Re: [Debconf-discuss] Questions about Banja Luka
Jon thank you for this follow up.
I couldn't agree more with what he said. I talked to President himself
regarding this, Venue will have security for all your stuff so you'll
be able to leave your stuff in the Venue without it being stolen or
whatever. If it gives you some comfort President building is right
next to the Venue building. Police will be notified of this conference
so they'll should keep an eye on you.
But really, there's no need for panic, people are generally very very
open and good towards tourists, I think you'll even be surprised. I
really hope DebConf will debunk all this misinformation about Bosnia,
and you'll be able to see it in full light.
Adnan
On Mon, Mar 21, 2011 at 5:06 PM, Jon 'maddog' Hall <maddog@li.org> wrote:
> 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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