I worry about traveling alone as a woman in certain areas. I consider myself a pretty savvy traveler, but I always feel anxious when walking around a city alone and hearing comments and sneers. On two separate occasions I was followed around the city by local men - and it killed my confidence both as a traveler and as a woman. I do not know how to respond to or how to prepare for such encounters, even though I strive to understand the cultural and societal factors that influence the behavior.

I was very grateful in Marseilles to a pair of Australian women who read my panicked face when a local man was following me and hounding me for my number and address. They came over and pretended we were friends from the hostel and grabbed my hand and led me off, telling the man to go away. I returned the favor on a train back from Lisbon when a man sat down next to a young woman and kept asking her for a kiss. I interrupted their conversation, pretending to be lost, and asked her for help reading the train route map in the car behind us. Sisterhood has been a saving grace when traveling.

Posted By B.Q. Hoover on May 11, 2009, 4:34 PM

I've both traveled and lived in a number of countries and really "love" to travel, but it can get awfully lonely as well as creepy when you're a woman on her own as I have been. As I have some time off soon, I thought maybe I'd plan a big trip to some exotic locales, like perhaps Jordan and Dubai. But, then I started thinking about terrorism and swine flu, and feeling extremely nervous when I was by myself at 1:00 in the Cairo airport. I've canned the trip (I think...), and may just go to Las Vegas instead (no muss, no fuss).

Posted By Traveller on May 11, 2009, 6:33 PM

I once had a bag delayed on a resort vacation in Puerto Vallarta. Couldn't do much of anything while I waited. Other than checking the bag, what I've learned is...put a swimsuit in your handbag. Even if your bag NEVER gets delivered to your resort, you have what you need to have some fun. Shorts and t-shirts can be bought or borrowed from anyone, but a swimsuit...! I do this on cruises, especially. Sometimes it's a while before your bag gets delivered to your cabin, and you want to go sit in the hot tub. Having your swimsuit helps.

Posted By Toni Vitanza on May 12, 2009, 8:02 AM

One concern that I have is dealing with the mass hysteria of other passengers and what your rights are if you are forced to change travel plans due to other passengers feeling scared in your presence. (This is US Airline focused.)

For example in the early days of swine flue I was flying home from Portland, OR with a cold. Everything was fine, but I read about other flights where people were forced off the plane because the other passages were scared. This also happened/s regularly with Arabe looking people after 9-11 regardless if they were Arabe or not.

* What are the rules/guidelines if other passengers are uncomfortable?
* When is the uncomfortable person reasonably expected to deal with their fears, versus when is the innocent party who makes others feel uncomfortable responsible for negating those fears?
* What measures/processes are taking to insure that basic human rights are not violated and people are not discriminated against in these cases?

Posted By Iolaire McFadden on May 12, 2009, 9:01 AM

I worry about missing flights. I once was traveling from Amsterdam to London and slept through my alarm, waking up 5 minutes after the plane had taken off. I had no time to waste, as I was flying home to the States the following morning from Heathrow. However, I couldn't afford to buy the insanely expensive ticket to get myself to London on a flight later that day. So instead of the original one-hour flight, I had to take a 16-hour journey that involved trains, ferries, more trains, a bus, and the Tube. Luckily I was able to make it home (and afford the various tickets - barely), but I was absolutely terrified that I would somehow become stranded in a foreign country with almost no money and no way home!

On a related note, what would you do if you somehow missed a connecting flight?

Some other things I've worried about while planning/being on a trip:
- How hard will it be for me to rent a car without a credit card?
- Will I get seasick on a cruise liner?
- If I plan on taking a lengthy train ride, how can I insure I'll get a seat and not have to stand for 8 hours?
- Blisters can ruin a trip for days - how can you avoid them on your first day of walking around a new destination?
- I stayed in a hotel in San Francisco that seemed fine on their website, but in reality was absolutely surrounded by homeless people. It did not feel at all safe, and the friend I was traveling with was almost mugged!
- How could you go about reuniting with a group of friends if you were to become separated in a foreign country? Without cell phones or an understanding of the native language, what would you do?

Posted By Rachel A. on May 12, 2009, 3:40 PM

Other than a few common sense travel precautions, nothing worries me when I travel. I leave all my worries and high expectations behind. I try to blend in with the locals as much as possible. If anything happens unexpectedly during the trip, it's all part of the travel experience.

Posted By Michael on May 12, 2009, 6:50 PM

When I travel I often have a vague uneasy feeling that my passport, wallet and/or credit cards could be gone at any given moment, despite our precautions. I now send an email to myself (that can be accessed from any computer) with an attached document that lists all our pertinent information AND all the international phone numbers for credit card companies as well as embassy addresses, etc. When my 18 year old son lost his wallet on a family vacation in Mexico - no crises, we had all the info at the ready and could phone the bank to have his debit card shut off immediately. Phew!

Posted By Susan on May 13, 2009, 5:05 PM

I often have a vague, uneasy feeling just before I leave for travel, but that often disappears once I'm on my way. My biggest concern is a medical emergency for me or one of my children, and being unfamiliar with the area and what types/quality of medical care is available. My daughter has Type 1 Diabetes and once became very ill on a long train ride from Florida to Virginia, so I think about medical emergencies more often now.

Posted By Kim on May 14, 2009, 11:26 AM

Losing my luggage en-route.
I've traveled to over 50 countries and never had my luggage lost by an airline. Subsequently, I tend to be pretty complacent (I don't pack a change of clothes or emergency essentials in my carry on) and I pack so excessively, I tend to cram practically every article of clothing I own into my suitcase. I know my good luck is bound to run-out eventually, I don't know anyone that has traveled as much as I have and not lost their luggage at least once.

Posted By Sara on May 14, 2009, 11:46 AM

Losing baggage, which isn't a big issue anymore since I don't fly, but has been until I hit on a solution:

Send your stuff ahead to your hotel. Call first and be sure it's okay, and leave a few bucks for staff who keep it secure.

Posted By Jim on May 14, 2009, 1:23 PM

When I travel I focus on the trip and realize it is useless to worry. If I've left something behind, I can replace it along the way. If I misplace my passport, I know even it can be dealt with. I am cautious in areas where there may be pickpockets. I avoid shady (in the dangerous sense) places. Including travel in truly undeveloped countries. And I know that if something off-the-wall happens, it was basically unavoidable. Bad things happen everywhere.

That said, I live in Mexico. In a wonderful city, safer than most in the US. Yet folks from the US are being scared away by the press that makes no effort to distinguish re hot spots & safe spots. It reminds me of living in the SF Bay area when the press covered the Earthquake of 89. Everytime I hear the coverage, I knew I lived in a devastated area (but in truth I didn't and there were only a few major pockets of devastation. )

Bottom Line: There is too much fear going around.

Posted By Pat on May 14, 2009, 1:28 PM

I can only think of two occasions that I had concerns. Once I took a flight from LAX to San Juan Puerto Rico for a cruise on the same day. The flight was very delayed. I went with a different airline. I made the cruise but my bags didn't. The bags showed up 2 ports later. My lesson is I get a hotel for at least one night before in the departure cruise city. The other concern was booking a 2 week trip to Thailand last November. Then last minute 50,000 politcal protesters closed Bangkok airport for week. We didn't want to get strained if we got in. We were decided that Costa Rica was a better decision. Thailand will have to wait.

Posted By Kevin on May 14, 2009, 1:29 PM

My biggest concern is weather... will it rain the whole time I'm away (it did happen!)? I went to Hawaii with my cousin & it rained (of Biblical proportions!) the whole time we were there (kids were swimming in the streets).

My other concern is dressing appropriately for the country I'm in... not the biggest problem in the world, but one I give much consideration to.

Posted By Lynn on May 14, 2009, 2:01 PM

Accident or health crisis, when I'm far off the grid and alone among strangers, without money or unable to access any, unable to travel, getting sicker, knowing that if I were home I'd be cared for-- or would never have needed to be. Nightmare! Been there, too... But it won't stop me from going places.

Posted By SH on May 14, 2009, 2:54 PM

I do not have any fears, but have learned some valuable lessons. Susan hit the nail on the head, make sure you have all necessary contact information. We were skimmed in Rome, but as my card worked (we got to our money that day before the skimmers) did not call the bank immediately. Now, we are very careful to cover our hands while typing in our pin code. Even if the skimmers get our account number, without the pin code they can not access our account. On another trip the machine appeared to process our withdrawal but did not give us any money. We immediately logged on to check our account (we need a security code device that we now make sure to carry with us) and called the bank as the transaction had gone through. Knowing the problem was logged made it possible for us to continue our trip relatively stress free.

Another tip, if you take money from an ATM and pass by it later or the next day and it is out of order, find out why. It may be that the bank has found the machine compromised. On weekends, make a quick call to your bank to ensure you haven't been skimmed. Five minutes now could save you hours of worry later.

For fellow expats, find out your bank's policies. We were reimbursed, but a friend's parents whose card was taken by the machine was not as their bank deemed them to be at fault. It happened on a weekend and turned out to be theft by a bank employee. Thinking the machine had simply taken their card, they went to the bank when it opened on Monday. The bank refused to cover the loss because they hadn't immediately frozen their account.

Also be careful how you close your backpack. It is easy for pickpockets to open the zippers when you join both at the top. We zip them to the bottom, on the side between us. When in high risk areas, we also safety pin the pulls together.

Posted By sheila on May 14, 2009, 3:11 PM

All I care about is that the French or German or Italian or Belgium (where ever we happen to be) train and public transportation workers aren't on strike and that my flights to/from Europe actually get you there reasonably on-time.

Posted By Rich on May 14, 2009, 3:49 PM

I worry about missing connecting flights, trains, etc. So far I haven't had any disasters but a couple of near misses. Once I ran through the airport after a connecting flight was late and was told that the plane was done boarding but since it was still sitting there with the stairs down I convinced them to let me on by saying that I didn't care if my luggage came later (and actually it was on the same plane). Another time a taxi that had been sent to meet me had to wait half an hour because the train was late (fortunately he didn't leave me stranded).

Like several other people, I also worry about getting sick or injured while traveling along and about losing important items like passports, tickets, and credit cards or having them stolen.

Another worry is that somehow through a computer problem or something my reservations won't work or my credit cards won't be accepted.

In the past year a number of my flights have been canceled so that's a new worry.

Posted By Joanne on May 14, 2009, 4:04 PM

My greatest worry is fellow Americans who will behave in some way as to make me wish I could sink into the pavement. Must so many of us fulfill the stereotypes?

You know - make fun of other currencies, wear shorts and polo shirts everywhere, don fanny packs, not attempt the language, expect familiar foods.

My favorite activity in travel is to blend into the culture around me, so I can appreciatively observe and even experience it, rather dominate or diminsh it. I worry that this dimension of travel will be aborted by people who want to have every place feel "just like home."

Posted By Rev Randy on May 14, 2009, 4:36 PM

I usually don't worry because I feel I am prepared but one thing I don't have is a good handle on foreign languages. It hasn't been a big problem in the many places I traveled, but you never know. I wish there was a REALLY GOOD and easy to use pocket translator.
I do worry about being separated from my husband or traveling partner by some chance occurrence. It happened once (before cell phones) in Munich--which has a beautiful, clean and on-schedule train service. We were taking the train from near our hotel to downtown and my hubby and two kids got on and the door shut BEFORE I COULD GET ON--it's all automated so no one saw me! Luckily they got off at the next station, I got on the next train and saw them waving to me as it pulled in the the station and we were reunited! I don't think a cell phone would have helped anyway, as now we only have one international cell phone--who would I call?

Posted By janicekaym on May 14, 2009, 6:22 PM

Other then the usual, flight cancellation, long flight delays my big fear is a totally uncomfortable long trip because of a thoughtless person in front of me reclining their seat practically onto my lap it's so rude and frustrating and makes my whole trip miserable.

Donna

Posted By Donna on May 14, 2009, 8:44 PM

When I travel to foreign countries I am always worried that the locals will not know that I am an American so I always try to talk really loudly in English and wear white tennis shoes.

Posted By Sheila Tracy on May 14, 2009, 9:06 PM

For those women who are so worried about being followed and annoyed by local men when you travel on your own, just wait until you are over 40 or 50. You will be able to travel in peace. They won't even know you're alive. Not in Italy. Not in Latin countries. They won't even look at you.

When I was in my 20s and 30s, I couldn't stop to sit on a bench to look at my map without somebody sitting next to me to bother me. Dining alone was always accompanied by irritating come-ons from waiters pestering me for dates when their shift ended and other customers sending me unwanted drinks and wanting to sit at my table when I just wanted to relax on my own.

Now that I'm in my 50s I can finally travel in peace. It's wonderful. It's worth getting older for.

Posted By Donna on May 14, 2009, 10:28 PM

Before I got married, I did some traveling in Europe on my own and found myself in a few dangerous situations where I was too trusting with the local men in southern Italy. It was the result of having to rely on the public transportation between the towns along the Amalfi Coast. I ended up having to accept a ride with a group of strangers in order to get back to my hotel on a holiday (when the buses where operating on a restricted schedule).

So in the back of my mind, I'm always a bit leery of relying on an inter-city bus or ferry and the possibility of either getting stuck somewhere or having to rely on a stranger. Particularly in southern Europe, it seems that the public transportation is less predictable. When I've traveled to less developed countries in Asia or Africa, I've always arranged for private transportation or taxis so that this is not an issue.

Posted By Christine on May 14, 2009, 10:46 PM

Interesting comments! First, I believe that many people focus all their anxiety about an unfamiliar place into one or two things to worry about. Then they fixate. In reading 30 years of travel section questions, and now the major travel forums, I have seen this over and over. And all the usual obsessions were a lot more reality-based 30 years ago. The water? Money belts? Travelers' Cheques? Losing a bank card? ...Can't think of anything to worry about? Take your own bed pillow -- the one you use at home. Grown-ups with teddy bears... A sure symptom of general travel anxiety. The general diagnosis is that it's about the trip that you're anxious, and you will worry far less about the specific things by the end of it.

Second: The scale tips dramatically toward women with these kinds of issues. Look hereabove.

Third: There are some superior nuggets just in this thread. Transfer your energy to making the suggested backup arrangements. For example, emailing yourself every (non-800!) remedial contact number you can think of: Cell phone, bank cards, hotels where you're staying... I've always taken these with me on paper, but this tip is SO COOL. Internet is all over. Even in hotels where it's "not available" for guests. Plead desperation, and you will be saved by the one at the front desk. And hardcopy your passport. Bring along small tubes of neosporin, clotrimizole, and immodium pills which weigh and displace nothing. (You can do better than immodium outside the U.S., but don't waste time looking for a pharmacy unless the immodium doesn't work.)

Probably the only worry I continue to have is getting home before I must resume real life. But most family, bosses, and parents of kids you bring along will be understanding, in the event. Sometimes I've been surprised that they seemed to sound almost happy..... [Insert smiley face]

Posted By Don on May 15, 2009, 2:04 AM

I always try to trust in life when I travel. But I´m a woman and I´m traveling abroad alone for the first time next month.
I worry about 2 things: first one, having a medical emergency when being alone; second one, being followed and/or stalked by someone.
For the first one, I´ll carry some information with me: personal data, hospitals where I should be taken if necessary and some phone numbers (place where I´m staying, a relative).
The other problem is more complex, I guess. It may be useful to avoid some places at night, be around other people (not alone in empty streets) and stand out the less possible.
Any suggestions?

Posted By Flo on May 15, 2009, 12:37 PM

I broke my ankle while in Madrid in 2006, and I am always concerned, now, about injury or illness while traveling. In a freak accident, I slipped and twisted my ankle resulting in a double break. I was taken to a teaching hospital in Madrid, and, under socialized medicine, was treated well, if perfunctorily, waited in the que for xrays and an old fashioned plaster cast. I was given a bed in emergency, medicated for the pain, kept overnight, and advised by the resident that they would perform the necessary surgery in 4 days when the regular surgeons returned from the national bank holiday break. I opted to return home for further treatment & surgery (a very difficult series of flights with a swelling leg in a cast). I feel I was very lucky to have such adequate and appropriate (and cost free) medical care on this trip. Though, the airport was not equiped at all, to handle anyone with physical limitations....no special access or equipment in public places as we have here in the US. That surprised me. Now, I do quite a bit of research on the medical services available in any area where we will be traveling. Better to be prepared. We always look at travel insurance, too. This was a very expensive accident when you consider the additional flights and lost paid reservations because of the emergency.

Posted By Kathy on May 15, 2009, 5:39 PM

As I read through these - and I do recognize it's a matter of perspective - what occurs to me is that in the grand scheme of things, most of us have "worries" that are not too bad. I'm a frequent international traveler (by air) now for work, but I have also traveled over land by myself (I'm female too) through West Africa, so I've dealt with some of these things people have mentioned. Even though I knew that the worst thing, risk-wise, was a motor vehicle accident, my biggest worries were along the lines of being sick and having a different kind of "accident" on public transportation, or of stopping for a pee break and everyone gawking at me. There are some truly awful things that can happen - I was in a place in Central Asia where a co-worker was kidnapped and robbed, then brought back to the city (but there's the "what if" factor, if they hadn't no one would have ever known), I was on a flight once where we came less than 100 feet from another jet, which I learned about later, I knew a guy who got malaria and had a 105 degree fever (he lived, without apparent damage) - but there's only so much you can do about these things.

There's a lot that can happen to us that we can fix, at least enough to "get through" the situation. Loss of money - most of us have friends or family who can loan us enough to get back. Loss of identity documents - the Embassy is there to help. Getting sick can be scary. Ditto on the Imodium comment above, and briing a LOT. Although you can get almost anything (and things better) overseas. If you get truly sick and need medical care overseas, do your best to make sure they use only new syringes and needles. Ditto, also, on the scanning. I scanned in my passport and my WHO yellow card, and emailed them to myself on a web-based email, so that I can always call them up if I need to. Same with phone numbers and other important info.

Common sense. Also reaching out to other travelers, as some people mentioned above, if you're a lone traveler yourself. It also is nice to have the company and to have someone to take photos of YOU instead of you being the one with the camera so you have all these great landmark and scenery pics with no one in them. Always make sure people know where you are going and your plans. My dad and I always send each other our itineraries before we travel. Research beforehand, get a map if you can, and know where you want to go. Program ICE (In Case of Emergency) numbers into your cell phone - first responders know to look for it. Have fun! You're traveling to get away from your worries, and depending on where you go, you'll see people who have a lot bigger worries every day than any of us typing at the computer would see in a year.

Posted By philsdottir on May 15, 2009, 9:52 PM

With all the unrest in the world today, I worry about traveling abroad and, for whatever reason, having a custom agent decide I look suspicious and taking me and/or my passport into custody. Sure, I worry about my safety as I travel as a single minority woman, but most situations allow me at least modicum of control. That control disappears when officials get involved.

Posted By DM on May 16, 2009, 9:08 AM

I'm finding that airlines are frequently changing their schedules, so that air reservations I have made as much as 10-11 months out, along with seat assignments, must be monitored quite frequently. When there is a schedule change as in maybe an aircraft change, your seats suddenly are reassigned by the computer--and usually they aren't nearly as desirable as the ones you initially selected. This is not to mention that also flights can change dramatically time-wise when a schedule change occurs, so you thought you were departing at 8:00 a., now it's 6:00 a., and it's three flights instead of two to get to your final destination, 3-4 hours later than originally planned. Often this can be remedied if caught close to the time the change occurred. I'm sorry that I have to constantly monitor this, though I'm grateful to be able to travel!

Posted By 2Travel2 on May 16, 2009, 7:01 PM

While in Paris (a trip that had been planned for over a year!) with my husband and two small daughters, I developed an epic case of hives (my hives had hives, from my ankles to my ears.) I was extremely uncomfortable and had two middle of the night trips to the hospital before it was determined that I was in the midst of an extreme allergic reaction. Negotiating the city streets and the hospital logistics alone, without speaking much French, was a true challenge in the middle of the night, especially in the discomfort I was experiencing. The medical advice? No sun/wine for 1 week, plus loads of meds. NOT something a traveler heading to Nice and Italy wants to hear. I wouldn't want to get sick again overseas, but now having experienced it to tell the tale, I see how lucky I was to receive the care that I did.

Posted By Christy McGraw on May 17, 2009, 11:27 PM

That when on the road of my journey, when I finally arrive to where ever it may be.. that it will not be there.. possibly washed into the ocean or swallowed up by some
remote earth quake.
This my friends is what I fear most.

Posted By MrDave on May 20, 2009, 4:42 AM

I have traveled abroad quite a few times and I don't worry about pick pocketing, losing my passport, money, etc. as I take the proper precautions. I worry about the police and customs agents in foreign countries.

When I was in college I went to Italy with a friend who was born and raised there. One evening we went to a local market and went our separate ways to shop. I was about to pay for a purchase when a police officer approached me with a very unhappy look on his face. Obviously he was speaking Italian and since I don't know more than the essentials, I didn't know why he was so unhappy with me. Luckily my friend was close by and she saw this happening. Apparently, this vendor did not have a license to sell items at this market. The officer was telling me that if I were to make the purchase I could be fined. I was so happy that my friend was near by because I truly had no idea what I was doing wrong. It made me realize how vulnerable you can be when you don't speak the local language.

On a recent trip to Albania with my husband, we were waiting in the airport in Tirana to head back home. An announcement was made over the loud speaker in Albanian. I didn't pay much attention as I don't speak Albanian. My husband told me that the customs department requested my presence. I thought he was just joking as he likes to joke around a lot. He was serious so we went to where I needed to report. The two officers asked me in English to follow them down the hall. As my husband and I began to follow them they told me that only I could come. This made me nervous because I couldn't imagine why they needed to see me, I didn't know where they were taking me, and they wouldn't let my husband come. I followed them to a small room down the hall and when we arrived one of the customs officials asked, "What's this?" as he held up my hair dryer! I explained what it was and he was happy with my answer, then led me back to the airport lobby where my husband was anxiously waiting. I know they have hair dryers in Albania and they are the same as the ones we use. To this day I don't know if they truly suspected I had a weapon or if they were just bored.

Posted By Marcie on May 20, 2009, 10:32 PM

Speaking of worries, I am planning an adventure excursion to Tanzania, Africa and hope to have a great time trekking, camping and climbing on Mt. Kilimanjaro. It is one of the toughest terrains on earth and home as great a diversity of wildlife as might be possible. Despite being an adventure and nature lover, my greatest worry on this trip could be getting lost, which is not very uncommon or getting stuck in a dangerous situation. Here are the details of my trip: http://www.ekoventure.com/places/africa-tanzania-mt_kilimanjaro-5214 I wonder if it's safe enough to go on……

Posted By Kevin Wang on May 21, 2009, 7:21 AM

I worry about flight cancellations and lost luggage for the most part. It all started 5 years ago, I was scheduled on a British Airways flight to Barcelona. The flight was cancelled, and they put all of us on a flight the following evening, which totally messed up all the connections. In rerouting my connecting flight from Heathrow to Barcelona, they wanted to put me on a flight that was 6 hours later, making me lose 2 days of my trip. I finally got a flight that left in 2 hours but they couldn't pull my baggage from the original flight destination. Then it took them 7 days to get me my baggage. I had literally the clothes on my back, during the hottest summer on record. Now I have a few clothing articles in my carry-on, but that experience has made insanely paranoid about lost luggage since.

Posted By Annabel Nielsen on May 21, 2009, 1:43 PM

One way to avoid ruining your trip with injuries is to schedule anything even remotely dangerous or unusual for you [a long hike, caving, etc] at the end. On my first trip anywhere, to England, I galloped and trotted around the dales for 3 hours, resulting in a badly bruised diaphragm that was extremely painful and made it difficult to even pick up a light bag. Every morning was pure torture, the rocking of the train a living hell, breathing continuous pain. The pain continued for 3 months after returning home since I had carried on with my other activities, healing was greatly delayed.

Posted By Harley on May 21, 2009, 2:33 PM

To the single women concerned about the attention you receive traveling alone, don't let that stop you. When you encounter unpleasant attention, try to remain calm. Try not to let the jerks get to you.

I once had a guy determined to pick me up as I was shopping in the local market. Whenever he said or did anything, I made a point to tell him how much smarter, nicer, better looking, younger my boyfriend at home was than he was. He finally gave up after he realized his "charms" were lost on me.

If you need help, seek out an elderly local as they tend to be respected more plus some may look upon you as a daughter/granddaughter. Remember the guys are the ones misbehaving, NOT YOU.

Posted By Miki on May 23, 2009, 5:34 PM

I love travel and new experiences, but have finally come to accept that there are thieves everywhere. My husband was pickpocketed was when a nice fellow 'helped' us with our heavy bags while getting onto a Spanish train. He emptied my husband's trouser pockets, which contained nothing but lint and scrap paper. Lesson: carry important documents and cards on a neck or waist bag, under your clothing.

While in Nairobi, I foolishly carried a light cloth bag. I was crossing the street when two street kids came up to me, and one stopped directly in front of me to tie his shoe. I nearly fell over him and stumbled. His partner slashed my cloth bag with a razor, but only got a plastic bag full of tissues (luckily, my skin was not slashed). I have never deliberately hit anyone, but instinctually clobbered the kid with a hard right hook. I screamed and they took off running. Later, I found out that if there had been a crowd around us, they would have killed the boys (street kids live hard lives). Lesson: buy a densely woven 'kiondo' bag with a heavy zipper on the top once you get to Kenya and use it (they are at the airports). You have a souvenir and make it harder for the thief.

Posted By Nancy Johnson on May 27, 2009, 1:41 PM