Hi,
O.k., let's add a few more comments to this thread:
I wrote:
-Things may not always be as bad as is being suggested by the tour guides.
The LP book about Peru e.g. has some 3 pages dedicated to warning you
about just how slick Peruvian thieves are etc. Nonetheless, when over
there, I used common sense (as well as some lessons learnt from when I got
mugged in San Francisco), and didn't find the situation to be that bad at
all. The same goes for Italy. Places like Rome have a lot of fame for
theft, yet I've never found matters to be that bad.
To which Dirk replied:
Man, after reading all this theft stuff, hell if I'm ever going on a trip
to Italy. I'll watch the video, thanks. I feel a heck of a lot safer in
Wash, DC than I would anywhere in Italy, despite all the data about bad
stuff happening in DC.
Well, this is _exactly_ the kind of feeling/fear I was trying to prevent by
typing the above :)
What I meant to say as a one-liner is: When traveling in places you don't
know, be aware of the possibility of getting robbed, but DON'T let your
concerns spoil your vacation.
<extensive comment mode on>
Seriously to drift "a bit": "Safety wise" let's compare some rough
numbers/estimates: DC, AFAIK has a kill-rate of over 500 people a year
(which I think is more than all of The Netherlands has on a yearly basis),
no idea what this is like in Italy, but I do know that in some cities I went
to (Caracas, Lima) this rate is substantially higher. For Caracas I think
the number is something like 50-100 per weekend or so, nice eh? Yet I've
never had a single problem over there regarding theft, nor in Lima where I
lived (and in both cities I _did_ bring my Oly gear to some of the parts
where people are likely to get their belongings stolen). Of course, much of
the heavy crime takes place in the gettoes, which one should avoid at all
costs. A thing which at times I don't like in the Americas is that when you
go down one block too far, you can be in serious trouble. This is much less
the case in Europe, so where can one be really safe? Simple answer: knowing
the place is everything. Knowing which areas to avoid prevents a lot of
trouble.
Generally spoken I find traveling in Italy peanuts compared to moving around
in the metropoles of South America, yet a little bit of care should be
taken.
Bottomline: there are some simple tricks to avoid 990f the trouble one can
get all too easily in when a bit of care is not taken. The pointers I gave
in the other message may seem a bit scary, but I was just trying to give a
rather complete "checklist" of what I typically do to avoid trouble. The
only place in the world where I have been mugged (not a fun experience) was
in San Francisco (USA, not Latin America), and thanks to the strong neck
strap of my OM-40 I didn't lose that camera. This was an experience which
made me very street-wise, and after it I became much more careful and used
the strategy I explained in the other message. This may seem like an extreme
list, but in reality it's just a small procedure one rapidly gets very handy
at. Nowadays when I arrive at such a scene, I automatically perform that
procedure and it's hardly any overhead at all: one just moves around in a
slightly different way than a lot of the typical tourists do. So far, I've
not gotten in any further trouble. Not in the subways of Paris and Madrid,
nor in notorious parts of Lima/Caracas/Cuzco, nor in Amsterdam, nor in the
USA. Almost all of it comes down to using common sense and a little bit of
care. Since applying the above simple procedure, I've managed to travel to a
great many places, and managed to get pictures of them as well without
getting into trouble. In this way, one can fully enjoy the experience.
<extensive comment mode off>
Finally, a comment on a thing John Hays wrote:
I wouldn't take a tripod, either, nor\ a flash -- the tripod is
advertising
I wouldn't necessarily agree with this...if you are traveling in the great
cities of Europe and don't take a tripod for night photography you are
missing a big part of the fun and truly beautiful photo opportunities.
[...]
Conspicuous? I suppose, with my satchel and tripod slung over my shoulder.
But no one bothered me when I was out at 5 in the morning or 11 at night.
And if your wife is with you, she could always watch your back;) So my
vote is for your Olympus kit...and if you can manage it, a tripod, too!
Amen to all of the above!
These are actually some points I forgot to make in my previous message. Yes,
a tripod is most handy for night shots, and indeed, it does help to have
someone to watch your back when in a place you don't completely trust. This
is actually another technique which I tend to use when I'm not 100 ertain
of certain people hanging around a scene I'd like to take pictures of. Also,
a trick I like to use is to put my camera in a very worn, really cheapish
looking, small camouflage back-pack. No one seems to expect anything of
value to be present in that bag :) Finally, the "titanium look" of my 4Ti
also always seems to trick people into thinking I'm using a $5 30 year old
camera...;)))
Alright, I think enough has been written about the safety tips etc. Italy is
one of my favourite countries for travelling, and it's extremely photogenic.
Peter: enjoy your trip and don't be overly concerned about theft, really, I
found it very easy to avoid trouble over there...
Cheers!
Olafo
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