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Safely Navigating the Challenges of Third World Travel

Lessons Learned from the Nairobi Mall Attack
Lessons Learned from the Nairobi Mall Attack 640 360 Greg Ellifritz

I think it’s instructive to look at past terrorist attacks to gain some insights about what we might experience in a worst case scenario.  One of my favorite incidents for study is the Westgate Mall attack in Nairobi, Kenya.  It hits close to home because I actually visited that mall when I was in Kenya back in 2008.

 

CNN  gathered CCTV surveillance video showing the tactics used by the terrorists in the Westgate Mall attack in Nairobi, Kenya.  The video is short and very instructive.  Watch it below…

 

 

I’ve discussed several of the lessons learned from the attack HERE.  This video brings up several more….

 

1) Long Guns.  All the attackers in this event were armed with AK style rifles.  You will be dramatically outmatched by them if you are carrying a pocket pistol.  Their choice of weapons also brings up the issue of using cover.  Quite simply, there aren’t many things you can hide behind that will reliably stop a 7.62x39mm round.  Traditional advice about “taking cover” is almost useless in this environment considering the terrorists’ weapon choice.

 

2) Running.  How many people do you see running in the video?  Hundreds.  Are you physically fit enough to escape?   If not, you will be one of the folks shot down if you are stuck in the next hostage siege.  This article may help you get back on track.  Another point is to wear suitable shoes in public.  Flip flops and running over broken glass make for a slow escape.

 

3) Hiding vs. Escaping.  I get in passionate arguments on this topic with people who teach active shooter tactics.  Many folks advocate “locking down” or hiding as the first choice in such an event.  I don’t.  While those tactics work well if there will be a rapidly responding police entry, in some cases (like this) police intervention will take days.  The people who “locked down” were found, tortured, and killed.  The people who hid were shot.  Watch the video around the :56 second mark for proof.  If you hear gunshots in a public area GET OUT!

 

4) Playing dead.  Similar to the response of hiding that I wrote about above, playing dead should be a last resort response.  Take a look at what happened to the person playing dead in the mall at the 1:46 mark.  The same thing happened to students playing dead at both Columbine and Virginia Tech.

 

5) Team Tactics.  In most of the footage, the terrorists operated in teams of two.  Their tactics were far from state of the art, but they were effective.  Have you ever trained to defeat attackers working as a team?  Program yourself now to immediately start scanning for multiple attackers in situations like this.  Be careful who you attack.  Your “victim” may have friends nearby.

 

6) Surveillance video.  If your long term survival plan is to hide, lock down, or “shelter in place”, have you considered the effect of video cameras?  Undoubtedly, the terrorists took control of the video feeds.   Watch the video around the 2:30 mark to see the terrorists attempting to identify where the cameras were positioned.  You may have been able to hide from a single gunman, but can you hide from the cameras?  Have you thought about how you could disable any cameras near your hiding place?

 

Remember folks, this video was just from the first day.  The torture and mutilation had not yet begun.  I doubt the rest of the video footage will ever be released, but it is likely to be even more brutal.  Come up with a plan now so that you don’t end up tortured and killed when the attacks  start happening here.

 

 

Covid-19 Travel Insurance Options
Covid-19 Travel Insurance Options 750 500 Greg Ellifritz

Many countries are now requiring that arriving passengers now show proof of insurance specifically covering Covid-19.  This is a very thorough article covering many of the available insurance options.

 

Travel Insurance During Covid-19 What You Need to Know

Tonsillitis In Austere Settings
Tonsillitis In Austere Settings 300 168 Greg Ellifritz

 

The basics of diagnosing and treating tonsillitis when definitive medical care is unavailable.  If you travel with children, this is critical information.

 

The Ubiquitous RPG-7
The Ubiquitous RPG-7 768 1024 Greg Ellifritz

If you spend any time in third world conflict zones, you will likely see people carrying (and maybe using) the RPG-7.

 

I actually got the chance to shoot one of these in Cambodia.  Read my article titled Adventures with RPGs and Hand Grenades for more details of that unique experience.

 

If you are traveling in areas where these things are prevalent, you should probably know how they work.  Ian from Forgotten Weapons provides you with the basic information in the video below.

 

RPG-7: How it Works and a Demo Shot

 

Ka-Bar TDI Shark Bite
Ka-Bar TDI Shark Bite 398 500 Greg Ellifritz

The Shark Bite is an inexpensive option for you travelers who have to deal with magnetometers. It has no metallic content, so it can be carried into places where metal knives can’t go.

 

It’s relatively easy to make a plastic, carbon fiber, or polymer blade.  It’s tougher to make a sheath that contains no metal.  Look at every other polymer knife sheaths you own.  See those metal rivets?  It’s more difficult to make a sheath that doesn’t have them.

 

The engineers at Ka-Bar figured out an innovative method to carry the knife in a safe manner without using any metal.  The retention on the sheath is created by studs in the sheath that fit through the hole in the center of the knife.  To draw the blade, you simply push on the studs in the center of the sheath with your index finger and the blade pops free of the sheath.

 

Note the twin studs protruding through the center of the blade. Push those and the knife pops away from the sheath.

 

So, how do you carry it?  You can run it a ton of different ways.  The slots in the sheath can be slipped over a belt so that the blade can be carried like an outside the waistband holster.  The blade comes with a metallic dog tag chain so you can wear it around your neck.  If you are planning on going through metal detectors, replace the metal chain with something like paracord that is non metallic.

 

The holes in the sheath allow it to be suspended by a cord around the belt and carried inside the waistband (a slip sheath).  You can also use the holes to lace the blade to your boots or to zip tie the sheath to any piece of Molle gear.

 

Where I see the best use of this sheath is carried in the front pants pocket.  It’s easy for a person in “business” attire to throw this knife in a front pocket and have a weapon available when they otherwise can’t carry.  The light weight won’t drag down your dress pants like many other blades do.  When I carry mine, that’s how I do it.  Inside the front, strong side pants pocket.  It’s very concealable and pretty quick to access.  If you want a little more stability and a more consistent draw stroke, attach the sheath to a Raven Concealment Pocket Shield.

 

I think this is the ideal weapon for those of you who travel on cruise ships.  If you are going through metal detectors on reentry, but not getting physically searched, this one will get through every time and give you a weapon option for when you go ashore.

 

 

If you haven’t seen the Shark Bite, you ought to check it out.  For less than $15 it provides a protection option that you can take almost anywhere.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The links above from Amazon.com are affiliate links.  If you purchase these items, I get a small percentage of the sale at no extra cost to you.

 

Haggling Tips
Haggling Tips 960 636 Greg Ellifritz

Bargaining and haggling in local markets is a favorite pastime for many tourists traveling in foreign countries.

 

I think the best advice about the bargaining/haggling process was written by Christopher Blin in the book Swimming to Angola.  In that book, he wrote:

 

“1) Think of what they want you to pay- eye level

2) What you want to pay- chest level

3) Where you are after bargaining- somewhere around the neck

4) What the locals would pay- knee to ankle level

5) What they would charge if you forgot to ask the price beforehand -above the top of the head

 

You win the game if you can keep your transaction within the “strike zone”- from knees to chest.”

 

If you want some more haggling tips, I think you’ll like the article below.

 

The Do’s and Don’ts of Haggling in Southeast Asia

Learn Some Chinese
Learn Some Chinese 657 664 Greg Ellifritz

I think it’s really important for all travelers to learn at least a few words of the language spoken in their vacation destination countries.  There are lots of good ways to learn.  I prefer using either DuoLingo or The Pimsleur Audio lessons.

You can also learn some words the original way, by simply studying them.

 

The link below is a great resource for learning some elementary Chinese before your next trip to Asia.

 

108 Basic Chinese Words: Essential Chinese Vocab for Beginners

 

 

Airline Boarding Passes
Airline Boarding Passes 580 250 Greg Ellifritz

As more and more people are using cell phone apps to display boarding passes, this problem may eventually become non-existent.  If, however, you still use printed boarding passes, you should probably shred, burn, or otherwise destroy them.  Do not leave them laying around your airplane seat of casually toss them in the trash can at your destination gate.

According to the article linked below, there is a massive amount of personal information available on your boarding passes.

 

What’s in a Boarding Pass Barcode? A Lot

 

““Besides his name, frequent flyer number and other [personally identifiable information], I was able to get his record locator (a.k.a. “record key” for the Lufthansa flight he was taking that day,” Cory said. “I then proceeded to Lufthansa’s website and using his last name (which was encoded in the barcode) and the record locator was able to get access to his entire account. Not only could I see this one flight, but I could see ANY future flights that were booked to his frequent flyer number from the Star Alliance.”

The access granted by Lufthansa’s site also included his friend’s phone number, and the name of the person who booked the flight. More worrisome, Cory now had the ability to view all future flights tied to that frequent flyer account, change seats for the ticketed passengers, and even cancel any future flights.

The information contained in the boarding pass could make it easier for an attacker to reset the PIN number used to secure his friend’s Star Alliance frequent flyer account. For example, that information gets you past the early process of resetting a Star Alliance account PIN at United Airline’s “forgot PIN” Web site.”

 

Be careful out there.

 

Pillars of Awareness
Pillars of Awareness 2658 675 Greg Ellifritz

Correctly judging the mood of the crowd is more difficult in foreign cultures.  There are, however, a few social constants upon which you can rely almost everywhere in the world.

 

The best resource for learning these constants and social “rules” is the book Left of Bang.  The authors of that book successfully taught the material to US soldiers and Marines stationed in hot zones all around the world.

 

If you don’t want to read the book, I would suggest the summary article linked below.

 

Applying the Pillars to Your Everyday Life

 

The article discusses individual behavioral analysis by focusing on “clusters” of characteristics that allow you to determine if a person is comfortable/uncomfortable and dominant/submissive.  Those factors will help you evaluate the target’s intention and attitude towards you.

 

It’s well worth your time to read.

 

 

The AK-47
The AK-47 682 383 Greg Ellifritz

The most common rifle you will see in service among both military groups and criminals is the ubiquitous AK-47.

A well-informed traveler should know a little bit about this rifle and how it works.

Many of the AK questions you’ve had for a long time are answered in the article below.  It’s worth reading if you have any interest at all in AK-style rifles.

 

21 Important Questions & Answers About the AK-47