And you thought your train was busy

Title – And you thought your train was busy
Source – The Metro
Date – 1st February 2008

Culture shock comes in many different forms and sometimes we just have to accept that staying away is better then the experience itself might be.

As a general rule I would say steer clear of crowds when you are in a foreign country or at least be on your guard and take additional precautions, where possible stay with a local guide or contact. Politically motivated crowds and crowd developing through local anger are even more of a no-go area and demonstrations generally are better avoided and in certain circumstances you should consider the option of leaving the area, city or country altogether.

Many crowds can however be predicted and happen regularly or even daily in some cities and you just have to negotiate them. Crowd control is a science and it has been studied at great length by psychologist, law enforcement and others, for generations. We understand some ways to deal with crowds and sometimes we apply them, but how a crowd in one country is dealt with can be very different to how they are dealt with in another country. In the frenzy the protection that you are often unwittingly given as a visitor is ignored when you find yourself surrounded by hundreds, thousands or even hundreds of thousands of locals, you become one and will be treated like one.

In Jakarta, Indonesia, a recent initiative to deal with serious overcrowding on trains forcing people on to the roof of the trains themselves, involved station staff developing a system of spraying those who climbed on the roofs with a pungent food dye that led to skin irritations, ruined clothing and resulted in their skin being stained for months. This was seen not only as an effective solution, but as a perfectly sensible on.

China saw some of its worst snow for a generation this year, leading to transport chaos at a time of year when traditionally the Chinese migrant workers get a few days off and travel home to visit and celebrate the Chinese New Year with relatives. At a time when transport is usually overwhelmed anyway, the cancellations led to such chaos that the Chinese Premiere offered an apology in person… anyone who has even the slightest understanding of Chinese politics will know this is not just unusual but unprecedented and demonstrates exactly how bad things were.

In a country where travelling is already difficult enough for non Chinese speakers, you really would not want to be thinking about buying a ticket or trying to push yourself to the front of the queue in this situation… Travel planning is essential, no one can predict what is going to happen with any accuracy in the form of weather, political turmoil, disease epidemics and all the other factors that need to be considered, but you can plan to reduce the risks to a minimum and avoid where sensible certain seasons, public holiday and other events that are predictable. You can also plan contingencies into your trip, when these scenes present themselves, our advice; go back to your guest house or hotel and enjoy a few more nights in Guangzhou, the Terracotta Warriors will still be there when you visit a week later. Our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshops can help you plan effectively for your trip and understand the need to be flexible to stay safe.


Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com