Tourist Shot In Barranquilla

[JimD]

http://www.elpais.com.co/elpais/judicial/noticias/asesinada-turista-espanola-en-ciudad-colombiana-barranquilla

A Spanish tourist was shot dead yesterday when she wouldn´t give up her purse during a robbery of the Plaza De La Cerveza on la Murillo in Barranquilla. I wonder if any posters here have been to that place.

[AndyLee]

Here is a sketchy news report from colombiareports.com

A Spanish tourist was killed in a robbery in the north Colombian city of Barranquilla Wednesday just after the city tightened security measures for the upcoming carnival.

According to local newspaper El Heraldo, the woman was shot early Wednesday morning. Police said they have arrested the killer.

The Spaniard was killed by two bullets after a man robbed her and the group she was with in a bar in the center of the Caribbean city.

Barranquilla police commissioner General Oscar Perez told the newspaper that authorities have promised a $2,500 reward for a local man called "Joaco," who allegedly took part in the robbery.

The murder came less than 24 hours after local police activated a special security plan involving the deployment of 4,300 extra policemen to guarantee the safety of the tens of thousands of tourists expected to take part in the city's carnival, which starts Saturday.

Barranqulla's carnaval is Colombia's biggest cultural event of the year.

[z_k_g]

Sad story.

Zulu

[mudd]

sad story, no purse is worth your life,

tourist need to know, during festivals/ carnivals, crime goes way up, mostly towards tourists. The Flower festival in Medellin, it goes way up there also, petty theft, murders etc. Christmas and the  Flower festival are the worst times for crime in Medellin.

I would carry a small wallet worth about $ 5 with $ 40,000 pesos in it with ID or credit cards that were expired so any thief would think he got something, and keep the real ID, cards and $$$ in a hidden place.

you don't want some petty thief getting pissed off because you don't have krap and shoot you for being a bad target.

[whitey]

sad story, no purse is worth your life,

tourist need to know, during festivals/ carnivals, crime goes way up, mostly towards tourists. The Flower festival in Medellin, it goes way up there also, petty theft, murders etc. Christmas and the  Flower festival are the worst times for crime in Medellin.

I would carry a small wallet worth about $ 5 with $ 40,000 pesos in it with ID or credit cards that were expired so any thief would think he got something, and keep the real ID, cards and $$$ in a hidden place.

you don't want some petty thief getting pissed off because you don't have krap and shoot you for being a bad target.

That's good advice, Mudd.

I usually don't bother to carry around the fake wallet much, but I always bring it on my trips.  Usually I've got enough crap in my pockets - I don't need another bulge <insert joke here>.

But, on the rare occasions when I'm out late at night, or if I was going to an event like carnaval, I would definitely do it.  I also have a money belt that fits around my calf that I wear occasionally.
   

[AndyLee]

The fake wallet is good advice...thanks
A friend of mine showed me his money underpants once. they have pocket sewn in the front that will hold credit cards and cash. Just have to be careful about where you reach for money when you are at the check out

[mudd]

i found a really small one at........ ah where was it ?  target or Macy's, cant remember,  but it holds 3 cards and small amount of cash,  its small and thin enough to put in your sock and take out easily. i usually carry ID, one credit card  and about $ 100 worth of cash, and then carry  a bogus wallet  with the fake stuff,  if i am going out.




* note, be very careful about using or carrying a debit card, because you can get held up. Crooks  will take you to an ATM and make you empty your account. While ago, a gringo was kidnapped and they held him for about a week, emptying his checking account each day until his account was empty.

[robert angel]

Most triple A auto agencies, Walmart and probably a number of other places, sell inexpensive money belts that go under your pants/shorts.

While I keep my passport and most of my money in a hotel safe deposit lock box, I keep my 'walk around' money in the cotton money belt, and $10 or $15 and a couple expired credit cards in an old wallet to give up 'just in case'.

Luckily, I haven't had to give up my dummy wallet. I've been right by where three people were machine gunned to death and been trapped in the middle of an attempted coup de tat, with all transportation shut down while over seas and I've heard gunshots, as US Army troops tried to stop rioting looters as their USA neighborhoods burned, but never been robbed!

You certainly don't have to leave home to get raped, robbed and/or murdered!

[beginthebeguin]

A 'muggers' wallet is a great idea. Just remember to use an old beat up wallet that looks like it is used frequently so the mugger thinks he has the 'genuine' article. And the expired credit/debit cards is a great idea. Just use the shinyest expired cards you have. The mugger will glance at those and think they are the current. Do the old 'fake wad sandwich' as well. Two medium denomination bills as 'bread' and for the 'meat' the lowest denomination bills one can find. Also place so old faded ATM or store receipts as well to make the 'genuine article' look authentic.

[Gato4Astrid]

The best advice is to stay at home lol 

[Bob_S]

Every time I hear these stories, I just have to thank Sweet Jesus that my wife comes from Japan where the biggest danger to foreigners is being challenged to a drift race.

Dorifuto Reisu!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAek_Okema8

[whitey]

Looks like there is more to this story. According to today's El Heraldo, relatives of the victim claim her husband had her killed.

[Jeff S]

LOL! Yeah, Bob. I get that. People chase you down the street to give you back change you forgot to pick up. You can get drunk at night and everyone will help you get on the right bus or train home. Traveling in Japan is unlike anywhere in the world. Well - China is pretty nice until you try to go shopping - then it turns into Tijuana.

[JimD]

Looks like there is more to this story. According to today's El Heraldo, relatives of the victim claim her husband had her killed.

That is interesting indeed (and not surprising in Colombia). Please post the link.

[whitey]

That is interesting indeed (and not surprising in Colombia). Please post the link.

Here it is: http://www.elheraldo.co/judicial/familiares-de-turista-espanola-culpan-su-esposo-de-planear-el-crimen-10364

[whitey]

LOL! Yeah, Bob. I get that. People chase you down the street to give you back change you forgot to pick up. You can get drunk at night and everyone will help you get on the right bus or train home. Traveling in Japan is unlike anywhere in the world. Well - China is pretty nice until you try to go shopping - then it turns into Tijuana.

I've had money I dropped returned to me twice in Colombia, as well as a wallet I left behind in a coffee shop.  I'm sure people would also help me get my drunken butt home too, but I wouldn't want to risk it! 

[robert angel]

One time in Manila, I had just exchanged a bunch of money and had it in a couple different wads. Exiting a taxi, a wad of probably a couple hundred bucks, fell out and onto the seat. I was about 15 feet from the taxi, when the Filipino cabby shouted me down to tell me 'Sir--your money fell out of your pocket!". I can't imagine that happening in too many cases.

[mudd]

in Medellin, i was in a taxi with a local buddy of mine. got out and forgot my canon camera on the seat. the taxi driver got a call and wrote down his next fare address which was about 3 blocks away.

after we realized that i was a bonehead and left my camera on the back seat, we ran to where he was  going. when we caught up to him, no camera, WTF  wasn't so much the cost of the camera, which was about $ 250 but the photos in it that i lost. 

[Researcher]

       One time at band camp...oops wrong story.hehehe!

        I always carry a fake wallet when I travel just in case. If I'm robbed at least I can give up something that isn't too valuable.


       Researcher

[euforia51]

       One time at band camp...oops wrong story.hehehe!

Holy crap ... Researcher ... I just thinking that same thing! 

[Capstone]

LOL! Yeah, Bob. I get that. People chase you down the street to give you back change you forgot to pick up. You can get drunk at night and everyone will help you get on the right bus or train home.

Unless you are in Roppongi where there are all sorts of seedy characters just waiting for a chance to relieve a drunk and/or unsuspecting bar patron (foreigner & Japanese alike) of their cash. When I lived in Tokyo the guys that I worked with and I would regularly hit the Roppongi district for some drinks after leaving the office on Friday nights. On my first visit my Japanese coworkers warned me to never go drinking in Roppongi by yourself and to never use your credit card at any of the bars, clubs or even restaurants there as credit card fraud was very prevalent in the district at the time. Many of them had stories of being past victims of picket pockets & other petty crimes there after having a bit too much to drink. Roppongi was always great fun with the guys though and I hear that it has been cleaned up somewhat since I lived there back in the mid 90s.

[Jeff S]

I haven't frequented Roppongi much the past 20 years or so, though did find a great Hungarian restaurant there a few years back. It's mostly a young people's place. Too many noisy loud hip-hop disco kinda places for my taste. Give me a good old hostess bar in an older, more traditional part of town with koto music. The Shinagawa and Shinjuku areas are more my style. I usually only go to Ginza in the daytime too. Too pricey and "in."

Kansai is a lot better than Kanto for my idea of fun, too. Osaka and Kobe are great night life spots, but you can have Kyoto. Ichiban in my book is Himeji.

[beginthebeguin]

This is interesting. Just got done chatting with my girlfriend in BAQ. Now my girlfriend is worried about murders of foreigners. She told me that there have been 3 instances of foreigners being mugged and killed in the past 12 months in the city. She thinks that it is a trend. And this is the first time she has ever mentioned anything to me about public safety in BAQ.  I told her that crime is bound to go up in BAQ during the Carnival. But she said that the trend is now starting to go up in other areas of the country.

Now the question is this. Is the fear for my safety a fortuitous opportunity to execute a 'wave off' when she knows that I am serious about moving to Colombia, or is it real concern for my safety and she is giving me a 'heads up'?


My first impression is it will require more time talking with her about this. The subject appeared quite 'out of the blue'. 

[Researcher]

         Begin, I would think she is interested in your safety. My wife constantly warned me of things going on in Bogota while I was there. I've been to alot of places that were dangerous well before I met her but that doesn't stop her from worrying.


    Researcher

[fathertime]

Now the question is this. Is the fear for my safety a fortuitous opportunity to execute a 'wave off' when she knows that I am serious about moving to Colombia, or is it real concern for my safety and she is giving me a 'heads up'?


My first impression is it will require more time talking with her about this. The subject appeared quite 'out of the blue'. 

Well beguin…that was very observent of you to realize that you MIGHT be getting a ‘waveoff’…it certainly is possible.  It could be, or maybe it isn’t…the fact that you put that possibility on your radar screen tells me that you have some balance to your thoughts which should serve you well
… unless you start receiving other signs that make you go hmmmm, I would just accept it as genuine concern, which exactly how you seem to be looking at the situation. 

So what do you YOU feel about your safety in colombia?  I would take a look at close look at what has been written here about how to protect yourself.  Where did you plan to move to in Colombia and how far off in the future? It should be an adventure.

Fathertime!