Mindanao Safe For Americans?

[Smiley]

A long time ago I was in Shanghai. Actually we were the first foreign warship to sail up the Yangtze River since 1945. The people of that region are short,even for Chinese and most of them had never seen an actual white guy before. Whenever I was ashore I got swarmed and touched from behind a lot.I had a friend who had Red hair and he was really white,people would actually try to touch his hair.I`m kinda laughing right now just remembering this.

[wayne208]

I think I would stand out as I am Very white .. But I am not that Tall as I am barely 5' 9" tall .. Compared to the rest of My Family I am considered on the Short side ..A Lot of my Cousins are 6 ' 2 " Or taller .. My Nephew is 6' 5" tall and He is My Tallest Nephew ..I Have been to Brasil & Hong Kong and Mexico .. I only Had trouble one time and that was in Brasil ..I got knocked down and they stole a Hat off of My Head ..On The Plus side I did get Up and Knock one of the thieves down .. But then 2 Policemen pulled guns on Me as They thought I was a Thief.. Thank God for the Nice Lady who got everything straightened out with the Police.. They ended up arresting 1 of the 5 thieves ..

[crisipicada]

I think I would stand out as I am Very white .. But I am not that Tall as I am barely 5' 9" tall .. Compared to the rest of My Family I am considered on the Short side ..A Lot of my Cousins are 6 ' 2 " Or taller .. My Nephew is 6' 5" tall and He is My Tallest Nephew ..I Have been to Brasil & Hong Kong and Mexico .. I only Had trouble one time and that was in Brasil ..I got knocked down and they stole a Hat off of My Head ..On The Plus side I did get Up and Knock one of the thieves down .. But then 2 Policemen pulled guns on Me as They thought I was a Thief.. Thank God for the Nice Lady who got everything straightened out with the Police.. They ended up arresting 1 of the 5 thieves ..

Sorry for your experienced. There are things that we do not expect in life. Our attitude matters most. Like my sister Cai, she stays calm and positive in life even there are bad things happens. I wish to have that attitude too.

[wayne208]

Ceisi .. Thank You for Your Kind words .. But to be Honest I had a Great Time even in Brasil where I Had My Hat Stolen .. I was In a Bad Part of town and I saw a Elderly Couple getting followed by group of Young Men ..I tried to Intervene But Sadly I was to Late for them and Me .. The elderly couple had a Lot of their stuff stolen .. Me I lost a Hat so I came out of it Pretty good ..I just Thank God None of Us were Hurt Badly .. Besides as You said it was an Experience . Shouldn't We Learn from Our Mistakes ??

[Edwin]

It would look funny if my sister and I were walking together because I am 6 feet tall, and she is about 4 feet 9 inches or less, and I'm not sure because she is 78 years old, and probably has shrunken from age. I have heard about people being curious when you look different from them, and I can see how people would be facinated with red hair when no one in their country has red hair. My grandmother had red hair, and also one of my Dad's sisters had red hair also!

[red]

Two got killed from blasts in CDO in front of Maxandrea Hotel. I think not safe for white people nowadays to go mindanao but even then in Luzon. Last month the US embassy has been sendinf warning emails to its citizens who are in Phils and are travelling to phils to avoid certain areas. So extra careful. I even think better check in hotels near airports. Avoid walking on streets esp just alone. Avoid going to convenient stores at night at manila area. Dont ride taxi alone with driver. Always have company with you. Not just your gf or wife have a male chaperon too.

[wayne208]

Thank You Red for the Update .. I trust that the Lord will watch Over You and Crisi and Keep You and Your Families safe .. I am Saddened to Learn that 2 People were Killed . May God watch over their families also ..

[Smiley]

We shouldn`t forget though,Mindanao is a HUGE place! there are over 25 million people in total and I`m pretty sure there are over 20 provinces in all. ( Red,Crisi,help me out here please )This is about 30 times the population of Detroit which ,last year,had 344 homicides.To keep pace Mindanao would have to have over 10,000 murders is a single year.That works out to over 27 a day! And that would be in addition to way over another million violent crimes not resulting in death.
I live about 2 miles from downtown Detroit and I don`t feel all that unsafe when I cross the border. Then again I grew up in the shadow of Detroit and I know when I am safe and when I should be gone.It is really all about learning to listen to the back of your neck.
Now; You might say "But in Mindanao you will stand out more because you are white" to which I have to reply:Being a white guy who bathes regularly and speaks clear English I probably stand out in a crowd almost as much in Detroit.
Bottom line is that nobody is totally safe anywhere but that is no reason to live in fear. Being aware of your surroundings and being aware that there is a possibility of things getting weird can go a long way towards keeping you safe anywhere

[red]

My daughter qouted this Psalm 23:1. It actually shut me up but hey smiley just be careful when your phils. We dont like to hear someone here got hurt.

[Edwin]

Yes, Red the 23rd Psalm is a good one! It is true that criminal activities take place everywhere. It is important to be aware of your surroundings, and use good judgement. I agree with Red that it is good to have someone with you, like another native from the Philippines who understands the language and knows the customs. It is true we can't afford to live in fear because it will make our lives miserable. We can do the best we are able to and then trust the Lord to take care of us, and allow other people to help keep us safe who are able to do that.