Dangerous Situations

[Jeep or Tacoma]

I was actually more interested in events incidents situations that you have experienced here at home. USA
I used to travel in Mexico quite a bit and witnessed 1 shoot out in the 80s between rivals, a car chase after the Tecate to Ensenada bike ride. And was searched at gunpoint it a surf camp in San Miguel. A friend of mine hit a cow at night in Baja and ended up in jail for 3weeks. But these were decades ago . No. I Am more curious scary stuff. Here

 

[luthj]

Its a big country, are you interested in specific regions?

 

[billiebob]

I have found being a Canadian in the USA works as well as it does every where else.

I went to Little Rock AR a few years ago, I arrived about dinner time and went out to find a restaurant. Very cool most restaurants had menus in windows to the street. I found food I thought I'd like and headed in, seeing bar stools I hopped on one and ordered a beer. The bar keep said, you're not from around here. I said no I'm here from Canada for a Rotary convention. And as I looked around I saw I was the only white guy and I was attracting a lot of attention. Well being a foreigner I was forgiven and welcomed. I had a great time conversing with the bar keep, yes the food was fabulous and a few patrons came up for a bit of conversation too.

I'm sure the outcome could have been different if I had behaved differently but I find the last thing to do when in an uncomfortable situation is to be confrontational. The best results come from empathy, sincerity, a smile and maybe some tasteful humour.

Interestingly the hotel we were at had mostly black or otherwise ethnic help. But at Sunday brunch the staff was all white and the patrons were all coloured.... except for the Rotarians from almost every country in the world.

 

[luthj]

A smile and gracious manner are surprisingly effective the world around.

 

[billiebob]

Another good outcome story.

In 1992? Russia decided to allow Rotary Clubs and the first Russian Rotary Club was chartered. This story is at least third hand so it might be a bit embellished over the years but the theme is accurate. Rotarians like to attract attention and the Blue Rotary Blazer, like a school uniform in the UK does that. 1992 was a period of dramatic change in Russia and when those Rotarians arrived at airport customs no one could predict how simple or difficult it would be to pass thru. Lined up as a group they did attract attention and observed several stern looks from guys in uniform behind the glass. Then 4 of them marched briskly to the group and told them to come with them. Thru the glass doors and into a backroom where..... they were officially welcomed to Russia and expedited to waiting limos. No one even looked at their passports.

You just never know but how you appear can make a world of difference to how you get treated.

 

[RMP&O]

You are not ready for an international trip if you are asking people for horror stories.

Forget these kind of thoughts or an international trip in your own truck is not for you.

Now that is not to say you shouldn’t be vigilant and plan for safe travel. I opened your thread though and in my opinion what a read is an awful way to start planning a trip.

Cheers

 

[shade]

Since the OP lives in the Texas of Canada, I suggest a trip to the Texas of Texas to gain some experience with international travel, but with the relative safety & comfort of exploring close to home. There are many different, interesting places to visit along the way, and a brief foray into Mexico is possible, too. Better to get comfortable in those surroundings than to dive straight into Mongolia.

I'd suggest a visit to Big Bend National Park as a turnaround point, with a plan to take at least a month for there & back again.

 

[billiebob]

Since the OP lives in the Texas of Canada

How did I miss that, I lived in Edmonton for 30 years, but Calgary is the Texas of Canada, better known as Oilberta.
I'd suggest an overland trip thru Quebec.... maybe a warm up thru BC Bud country.
so Shade, where are you from, North America is a pretty big diverse place

 

[billiebob]

You are not ready for an international trip if you are asking people for horror stories.
I opened your thread though and in my opinion what a read is an awful way to start planning a trip.

Cheers

yep, I think this is voyeurism.

 

[Jeep or Tacoma]

Nope not planning an international trip not voyerisum either. Just curious. actually more interested in happenings inthe states here.

 

[shade]

How did I miss that, I lived in Edmonton for 30 years, but Calgary is the Texas of Canada, better known as Oilberta.
I'd suggest an overland trip thru Quebec.... maybe a warm up thru BC Bud country.
so Shade, where are you from, North America is a pretty big diverse place

I always thought Alberta was Oilberta.

Seriously though, a drive through Edmonton - or Calgary - is very similar to cruising Midland, just with Timmy's on the corners. Same greasy dirt smeared on F350s parked in the Walmart lots, same neverending wind blowing the same dust through the air, and it even smells the same.

I'd never turn down a trip through BC.

 

[Peter_n_Margaret]

I suspect that travelling overland in the USA is probably as dangerous (or safe) as most other countries in the world.
Cheers,
Peter
OKA196 motorhome

 

[shade]

I suspect that travelling overland in the USA is probably as dangerous (or safe) as most other countries in the world.
Cheers,
Peter
OKA196 motorhome

Good experience for more rustic areas, that's for sure.

I'm all for international travel far beyond the bounds of North America, but there's a lot to do in NA, too. I think it's smart to build some personal experience on the road and trail where the learning curve isn't so high & expensive as to fill the journey with anxiety.

 

[Peter_n_Margaret]

Maybe time for a little story? There are lots, but this one was very scary.
We had stopped for the night in a remote inland area in southern Turkey in 2013. We had no phone reception. We "chatted" (there was no common language) to a friendly goatherd that wandered past with his herd. There was a small village on the horizon several km away. we saw no other vehicles.

I had turned in and Margaret was reading when a vehicle pulled up very close to us. Margaret looked out the window and said "You had better get dressed NOW". I did so as there was a knock on the door.
I opened the door to see 4 big darkly dressed men and a black Mercedes against the almost dark sky. One was obviously in charge and stood in front of the other 3.
What followed was a spoken conversation but without a common language, so it took about 20 minutes to work out why they were there.
In a nutshell, … We don't see tourists here. We thought you might have a problem. There is a telephone in the village if you need it.
The lesson is not to make assumptions about people in advance.
Cheers,
Peter
OKA196 motorhome

 

[Ovrlnd Rd]

Amazing that the OP didn't have a single reply in 8 years then got 2 pages worth in 5 days. Of course he hasn't been on in 4 years so doubt he'll appreciate it.