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| SPOTLIGHT | | Tropical
beaches and jungle, Wildlife, natural heritage and sun-kissed islands. |
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Personal Safety Suggestions
Drugs
and Unlawful Substances:
Don't! The penalties for possession of/or trafficking
in drugs in some countries can include long prison sentences or even death.
Check out these Hard Facts.
Cameras:
Take
it with you. Use it, and put it away, out of sight. Something that doesn't look
like a camera case is useful.
Don't hang it around your neck.
Take some
film with you. It's readily available in most places.
Personal
Behavior:
Please try not to look and act like a tourist. Be a traveler,
a visitor, but not an unwary tourist.
Wear appropriate clothing for the locale
and situation. Dress like the locals as much as possible.
Don't flaunt
your affluent status. Even if you are not wealthy, to the poorer people, or con
and scam artists, you are a target.
Respect local taboos, traditions and
customs.
Study ahead. Know your destination. Study your local map and guidebook
before you head out on a tour, either alone or with a group.
Know your way
back to your hotel.
Walk with a purpose. Know where you are going.
Do
not walk alone at night, particularly down dark streets.
When in a bar or
nightclub, do not accept drinks from strangers. Do not leave your drink unattended.
If you must leave it, order a fresh drink. Do not take a chance with any of the
"date rape" drugs. Keep your hand over your glass. It is very easy for
someone to drop something in.
If you smoke, do not accept cigarettes or food
from strangers. These may also be drugged.
Intimacy with a hot-blooded Latin
lover, of either sex, may be on your agenda, but take precautions.
Criminal Activity:
Be aware of your surroundings at all times. Stay
alert to what is going on around you when you are out in public.
Muggers
look for people who look unaware.
Keep your money, passport in a hidden bag
next to your skin.
Pickpockets often work in pairs, or groups. One or more
will distract you while the pickpocket does his or her job.
Larn and practice
the Spanish words for assistance in Spanish and/or Brazilian. In an emergency,
you might not have time to consult your phrasebook or dictinary.
Learn the
laws and regulations of the area you're visiting. Ignorance of the law is never
an acceptable excuse.
Whatever you've heard about bribing your way out of
trouble or police custody, forget it.
Be especially aware of unmarked or
otherwise suspicious motorcycles. Motorcycle robbers approach from behind on unlicensed
or unamrked motorcycles, snatch your purse or other valuables and disappear into
traffic.
If confronted with an attempted robbery, do not resist. Remember
that possessions can be replaced, but lives cannot.
Women Travelers:
Don't be a victim! Use your street smarts.
Walk with a purpose. Know where
you are going. Confident and aware people are less a target for muggers and pickpockets.
If you are attracting unwelcome male attention, conceal your knowledge of
Spanish or Braizlian.
Wear a "wedding" ring if you are single.
Have a picture of your "husband" ready to display.
Sit with
or near other women travelers on public transportation.
Walk with or near
other women in public markets, on the streets, etc.
Don't give out the name
of your hotel, your room number, or display your room key.
Political
Issues:
Be aware that in many countries of Latin America, US citizens
may be welcome even while political stress exists.
Don't allow yourself to
be caught up in political demonstrations.
Stay out of riots and large massed
gatherings.
Be cautious. Before you travel, find out what's been happening
where you're going.
Read or watch the news. | |
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Top Beaches |  |
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Carmel Beach | | Carmel Beach, for one,
is a tranquil cove of blue water bordered by soft white sand and cypress-covered
cliffs (the tides are deceptively strong and dangerous, so be careful if you chance
a swim). | | |
| Hermosa
Beach | | Have fun with volleyball, paddleball
or beach ball, while creating a golden tan or toning up. Surfboarding, skateboarding
or boogey boarding are all here. | | |
| Long
Beach | | As you drive along the coast
of Long Beach, don't be fooled by the sight of the bright pastel islands just
off shore; far from natural, they're actually oil-drilling platforms in disguise. |
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| Surfrider
Beach | | Surfrider Beach here was the
surfing capital of the world in the 1950s and early 1960s, as seen in the Beach
Blanket Bingo movies of Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon (the surf is at its
best in late summer). | | |
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Malibu | | Malibu, at the top of the bay
twenty miles north of Santa Monica, is a whole other world, its beach-colony houses
owned by those famous enough to need privacy and rich enough to afford it. |
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Zuma Beach | | Five miles along the coast
from Malibu Pier, Zuma Beach is the largest and most crowded of the Los Angeles
County beaches. | | |
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Point Dume State Beach | | Adjacent Point
Dume State Beach, below the imposing promontory of Point Dume, is a lot more relaxed. |
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| Pismo
Beach | | Just outside San Luis Obispo,
on Pismo's 23-mile stretch of prime beachfront, flip-flops are the shoes of choice
and surf wear is the dominant fashion. It's all about beach life here, so bring
your bathing suit, your board, and a good book. | |
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Ocean Beach | | Ocean Beach, six miles
northwest of downtown, rivals Pacific Beach in its surfing and party atmosphere,
although Ocean Beach has a more down-to-earth, bohemian feel, and is replete with
excellent secondhand music shops. | | |
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La Jolla | | A more pretentious air prevails
in La Jolla, an elegant beach community just to the north that mystery writer
Raymond Chandler once described as "a nice place - for old people and their
parents." | | | |
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