug 10.

3 comments; last on Aug 13, 2010

And in the 40th we have…..

Mon, Aug 09, 2010, 1:49 pm  //  Ham Hayes

Candidates, o candidates - where art thou? Monday Updates

2 comments; last on Aug 04, 2010

Where’s the Info?

Mon, Aug 09, 2010, 12:38 pm  //  Viki Warner

One week till the Primary, but no info?

3 comments; last on Aug 09, 2010

Cooperation no substitute for small libraries

Sat, Aug 07, 2010, 8:18 am  //  John Servais

A library card from any Whatcom County library can now be used at any library in the county

5 comments; last on Aug 15, 2010

40th District State Representative Pos 1 Primary - Tom Pasma’s Responses

Fri, Aug 06, 2010, 4:54 am  //  Ham Hayes

Tom answers our questions

1 comments; last on Aug 08, 2010

40th District State Representative Pos 2 Primary - Rep. Jeff Morris’ Responses

Fri, Aug 06, 2010, 4:50 am  //  Ham Hayes

Jeff answers our questions

0 comments

40th District State Representative Pos 1 Primary - Chuck Carrell’s Respones

Fri, Aug 06, 2010, 4:48 am  //  Ham Hayes

Chuck answers our questions

0 comments

Act of War or Act of Congress?

Thu, Aug 05, 2010, 1:50 pm  //  Tip Johnson

Where, oh where, are our federal representatives?

6 comments; last on Aug 06, 2010

A letter to the Bellingham City Council

Thu, Aug 05, 2010, 8:28 am  //  John Servais

We ask why the EIS extension was given to the Chuckanut Ridge developers when the city is negotiating to buy the property.

0 comments

City bumbles on Chuckanut Ridge extension

Wed, Aug 04, 2010, 8:12 am  //  John Servais

Bellingham Planning Department is giving quiet extensions to the Chuckanut Ridge developer - propping up the property value.

1 comments; last on Aug 04, 2010

Chuckanut Ridge Development Gets Extension

Mon, Aug 02, 2010, 1:30 pm  //  John Servais

Bellingham Planning Department gave a three month extension, till Oct 29, to Greenbriar

2 comments; last on Aug 02, 2010

John Powers death, in the words of a friend

Sat, Jul 31, 2010, 9:29 pm  //  John Servais

John Powers died yesterday. Ted expresses his remembrance.

0 comments

Raising a Village: Can the Bellingham Cooperative School be saved?

Fri, Jul 30, 2010, 10:54 am  //  Kamalla Rose Kaur

Mourning the loss of a valuable community asset

2 comments; last on Aug 01, 2010

The Way I See It - Mud resurrected

Wed, Jul 28, 2010, 4:39 am  //  Ham Hayes

It is time we gave “mud” back its good name.

0 comments

The Way I See It - En Garde

Wed, Jul 21, 2010, 4:42 am  //  Ham Hayes

“We have lots of robberies.” As I reported last week, that was the apocalyptic statement by the investigating officer to our recent plight in St.…

0 comments

Greed: The Shadowy So-called Non-profit Taecan

Mon, Jul 19, 2010, 11:53 am  //  Tip Johnson

For-Profit Non-Profits - Pulling the Plug on Services

0 comments

The Forsaken Constituents of Lummi Island

Mon, Jul 19, 2010, 11:20 am  //  Tip Johnson

Taxation without representation

3 comments; last on Jul 28, 2010

Libraries are still very valuable

Fri, Jul 16, 2010, 8:18 pm  //  John Servais

The New Spice Man tells us why libraries are useful and valuable. This applies to all libraries.

0 comments

Three Port Executive Finalists Withdraw

Fri, Jul 16, 2010, 1:30 pm  //  John Servais

In a surprise development, the Port of Bellingham is starting over again in their search for an executive director. Position now vacant for over a…

1 comments; last on Jul 18, 2010

 

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