#90304 - 06/21/11 01:02 AM
How safe is it?
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stanw
Member
Registered: 06/16/11
Posts: 40
Loc: LA
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How safe is Bora Bora? What is the likelihood of someone stealing my stuff from the InterContinental? Do people get robbed there? Is there any sort of police presence?
Thank you.
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#90309 - 06/21/11 05:28 AM
Re: How safe is it?
[Re: stanw]
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Old Wife
Expert Advisor
Registered: 02/21/03
Posts: 2369
Loc: Burlington, Ontario, Canada
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Petty theft isn't uncommon so take measures to lock your stuff up in your room safe when you aren't in the room. If something's too big to fit in there (e.g. a laptop), see if they can put it in the main safe at the front desk. Don't leave purses, etc. lying around anywhere (e.g. on the beach, in a rental car). You might have to get creative about carrying money on you when you snorkel, but it's worth it.
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#90310 - 06/21/11 07:49 AM
Re: How safe is it?
[Re: Old Wife]
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hamara
Expert Advisor
Registered: 01/07/02
Posts: 2319
Loc: Washington/Moorea
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Good advice from Old Wife. Just use comman sense and don't leave
anything in sight. Bora has a small police presence.
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#90311 - 06/21/11 09:17 AM
Re: How safe is it?
[Re: hamara]
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YosemiteGirl2
Member
Registered: 09/17/07
Posts: 373
Loc: California
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Stan, I totally agree with the previous two posters regarding theft. Apparently as the economy worsens the problem has increased.
You asked how "safe" Bora is, and I'd say it's safe. Much safer than, say, Jamaica. I've never heard of (for instance) muggings in Tahiti. However, the board learned a little while back that apparently there are some cultural reasons why you would not want to walk alone (even in daylight) as a woman in a remote area (the incident in question happened in the Tuamotus, I think). Tahitians in general are warm and friendly, and it really is paradise. So enjoy yourself, but just take some common-sense precautions.
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#90313 - 06/21/11 09:21 AM
Re: How safe is it?
[Re: YosemiteGirl2]
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BarbiJKM
Supreme Advisor
Registered: 02/14/07
Posts: 6150
Loc: Mesa, AZ
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Good advice from all. Just want to add: don't leave your belonging visible in a rental car.
Petty theft is common, but I've never heard of any violence associated with it. Just be careful where you leave things when you leave your bungalow (not in plain view), and lock doors and windows when you are not there.
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#90316 - 06/21/11 09:48 AM
Re: How safe is it?
[Re: BarbiJKM]
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stanw
Member
Registered: 06/16/11
Posts: 40
Loc: LA
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Thanks everyone for the info.
1. Are the locals really poor?
2. Can you send me a link describing the "cultural reasons" why you would not want to walk alone as a woman in a remote area?
Thanks!
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#90319 - 06/21/11 11:01 AM
Re: How safe is it?
[Re: stanw]
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YosemiteGirl2
Member
Registered: 09/17/07
Posts: 373
Loc: California
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Stan, you are going to a great destination. Please do not let our honest feedback on possible (small) risks cast a negative cloud over what is a overall wonderful, safe, stable culture and country.
Tahitians are not poor (at least not by my definition), but a huge part of their economy is tourism, and tourism is at a low right now, so it's definitely making things tougher and perhaps tempting ordinarily honest people into "opportunity" crimes they might not otherwise consider. Tahiti is not at all like other vacation destination countries you may have been to, where people live in grinding poverty. There is no begging on the streets. People will _not_ approach you on the beach and aggressively peddle services or souvenirs. The culture is different (and wonderful), but in terms of the basics of how people treat one another, in many ways the experience would be like visiting a very friendly beach community in the US. You will feel very comfortable and welcomed, and you will be safe.
If you would like to know more about what happened on the Tuamotus, there is a lengthy chat chain on this board -- I think it was in the atoll section. I do not have a link, and the search function on this board is not great, so you will need to scroll through the archives. I do not recall the exact wording of the cultural information, but the take-away is that a woman walking alone in a secluded area (_not_ a town) may be seen as actually inviting unwelcome overtures, even in the daylight. I am a young(ish) woman and have never, ever for a moment felt unsafe in Tahiti -- I have not experienced cat-calling or any other sort of creepiness of any kind. I would walk alone on Bora Bora from the Sofitel to the little market and not worry about it. However, as a result of the discussion about the incident on the Tuamotus, I would no longer walk by myself in very secluded areas, just in case. This does not mean female travelers should avoid Tahiti, or that Tahiti is dangerous. It just means: don't walk alone in secluded areas if you are a woman.
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#90321 - 06/21/11 12:20 PM
Re: How safe is it?
[Re: YosemiteGirl2]
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stanw
Member
Registered: 06/16/11
Posts: 40
Loc: LA
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Thanks for the explanation.
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#90350 - 06/21/11 07:10 PM
Re: How safe is it?
[Re: stanw]
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YosemiteGirl2
Member
Registered: 09/17/07
Posts: 373
Loc: California
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No problem. Sorry it was lengthy but I wanted to be clear that it's basically a really nice place.
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#90352 - 06/21/11 08:02 PM
Re: How safe is it?
[Re: stanw]
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Submarine
Expert Advisor
Registered: 01/03/03
Posts: 1033
Loc: Gilbert, Arizona, USA
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To put Tahiti in perspective:
One of my former favorite places to go was Puerto Penasco, Mexico (known as Rocky Point to Arizonans). It's on the Sea of Cortez, 62 miles south of Arizona. If you look on a map of Mexico, it's roughly in the middle of the upper part of the country, between Tijuana and Ciudad Juarez (maybe 1000 miles in either direction). Now everyone should know that Mexico has been in a very bloody drug war both between the drug cartels & the Mexican military, and between the drug cartels themselves (one cartel is made up of ex-military members). Over 3000 people were killed in Ciudad Juarez alone last year, and over 30,000 have been killed across Mexico since 2006.
To get to Rocky Point, you must drive through Sonoita which is a border crossing. Cartels will frequently meet there, as a sort of safe haven, to iron out differences and plan strategy. (On the plus side, when there is violence in Sonoita it greatly reduces the border crossing time which can run several hours).
On one Rocky Point forum I used to participate in, violence was a huge topic with most of the rabid supporters arguing that it wasn't a problem, as if there was some sort of immunity. Since that time there have been dozens of headless, mutilated bodies found in the dunes outside of town (men and women). There has also been at least 3 running shootouts in the town, one assassination with an AK-47, the police chief was shot and quit, numerous brazen theft of F350 type trucks from campsites occupied by the owners, and several reports of attempted armed hijackings on the road trip down.
What is happening is that as Mexico squeezes the drug corridors through Tijuana and Ciudad Juarez, the narcos have moved some operations through the seaport of Puerto Penasco and all of it's violence and crime is coming with.
So while I like going to Mexico because it's close and cheap, I'm refusing to go again until they get a handle on the violence. The likelihood of anything happening in Mexico, even at triple the murder rate of the U.S., is still statistically unlikely (15 intentional homicides per 100,000 residents in Mexico,5/100,000 U.S.)
A major reason these Rocky Point supporters have their "heads in the sand" is because many are condo owners dependent upon rental income to keep their investment alive. They mount rabid letter and phone campaigns decrying any attempt to warn Americans about travel to Rocky Point. While people here are certainly opinionated, I haven't seen the same ostrich effect and there are few owners with an agenda.
During 2010 my hometown of Gilbert has seen an increase in homicides to match the U.S. rate of 5 total, up from a typical 0 or 1 each year (usually domestic violence related).
French Polynesia's rate is roughly zero. I can only find one murder dating to 2002 where NBA player Bison Dele murdered his girlfriend and the skipper aboard a yacht at sea.
So, yeah, I can say with certitude(lol) its safer anywhere in French Polynesia than at home; especially Los Angeles. When I stay at Club Bali Hai, I leave my door unlocked because the key has to stay in the card slot for the A/C to stay on. I bring nothing more valuable to steal than my aging Canon digital camera.
As far as violence against women, I'm unable to find any searchable statistics other than this speech which does not cite the source of her findings:
http://womenleadingchange.wordpress.com/2011/05/24/violence-against-women-in-the-pacific/
and mostly talks about violence within relationships or families which is problematic worldwide. Other than one case reported here, we've generally heard nothing but positive reviews regarding safety of women in French Polynesia.
I've never experienced any instance of begging in FP, and I wish I could say the same for home. Just yesterday some girl was begging for gas money while I was trying to go into Lowes. If it becomes as bad as it is in Winslow, with indians accosting you everywhere, I'm moving to the middle of the desert!
One my first trip I stranded myself in Tahiti Iti because I didn't know how the Le Truck system worked. It was 1 p.m. and I asked the bus driver when the next bus back to my hotel was (62km away).
"tomorrow" he said.
I was able to hitch hike back easily, getting two rides within minutes of each other and the second took me directly to my hotel. Neither of them spoke any English and refused all of my attempts to fill up their gas tanks event though both were on "E".
Hope that helps, have a nice trip.
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