When is it stupid to step on a ferry or climb in a large wooden boat?

by Jamie Rhein on

The news of the recent ferry accident in the Philippines reminded me of the many ferries I’ve taken in my travels. The journey across the wide mouth of the Gambia River between Banjul, the capital, and Barra, on the side of The Gambia where I lived, comes to mind the most.

Sometimes I made the trip in a large open wooden boat called a pirogue that would have given my mother a heart attack if she had known what I was up to.

When traveling in countries where bridges are scarce, ferry crossings are necessary. If you want to get from here to there, you step on. Generally, thoughts of accidents and the lack of life preservers are fleeting. Instead, one enjoys the thrill of watching one shore grow further away as another comes closer.

In the Gambia, a ferry is filled with people, cars, trucks, animals, motorcycles–basically whatever can be crammed on. It’s a mish mash of no order in particular. I always headed to the top deck to escape the crush.

Of all the crossings I’ve made in my life–and I’m not sure I could count them all, there’s only one that I should have never tried. Once, in a hurry to get to Banjul and not willing to wait for calmer waters, I climbed into one of the large wooden boats as it rocked furiously on the churning river.

A storm might have been coming in, but the owner of the boat, probably looking to make some money, embarked on the trip with about 70 people perched on the wooden boards that served as benches. Every once in a while, the top edge of the boat dipped within a few inches of the surface. We all shrieked each time.

Halfway out, my friend said to me, “If the boat turns over, swim away from it as fast as you can and wait.”

The idea was that the people who couldn’t swim would drown and we could swim back to the boat to hold on until rescued. If we stayed around the boat, people would pull us under.

Sure, I nodded, imagining myself a very strong swimmer, and not thinking too deeply about what such an accident would actually look like.

The truth is, I’m not a strong swimmer but at age 22 that sounded like a plausible plan. As years have passed, I realize just how dumb we were to get on that boat. And, lucky that we made it to the other side.

The last time I took the big ferry across, a cow fell off of it into the water after the ferry pulled away from shore. As I watched the cow swim towards land, its head and horns visible, I wondered just how the owner would get it back. The great thing about The Gambia is that someone would have held onto that cow until the owner came back to get it, even if it took all day and more.

This is a picture I took of the ferry in The Gambia. I was heading to the top deck. The quality stinks, (it’s an old photo, but you get the idea.) For a better picture, click here.

The top picture is of one of the boats similar to the one I took whenever I didn’t take a ferry. The crossing was not quick.

For a detailed account of the ferry crossings in Banjul and a visual look at how wide that river is, click here.

The new TSA photo ID requirements and what it means for you

by Grant Martin on

By now you’ve probably heard that the TSA just enacted new rules stipulating what is required for photo identification when going through airport security. People all over the place are outraged about it, and I thought that we should give a quick shakedown on what the change is and what you need to do about it.

Basically, the rule states that anyone refusing to give their ID at the security checkpoint can be denied access. This does not mean that if you forget or lost your ID you’ll be turned back. This only applies if you refuse to give any identification and refuse to work with the TSA to establish your identity.

To put it more simply, “Don’t be a jerk when you forget your ID at the airport, or the TSA will throw it right back at you.” Several accounts I read over the internet over the past few days, including this one at The Consumerist, strike me as borderiline passive-agressive jabs at the TSA or workers at security checkpoints, as if they were waiting for security to do something stupid so they could rush home and blog up a stink.

While this new policy is admittedly pretty stupid, it’s a waste of energy and breath to take it our on your sad TSA worker or your blogging peers. Consider writing to your congressman or complaining directly to the TSA if you want your issues to fall on the right ears.

In the mean time, if you find yourself at the airport without proper identification, relax. You’ll have to go through extra screening at the airport and might be held up a little, but you’re not going to be taken to Gitmo.

Cell phone use: Be safe

by Jamie Rhein on

When I was a junior in college, I had a job as a nurse’s aide at a health-related facility for elderly people. It was not quite a nursing home, but similar. My shift was 12 am to 8 am, perfect for studying, but not so much for a partying life. The facilty was about a mile and a half from the closest bus stop. Not one to let a little problem like the streets being dark and deserted stop me from a job I liked and a decent income, I would get off the bus, look determined and mean, put my keys between my fingers and briskly walk or run down the middle of the road. This was the day before cell phones so having one with me to call in an emergency was not possible. I was probably safer without one.

A recent study, as reported in Science Daily, has shown that people with cell phones, particularly college students, particularly women, may put themselves more at risk because of cell phones. This is similar to the problem of jogging while listening to music. When people, namely women, carry a cell phone or talk on it while walking, they feel safe and are not aware of their surroundings. Not being aware puts them (and also men) at risk. While I was heading down the dark road right before midnight, I knew exactly what was going on around me. I wasn’t nervous, but I was aware, and as I walked I thought about strategies about where I might head if there was a problem.

If I had a cell phone, I probably would have been chatting away, not paying one bit of attention to the shadows and maybe missing the sound of a person coming up behind me. So, the moral is, while walking at night if you have to, don’t talk on the cell phone. Have it ready if you need to make that quick call, but stay alert. It’s kind of fun to see what thoughts float around in your head anyway in between the glances you should be making to your right and left.

One more thing, as pointed out in the article, turn the thing off when you cross streets. Pedestrians (men or women), cell phones and cars don’t mix.

Female tourists in Phuket getting safety whistles

by Anna Brones on

Sadly, two days ago a 27 year old Swedish woman, Hannah Charlotta Backlund, was killed in broad daylight when she was stabbed in the back on Mai Khao beach, on the northern tip of Phuket, Thailand. As MSNBC reports, such an event calls for action and Thailand’s Tourism Industry announced Monday that female tourists to the island will be given safety whistles to blow in the event of an emergency.

The whistles will take the form commonly used to represent women — a circle above a cross — and can be worn around the neck. The hope is that they will allow females in trouble to call out for help. An increase of security guards around the island as well as public safety manuals are also part of the new plan to better secure the island that is so popular with tourists to Thailand.

As a woman, this case gets to me personally, but it also raise the question of general travel safety. What are your best tips for staying safe while traveling?

More travel resolutions you might be glad you made and kept

by Jamie Rhein on

When I did a search for travel resolutions this handy guide of 12 resolutions came up. Although it was published in Travel and Leisure in 2005, the tips still hold true, particularly as regulations and rules change. Even if you take the steps already, check to see if there is anything you shouldn’t update.

Andrea Bennet presents a through overview of those overlooked items that can make the difference between a smooth, uneventful trip if all goes well, and being prepared if things go awry. She also gives specific suggestions for what to consider when planning your next trip to get the best deal you can.

Check your insurance coverage:

  • Look into travel medical insurance to decide if you need any and how much.
  • Find out what your personal car insurance covers on a rental before you take a trip to decide exactly what you need before you leave home.

Review your Frequent Flier mile programs:

  • See if the regulations have changed
  • Do you need to update the credit card you are using?
  • Plan your next trip and book ahead in order to use frequent flier miles. If you wait, you’ll miss out.

Safety, security and regulations:

  • Duplicate all important documents and designate a person and place to keep them
  • If your passport needs new pages because there isn’t much room for new stamps, get the pages now
  • Get TSA approved locks for your suitcases

Keep in touch with family and friends while on the road:

  • Make a personal Web site to keep in touch with family and friends
  • Let people know how to get in touch with you (I wrote a post about this one)

Bennet gives specific details about each resolution and also offers the suggestion to build a vacation around a skill you’d like to learn. This is a read I recommend.