A beautiful church in Oaxaca, Mexico.
Every City Has Them
I’m sure I’m not alone in saying that anytime I travel I pay close attention to how safe I feel in that new place. Not just safe from violence, although that’s clearly important, but also safety from theft or pickpocketing.
As a photographer, I’m always extra vigilant due to the amount of expensive gear I carry with me (and have on display) at any given time. I wouldn’t consider myself an easy target, which is helpful, but I still remain alert in case someone decides to try something bold.
Hands down the safest I’ve ever felt was in Southeast Asia—Thailand and Indonesia specifically. I felt zero threat from violence and did not feel the need to protect my phone, wallet and camera gear any more than common sense required. That’s a nice feeling in such a foreign place.
While not quite at the level of Southeast Asia, I still felt very safe in Oaxaca. In fact, while packing for the trip I was hesitant to bring my nicest watch with me. I’d normally never travel with it, but on this trip I would be attending a fancy wedding with a ton of friends and I would have loved to have worn it. In the end I decided not to risk it and left it at home, but looking back I would have felt completely safe having it on my wrist around the city. That’s saying a lot.
The only time I felt slightly unsafe in Oaxaca was a day in which I decided to walk aimlessly around the city (this is not unusual for me). I walked past all the popular downtown sites and just kept going. My hackles raised slightly when I realized that I had accidentally wandered down what would best be described as the red light district. And it didn’t seem like a happy place. The women standing in front of their doors were about as far from smiling as one can get, and I don’t recall a single word being spoken between any of them as I shuffled through with my eyes respectfully lowered. That street was silent and sad.
That’s when I decided to circle back towards the city center. As I was crossing a street, a local woman at a bus stop saw my camera and warned me in Spanish: “guard your camera, it’s dangerous around here.” And that was enough for me. I kept my head up and eyes alert, just in case someone decided to push their luck (or mine).
In the end, absolutely nothing happened, and I have no idea how much danger I was actually in (if any), but it seemed like a warning worth heeding. But even this minor blip didn’t change my sense of the city—I still consider it a warm, welcoming and safe place to visit. I think I just happened to have found one of the less desirable neighborhoods. Every city has them.
“May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view.” -Edward Abbey
