Re: [Debconf-discuss] Questions about Banja Luka
Hi John,
As someone who has traveled to over 100 countries, and most of them more
than once, let me give you a little advice about the U.S. State
Department and its advisories:
Take them with a grain of salt, or even a whole salt shaker.
I was invited to a conference in Mendelene, Colombia. A friend of mine
was invited to the same conference, but did not go because of the State
Department's warnings about Colombia. I met a lot of great people,
drank a lot of good beer. When I told them my friend's reasons for not
going, the locals said "Sure, if you go up into the mountains 300 miles
from here, start making loud talk about drug runners, banditos, etc.
they will probably not be kind to you. But here in Mendelene we are
peaceful."
I went to Israel several times. Was not bombed, robbed, mugged....
Went to Hanoi, Vietnam before Clinton lowered the embargo. Great
people...very nice.
Went to China before most people in the USA could say the word. Same
thing.
Tips:
o Recognize that in many countries there are very poor along with very
wealthy. A *tiny, tiny fraction* of the people may try robbery as a way
to get some money, but the fraction is about the same as various parts
of the USA.
o Don't flash around a lot of money.
o Don't wear expensive jewelry
o Keep an expensive camera in a camera bag, pulling it out to take a
picture when you want one.
o Don't sew an American flag on your clothes or pack
o Wearing "local" T-shirts is often a good idea if you have to have
something printed on them
In other words, try as much to fit in. If that is not possible, then
don't flash wealth.
Take no item with you that you would be crushed on losing, and remember
that no item that you own is worth your life. Even the most expensive
notebook is just a thing (back it up before you leave)....and you can
get "mobile" insurance as a rider on your homeowner's or rental
insurance.
Take along whatever medicines you think you might need, and a few you
don't think you might need, such as medicine for diarrhea. Most of the
time you might be able to find them in the local drug store, but telling
the local druggist what you need is not always the easiest thing.
Keep your eyes open, ask the local Debian people there what "the real
story is", and most importantly, have a good time. Enjoy the people.
Warmest regards,
maddog
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