The Dark Side of Latin America Nobody Talks About?

[Winston]

What do think? Is this accurate? How much truth is there in this?

http://www.mavericktraveler.com/why-lat ... lks-about/

[Falcon]

Some of it's true, but it's overhyped.

There's no way that this is something "nobody" talks about. The "dark side" of Latin America is many Americans love to exaggerate about. Especially the awful media.

Yes it can be dangerous to some extent, but that's what makes it all the more fun. Plus it's mostly gang-on-gang violence and so on, rather than on tourists.

[Contrarian Expatriate]

I absoulutely hate Latin America. This guy does seem to hate it more than I, but I never plan to return.

Most Latin women are unattractive to me, and they have a culture that expects chivalry to the max.

If Latin America is your cup of tea, more power to you. We are not all struck from the same stone and we all can agree that one man's trash is another man's treasure.

[DevilsAdvocate]

I absoulutely hate Latin America. This guy does seem to hate it more than I, but I never plan to return.

Most Latin women are unattractive to me, and they have a culture that expects chivalry to the max.

If Latin America is your cup of tea, more power to you. We are not all struck from the same stone and we all can agree that one man's trash is another man's treasure.

I know that you are a black guy, so we are a little bit different obviously, but I think like you do, the Latin girls don't really do much for me for some reason, not sure why.

So what kind of girls do you like? The Asians? Or you like the white European girls?

[Rock]

I gotta say, there's a lot I do like about LatAm.

But the primary reason I chose not to settle there (Rio or some city in Colombia) was the crime factor. I'm just spoiled by NE Asian safety. I like to be sloppy with bag, cash in my pocket, and my cellphones.

In LatAm, u gotta constantly be paranoid. The mugging and assault threat is a constant there. Most N. American or European expats I've met who have been there for any length of time have been robbed, mugged, and/or attacked violently one or more times. BTW, when I was visiting my friend in Bay Area earlier this summer, her classmate from her international MBA program, a young woman from Honduras, was stabbed to death by her family's disgruntled driver.

http://www.latribuna.hn/2012/06/03/capt ... e-mujeres/

Also, the Colombian American taxi driver dude a lot of my gringo friends used in Cali, Colombia was shot dead point blank in front of his 12 year old daughter mid-day just a few years ago.

Violent shit like that is par for the course in so much of Lat Am as well as much of the Caribbean. In Colombia, I witnessed two gun shooting incidents and a purse snatching. In Rio, I suffered 2 robbery attempts, witnessed a purse snatching, and saw policemen round up a group of favela kids on the street with a rifle pointed straight at em. Most of the people I knew there had been robbed and/or assaulted.

Contrast that to Taipei where I've never so much as even been verbally threatened or had a taxi try to short change me after all these years.

[DevilsAdvocate]

I gotta say, there's a lot I do like about LatAm.

But the primary reason I chose not to settle there (Rio or some city in Colombia) was the crime factor. I'm just spoiled by NE Asian safety. I like to be sloppy with bag, cash in my pocket, and my cellphones.

In LatAm, u gotta constantly be paranoid. The mugging and assault threat is a constant there. Most N. American or European expats I've met who have been there for any length of time have been robbed, mugged, and/or attacked violently one or more times. BTW, when I was visiting my friend in Bay Area earlier this summer, her classmate from her international MBA program, a young woman from Honduras, was stabbed to death by her family's disgruntled driver.

http://www.latribuna.hn/2012/06/03/capt ... e-mujeres/

The Colombian American taxi driver dude a lot of my gringo friends used in Cali, Colombia was shot dead point blank in front of his 12 year old daughter mid-day just a few years ago.

Violent shit like that is par for the course in so much of Lat Am as well as much of the Caribbean. In Colombia, I witnessed two gun shooting incidents and a purse snatching. In Rio, I suffered 2 robbery attempts, witnessed a purse snatching, and saw policemen round up a group of favela kids on the street with a rifle pointed straight at em. Most of the people I knew there had been robbed and/or assaulted.

Contrast that to Taipei where I've never so much as even been verbally threatened or had a taxi try to short change me after all these years.

I almost can't believe what I'm reading here from you.....

If that is the way it is in Latin America I wouldn't make it 5 minutes. I cannot even begin to imagine being "mugged", that is simply not possible.

If any human being on this planet tried to "mug" me they would be dead in 60 seconds. If they had a gun they would still be dead in 60 seconds, and I might also be dead as well, but we would both die...

To this day no human being has ever tried to do something like that to me....

It almost makes me want to go down there just so I could have it happen to me, so I could go off on somebody and end their life for them.....

Signed,

Devils Advocate

[pete98146]

I gotta say, there's a lot I do like about LatAm.

But the primary reason I chose not to settle there (Rio or some city in Colombia) was the crime factor. I'm just spoiled by NE Asian safety. I like to be sloppy with bag, cash in my pocket, and my cellphones.

In LatAm, u gotta constantly be paranoid. The mugging and assault threat is a constant there. Most N. American or European expats I've met who have been there for any length of time have been robbed, mugged, and/or attacked violently one or more times. BTW, when I was visiting my friend in Bay Area earlier this summer, her classmate from her international MBA program, a young woman from Honduras, was stabbed to death by her family's disgruntled driver.

http://www.latribuna.hn/2012/06/03/capt ... e-mujeres/

The Colombian American taxi driver dude a lot of my gringo friends used in Cali, Colombia was shot dead point blank in front of his 12 year old daughter mid-day just a few years ago.

Violent shit like that is par for the course in so much of Lat Am as well as much of the Caribbean. In Colombia, I witnessed two gun shooting incidents and a purse snatching. In Rio, I suffered 2 robbery attempts, witnessed a purse snatching, and saw policemen round up a group of favela kids on the street with a rifle pointed straight at em. Most of the people I knew there had been robbed and/or assaulted.

Contrast that to Taipei where I've never so much as even been verbally threatened or had a taxi try to short change me after all these years.

I almost can't believe what I'm reading here from you.....

If that is the way it is in Latin America I wouldn't make it 5 minutes. I cannot even begin to imagine being "mugged", that is simply not possible.

If any human being on this planet tried to "mug" me they would be dead in 60 seconds. If they had a gun they would still be dead in 60 seconds, and I might also be dead as well, but we would both die...

To this day no human being has ever tried to do something like that to me....

It almost makes me want to go down there just so I could have it happen to me, so I could go off on somebody and end their life for them.....

Signed,

Devils Advocate

Right after my divorce, I started making treks down to Rio. Fell in love with the women and the culture. But (and it's a big but..pardon the pun) I was walking all by myself on Ipanema Beach at 8am. I enjoy waking up early to get a good walk before the beaches get too busy. Some guy came up to me and tried to jump me. At the time I was 39 years old and I'm a big fit dude. I grabbed his forearm and threw him down to the ground. He ran away.

But what happens if he would have had a knife or a gun? I'd be dead all on account of this punk wanting a $10 crack rock. So DA, yes I could have kicked the guys ass but you have to learn how to pick your battles. Me? I don't want to die over $10. Sadly, it happens all the time in South America. Not for me...

[publicduende]

What do think? Is this accurate? How much truth is there in this?

http://www.mavericktraveler.com/why-lat ... lks-about/

I have read a few of Maverick's post. he sounds very well travelled and he knows what he's talking about when he describes locations, things to do and how to settle properly in such a diverse continent.
However, he does come across as the typical metropolitan American who, no matter how extensively he will travel, he will have no intentiont to integrate in the local cultures, understanding their differences, limits and appreciating what good is left.

Medellin in particular seems to have broken the camel's back for him. I am not sure why it had to be Medellin, as it's one of the best places to live in in the whole of Latin America, and not just for the girls, I'm telling you. I have only spent a few days there but judging from what Monica has been telling me over all these years, and I have no trouble believing her, it's one of the most modern, efficient and best organised cities in the whole continent. It's home to top class universities and medical schools, HQ to a host of national and foreign multinational corporations. It's the only place in Colombia to have a modern, integrated metro and light railway system, which is 20 years old and still spotless. Of course a few of the cheaper developments are red bricks and look ugly, yet in my few days there I have also seen stunning "plazas", museums, science parks, water parks and of course a pinch of colonial buildings that would put many first world equivalents to shame.

About the people of Medellin, true, they may come across as more self-centred and less warm than those in many others LatAm places. I think that's because Medellin has been and will always be an industrious city, and a city with such a solid identity and sense of pride probably cares a bit less about just another Gringo who roams the streets expecting to be greeted with a smile and an invitation to coffee by every good looking girl on the street.

[DevilsAdvocate]

I gotta say, there's a lot I do like about LatAm.

But the primary reason I chose not to settle there (Rio or some city in Colombia) was the crime factor. I'm just spoiled by NE Asian safety. I like to be sloppy with bag, cash in my pocket, and my cellphones.

In LatAm, u gotta constantly be paranoid. The mugging and assault threat is a constant there. Most N. American or European expats I've met who have been there for any length of time have been robbed, mugged, and/or attacked violently one or more times. BTW, when I was visiting my friend in Bay Area earlier this summer, her classmate from her international MBA program, a young woman from Honduras, was stabbed to death by her family's disgruntled driver.

http://www.latribuna.hn/2012/06/03/capt ... e-mujeres/

The Colombian American taxi driver dude a lot of my gringo friends used in Cali, Colombia was shot dead point blank in front of his 12 year old daughter mid-day just a few years ago.

Violent shit like that is par for the course in so much of Lat Am as well as much of the Caribbean. In Colombia, I witnessed two gun shooting incidents and a purse snatching. In Rio, I suffered 2 robbery attempts, witnessed a purse snatching, and saw policemen round up a group of favela kids on the street with a rifle pointed straight at em. Most of the people I knew there had been robbed and/or assaulted.

Contrast that to Taipei where I've never so much as even been verbally threatened or had a taxi try to short change me after all these years.

I almost can't believe what I'm reading here from you.....

If that is the way it is in Latin America I wouldn't make it 5 minutes. I cannot even begin to imagine being "mugged", that is simply not possible.

If any human being on this planet tried to "mug" me they would be dead in 60 seconds. If they had a gun they would still be dead in 60 seconds, and I might also be dead as well, but we would both die...

To this day no human being has ever tried to do something like that to me....

It almost makes me want to go down there just so I could have it happen to me, so I could go off on somebody and end their life for them.....

Signed,

Devils Advocate

Right after my divorce, I started making treks down to Rio. Fell in love with the women and the culture. But (and it's a big but..pardon the pun) I was walking all by myself on Ipanema Beach at 8am. I enjoy waking up early to get a good walk before the beaches get too busy. Some guy came up to me and tried to jump me. At the time I was 39 years old and I'm a big fit dude. I grabbed his forearm and threw him down to the ground. He ran away.

But what happens if he would have had a knife or a gun? I'd be dead all on account of this punk wanting a $10 crack rock. So DA, yes I could have kicked the guys ass but you have to learn how to pick your battles. Me? I don't want to die over $10. Sadly, it happens all the time in South America. Not for me...

Well you just persuaded me not to go there....

I didn't know it was so bad like that, in fact, I thought it was the exact opposite of that, I thought it was safe and friendly and relaxed and peaceful, I had no idea that it was so common to be mugged or robbed on the street like that....

[OutWest]

What do think? Is this accurate? How much truth is there in this?

http://www.mavericktraveler.com/why-lat ... lks-about/

Very few places in the world are as good or as bad as any one person says.


Outwest

[momopi]

We have an office in Santiago, Chile, and I have never heard anything about serious crime issues from coworkers who traveled there.

[All_That_Is_Man]

I've never been to Latin America, so my experience has only been in heavily-Latin communities stateside. That being said, I hope Latin women stateside are completely different than they would be in Latin America. I've always been partial to Latin women, but the only thing I don't like is how ridiculously racist they are. I'm talking either Americanized "chicanas" or immigrant Mexicans who don't know a word of English. For some reason their WOMEN are full of fearmongering and racism. How f***ing arrogant can you get?

[Rock]

We have an office in Santiago, Chile, and I have never heard anything about serious crime issues from coworkers who traveled there.

Didn't u give notice a few weeks ago about leaving your current employer?

Anyway, Chile is not a good example. It's the top South American economy on a per capita basis and in the temperate south as is Argentina. Experience wise, I reckon its a world apart from Venezuela, Colombia, those central American shitholes, or even Brazil. Of course its not nearly as safe as NE Asia. But I believe on-the-ground threat feels a lot less intense there than in most LA countries further north as long as you stay in regular zones.

[Rock]

I gotta say, there's a lot I do like about LatAm.

But the primary reason I chose not to settle there (Rio or some city in Colombia) was the crime factor. I'm just spoiled by NE Asian safety. I like to be sloppy with bag, cash in my pocket, and my cellphones.

In LatAm, u gotta constantly be paranoid. The mugging and assault threat is a constant there. Most N. American or European expats I've met who have been there for any length of time have been robbed, mugged, and/or attacked violently one or more times. BTW, when I was visiting my friend in Bay Area earlier this summer, her classmate from her international MBA program, a young woman from Honduras, was stabbed to death by her family's disgruntled driver.

http://www.latribuna.hn/2012/06/03/capt ... e-mujeres/

Also, the Colombian American taxi driver dude a lot of my gringo friends used in Cali, Colombia was shot dead point blank in front of his 12 year old daughter mid-day just a few years ago.

Violent shit like that is par for the course in so much of Lat Am as well as much of the Caribbean. In Colombia, I witnessed two gun shooting incidents and a purse snatching. In Rio, I suffered 2 robbery attempts, witnessed a purse snatching, and saw policemen round up a group of favela kids on the street with a rifle pointed straight at em. Most of the people I knew there had been robbed and/or assaulted.

Contrast that to Taipei where I've never so much as even been verbally threatened or had a taxi try to short change me after all these years.

Check-out how bad Honduras is:

http://www.mail.com/int/news/world/1487 ... age-set1-1

[DevilsAdvocate]

I gotta say, there's a lot I do like about LatAm.

But the primary reason I chose not to settle there (Rio or some city in Colombia) was the crime factor. I'm just spoiled by NE Asian safety. I like to be sloppy with bag, cash in my pocket, and my cellphones.

In LatAm, u gotta constantly be paranoid. The mugging and assault threat is a constant there. Most N. American or European expats I've met who have been there for any length of time have been robbed, mugged, and/or attacked violently one or more times. BTW, when I was visiting my friend in Bay Area earlier this summer, her classmate from her international MBA program, a young woman from Honduras, was stabbed to death by her family's disgruntled driver.

http://www.latribuna.hn/2012/06/03/capt ... e-mujeres/

Also, the Colombian American taxi driver dude a lot of my gringo friends used in Cali, Colombia was shot dead point blank in front of his 12 year old daughter mid-day just a few years ago.

Violent shit like that is par for the course in so much of Lat Am as well as much of the Caribbean. In Colombia, I witnessed two gun shooting incidents and a purse snatching. In Rio, I suffered 2 robbery attempts, witnessed a purse snatching, and saw policemen round up a group of favela kids on the street with a rifle pointed straight at em. Most of the people I knew there had been robbed and/or assaulted.

Contrast that to Taipei where I've never so much as even been verbally threatened or had a taxi try to short change me after all these years.

Check-out how bad Honduras is:

http://www.mail.com/int/news/world/1487 ... age-set1-1

This is what bothers me about other countries, anywhere you live you are a first world person living in a third world country, and you cannot escape your identity. So when the SHTF you can easily become a big target.

Whereas when this happens in the USA, as long as you have provisions for a few weeks, the Military will step in along with FEMA and all the violence will be controlled, and actually be a relatively safe place to live....

Whereas if you are white living in Philippines or Latin America or wherever, you could become one big target.

Asians would be by far the best, as these people are logical and reasonable and they are non violent people....

But I would wonder what Asia would be like though for a white guy when the SHTF....

Here in the USA as long as you don't mind M1 Tanks rolling down the street and Apache Copters flying overhead and checkpoints and such things as this, the USA will be safe....

So it's a tough call where to be and where to live when the SHTF, which everybody knows is coming....

Signed,

Devils Advocate