There is a city which became so dangerous that people stopped walking the streets. It was not the wartime. Small criminals, thieves, pickpockets, common roughnecks and cut-throats took control of the town. In the beginning you could find some peaceful places. You could come to the downtown park for a walk or sit on a bench looking at the lake and volcanoes in the distance. As time went by, the safe places were fewer and fewer and finally the city yielded to a growing feeling of threat.

That’s how it is in the capital of Nicaragua – Managua. As a matter of fact the city had not had any luck since its very beginning. Founded on the shores of Lake Xolotlán (today named Lake Managua) it was inhabited by forty thousand happy natives before the arrival of the Spanish. After the invasion carried out by the conquistadors only one thousand locals survived. Then it came out that Managua lies on the junction of tectonic plates, which cause tragic earthquakes more or less every fifty years. Each time when the city managed to raise from ruins after an earthquake, another one occurred.

In 1936 the remains of the ruins were ravaged by fire. However, the city was completely rebuilt to be destroyed again in December 1972, rebuilt once more, devastated by revolution and civil war, and then finally ruined by Hurricane Mitch in 1998. Kilometres of grassy savannah stretch in the city centre, where once many buildings stood. The hurricane blew away monuments, trees, cars and buildings. Some of them were rebuilt, others still stand in ruin, covered by deep crevices, cracked and crushed by falling rubble.
Near the beautifully repainted yellow and orange Presidential Palace there is a huge, black, old cathedral. Fires, earthquakes and the hurricane crushed it like it was some kind of a toy thrown onto the concrete pavement. Nobody knows what kind of force keeps it standing straight. It is surrounded by a fence and it is not allowed to go inside anymore. Everyone waits for the day it collapses. But it stands still.

Meanwhile, anarchy rules in the streets. When I left the hotel at 10 a.m., the city was deserted. Usually, at this time of a working day in Latin America there is frenzied activity everywhere. The bars, workshops, and restaurants are open, noisy buses and cars shooting exhaust fumes ride in the streets. However, in Managua there was complete silence and emptiness. I got out on the street. All the houses had barred windows and doors. All the shops were also hidden behind solid bars and you couldn’t get inside. The shopkeeper handed over the goods and accepted money through a small window. I thought I found myself in a forbidden district where only crooks live and no reasonable person ever enters. I quickly got back to the hotel. The girl at the reception desk looked honest. I asked her casually about moving safely in the city.

- No problem - she said – But don’t wear your watch. You better also take off your pendant. Don’t take any bag or backpack with you. Don’t take a lot of money.
- Why? – I asked, pretending I didn’t understand.
- Because they will take it away from you. They will mug you, steal from you, and run off.

This in fact is nothing new in South America. It is similar in some districts of Rio de Janeiro, Bogotá, Caracas, and most other big cities. But where is the safe district where you can take a walk, have a coffee, and take a few photos?

- Here? – the Nicaraguan girl asked. – There are no such places. Don’t ever go out in the street with a camera or any luggage. It would be best if you always took a taxi. Even the police are afraid to walk out of the station.

It was true. The only policeman I met during the few days I had been in Managua was filling up the gas tank of his motorbike. He gave me the same answers. He also advised that if I really had to go somewhere on foot, I should wait till one or two p.m. when there is a chance to meet some other pedestrians. However, it would be better not to walk more than two hundred metres. And so I sneaked in the streets of Managua past the barred windows and doors, buying pineapples and melons through the small window in the bar and watching this unbelievable, fascinating, deserted emptiness where over a million people live.

Every day all they have is fear, uncertainty and poverty. But the only thing they do have in excess is hope.

A Walking Bag Full of Money

There is a strong conviction that a white tourist in Africa, South America or Asia is treated by the local people as “a walking bag full of money”. It suggests that every local wants to get from the tourist as much as possible by inflating the prices, cheating with the change or simply stealing. Like all stereotypes, this one is also unjust and most often untrue.

The reason of the misunderstanding is usually the tourist alone. A person dressed in a straw hat, sunglasses, bright shirt and white socks on very white legs, equipped with a shining camera on the chest or attached to a belt, creates the following message: “I came here on my vacation to be able to spend lots of money in these exotic circumstances”. Which local would be able to resist such an offer? And why shouldn’t he meet the expectations of a dressed up tourist?

The locals also have their unproven stereotypes and prejudices. The sight of a white tourist in clean socks who is drinking ice-cold beer in an open-air restaurant in a poor district can bring back associations with the conquistadors, invaders, and the rich who exploit the poor. When someone earns ten dollars a month, he may have a problem understanding the rightness of paying six dollars for a glass of beer on a hot day.

If you don’t know the local customs and don’t speak the local language, do not venture alone into the city. If you want to get to know the districts beyond the city centre, give up typical tourist clothes and equipment. Try to look like a local. Hide your camera, don’t carry a small tourist backpack or a bag tied in your waist, don’t put on white socks, a straw hat, and a bright shirt. Do not use sunglasses, which are the most recognisable attribute of a tourist and “a wealthy man”. Take off your jewellery and your watch. Put on modest clothes, which do not attract attention. You will probably never look like a hundred percent native, but at least you can appear to be “at home”, like an experienced resident.

Dark Worlds

Sometimes I met people who asked for trouble. Wearing tight jeans with holes ripped on the knees – according to European fashion, but completely out of wack in the middle of the Venezuelan countryside – they came to a travel agent’s asking where they could buy marihuana. Sooner or later they will probably meet someone who will suggest they should go with him to a “friend”. In a small side street the tourists may vanish into the blue forever. If you decide to enter the dark world of illegal affairs you must be aware of the fact that you might remain there forever.

Searching for Lost Girls

Some time ago boys were picking up girls by offering to show them “a collection of stamps”. Lately I came across a similar idea. “Searchers of lost girls” appear at the marketplaces in big cities. Such a “lost girl” may be every tourist looking suitably inexperienced. You can recognise her quickly by the fair, still non-bronzed skin, and a slightly disoriented look on her face. Such a tourist walks from one stall to another, takes different things in her hands, watches them, sometimes asks for the price, and then walks on. She clearly has lots of time and is looking for something more interesting, but she doesn’t know exactly what it might be. Such a tourist is met half way by a self-confident local. First he usually approaches with a smile asking about the name and country of origin and then offers buying compact discs with music or films, handmade souvenirs or something else from him. When the girl expresses cautious interest, he assures her that she needn’t be afraid of anything and doesn’t have to buy anything if she doesn’t want to. He only invites her to see the goods, which he has “very near here”.

- Is it far? – the girl asks.
- Of course not! – replies the guy and shows her the nearest house. – It’s just there!

And leads her from the market place to a doorway, to the staircase, through a narrow corridor, from which there may be no way out.

Never agree to leave a public place with a stranger. Do not go into doorways, apartments or backstreets. Even if the local person is a real tradesman and really only wants to sell you his goods, he should do it openly in the marketplace. If he is hiding in a doorway or apartment then most probably he has something to hide from the local police. Finalising a transaction with such a person may be the cause of future problems. Apart from that in the corridor, doorway or small room it may come out that he did not have anything to sell but only wanted to lure the tourist into a secluded place.

Empty Streets

If you are strolling through the city and suddenly you find yourself in a strangely empty and quiet side street, leave that place immediately. The city is like the wild African savannah – a surprisingly big silence most often means that a predator is coming close.
An “empty” street means that everything happening in it is hidden from human eyes. A tourist in such a place is like a newborn baby antelope waiting to meet a hungry lion.
If by chance you do find yourself in such a place, do not panic or run. Walk with decisive, quick steps with a concentrated look on your face. Do not show fear. Try to look as if you had something important to take care of, suggesting that nobody should disturb you.

In the Dark

“The night is my big familiar stranger” – I wrote in one of my books. The night is the time when strange creatures come to life. Not all criminals – just like not all predators – like the lonely darkness. The city by night is the land of crime, rapes and armed robbery. It is easier to hide and escape at night. At night you don’t see a human face and you can hear the steps of a victim from a distance. Dark, desolate, deserted pavements change into a pen for suicides.
Never walk in a foreign city after dark. Plan your journey in such a way as to arrive to the new place during the day. Remember that the bus may break down on your way or start the journey with a delay, so it is better to add two extra hours and wake up at four a.m. to get to your destination when the sun is still shining.

Eye to Eye with a Crook

I experienced close encounters with a gigantic buffalo, a dangerous dog baring his fangs, angry baboons or a man with a knife in an empty street. Seconds decided what would happen next. Had I not been able to keep calm and make a proper impression, I would have been in dire straits. Furious dogs jump to people’s throats, buffaloes and elephants trample smaller creatures with their hooves, piercing them in addition with their horns and tusks, baboons bite like dogs and at the same time they are often stronger and bigger, while humans... Well you know what they are capable of.

A criminal is like a wild animal – he attacks when he feels provoked. The most important thing is to stay calm. You cannot start panicking or try to escape. You also cannot show fear, because visible fright of a potential victim triggers the crook’s aggression. Deep inside he is also afraid, most often not being able to think logically, so his reactions are based on instinct. You cannot look him straight in the eyes because it is a direct provocation and results in immediate assault.
To save your life you have to refer to the instinct of the killer and impress him. I usually use the method of the “angry hunter”.

The Angry Hunter Method

The attacker decides to strike in three situations: in self-defence, when he is provoked or when he feels that he can gain something easily. It is easy to attack someone who is helpless, weak or paralysed with fear.

It is most difficult to fight against someone who is also a hunter and at that very moment is in the middle of his hunt. Being the “hunter”, means being deeply focused on carrying out a task requiring strength, consequence, persistence, and determination. The “angry hunter” is a person who wants to reach his goal overcoming all obstacles on the way. No thief or crook is able to stop or disturb such a person. Usually, when the hunter is spotted, everyone instinctively moves aside since they know that although in normal circumstances he or she is gentle, now it is better not to come in his way.

In the case of meeting a crook you need to make an impression that you are a furious hunter who has to take care of a very urgent matter and hates to be disturbed.
The “angry hunter” walks with strong steps, has a resolute look on the face, closed fists, eyesight focused on one point and with all his posture, facial expression and movements makes everyone understand that he is in a hurry and does not have time for fooling around.

You cannot make eye contact with anyone, look around or show hesitation.
When a crook sees “the angry hunter”, he usually backs off, preferring to wait for someone easier to face.

Documents and Other Important Things

The passport, plane ticket, insurance and the credit card are the most important documents without which further travelling may be impossible. Never leave them in a hotel going out to town. Do not give them to anyone for safekeeping. Do not hide them in your main luggage. Never carry them in the pocket of your shirt or trousers. Do not keep them in a bag hanging from your neck. You have to keep the most important documents with you at all times and it is best if you keep them on the bottom of your small-sized backpack which you should treat as part of your body with which you cannot part or ever lose sight of.
I always have it with it. I take it the hotel dining room, I keep it on my lap, tie it to my leg. Thanks to these precautions I have never been robbed of the things which are most important.

People Begging
In Muslim countries supporting a person begging for alms is the obligation of every Muslim. I write more about this in the chapter entitled “The Blonde in Islam”. Such beggars usually stand or sit motionless next to a wall, not asking, but just holding a container for money.
However, there is a different kind of beggars in big cities. They actively run after the tourist, stop you, sometimes even grab you by the arm and insist that you give them some money. They are often intoxicated with alcohol or other substances.

And although I generally believe that we should share with people asking for support, I never give money to such insisting city beggars.
I once met such a beggar in Cape Town. He saw me from a distance, he ran across the street and wanted to start a conversation. In such circumstances you must not get provoked. When a beggar insists on getting something, you cannot show anger or irritation. Most probably he has nothing to lose. It is possible that some more equally desperate homeless people are waiting close by. Taking out your purse or wallet in such circumstances – especially when you are in an empty street on a Sunday morning – is a very risky thing to do.
First of all remember not to make any eye contact with a stalker because this makes him gain confidence. It is best to focus your thought on something and march straight ahead, looking at the sky with eyes that don’t see. However, if you have already been taken aback and the beggar aggressively demands financial assistance – and you don’t have a coin to get him off your back or you don’t want to give him anything – pretend you don’t understand a thing he is saying to you. You must do it with a smile and absolute calm.

Say to him in your native language:
- I can see you want something from me, but I really don’t have any idea what you’re asking me. Maybe you know how to get to the main square? To the main square. You don’t know where is the main square?
By asking him a bugging question he is not able to understand, you change your defence into the attack because it is you that becomes a nuisance whom he will most willingly and quickly get rid of.

Translated by Michał Nowakowski

Safety - excerpt from the book "THE GLOBETROTTER’S GUIDE, or The Travelling Blonde", published by National Geographic Poland 2008

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