Pocitos is a nice area of Montevideo. When you hear about how safe Montevideo is as a whole, the one place you're always warned about is Ciudad Vieja… Never Pocitos… I've known a few people to have bad experiences in Ciudad Vieja, thankfully we've never had a problem there. We've never had a problem anywhere other than here in Pocitos…
We had been here for 2 weeks, I was getting money late at night and a couple of guys who were watching me tried to circle me… I'm sure their intentions were less than honorable… I pulled out my blade told them I'd kill them, they took off…
One night I was coming home late from my favorite little bar down the street… Some guy came up, got in my personal space and grabbed me requesting cash… and I hit him until he stopped moving.
Both of these incidents happened late at night while I was by myself.
We just got back from the Wednesday Feria here in Pocitos… We live in
what I feel is a safe and nice area… And most people would agree…
Chrystal is due to have Kaylee
anytime now so she wanted to walk down with me. I threw Zoe in our
Kelty Carrier and off we go… Again, we live in a nice area and it's the middle of the day; it's beautiful out today…
So in this part of South America there's a drug called Pasta Base (pronounced: pasta ba-say)…
It's a derivative of cocaine and makes crack look like candy and meth
look like a picnic… It's highly addictive and from what we've been
told, when someone gets on it they're completely gone in 6 months… We see them on the streets, we call them base heads… I don't know their official terms, but they're
whacked out of their minds…
We just had one try to mug us on the way to the feria with his bare hands. Zoe's Kelty is
weighed down with an extra 20 lbs of crap for when she goes off to stay with friends
when Kaylee gets here… She wanted to ride in it… The Kelty is a ton better than pushing her through a stroller in crowds and such…
So this dude comes from the other side of the street and walks up to me asking for money… I firmly say "no" and
we continue to walk… Then he decided to invade my personal space and
put his hands asking me demanding "dinero blah blah blah, dinero ahora blah blah blah, dinero blah blah blah
dinero…"
I'm not talking about putting a hand on my shoulder begging for money… I'm talking about him coming up on my and trying to go for my pockets…
I shoved the guy hard across the sidewalk and told Chrystal to take
Zoe… She started to then stopped… The guy caught himself from hitting the ground and took a
few steps back, so Chrystal thought he was walking away and didn't take
her… The guy started to come back towards me…
Thank god I was in the Marines and we learned how to maneuver and fight
with a 60lb pack on our backs… So I squared up to the guy and was
ready to defend my family, I intended to kill him… My daughter was on my back, my pregnant wife was with me… I wasn't going to screw around.
I'm not sure how I looked, but it was enough to put some fear in that guy's eyes… and he started
to back up yelling at us (I'm sure it had something to do with my mom,
goats and apples… I couldn't make out most of the rest of the
words…)
We proceeded to back away from him and separate ourselves… And I got
Zoe ready to toss of my back if he were to try to come back (I have my
little girl and my wife there, I don't want to be in this situation…)
Behind us a construction worker (probably in his 50s, but stacked) was stopped on the
corner, had set his toolbox down and had his hardhat in his hand…
When we got closer to him he stared venting about pasta base and the
crazy kids and such and told us he was ready to come hit him with his hard
hat… 😉
I hope this serves as a lesson to Expats here and people all over. It doesn't matter how nice of a neighborhood you live in… Bad people don't stop at neighborhood boundaries…
From what we've seen and heard, these base heads usually don't carry a weapon… they just try to mug you with their fists and intimidation. One thing I will suggest is to give a hard shove and get up in the person's face, prepare to be violent… or run.
Kaoru says
I’m sorry you had to go trough that situation with your pregnant wife and Child….
Security is DEFINITELY in the to-do list of this new government…
one tip, I usually carried some change (coins) in my pocket and when they demand a Peso I just gave them some coins and off they went.
I didn’t WANT to give them any, nor they deserve it at all, but it helped to get them off quick. (I would rather punch them to death even though I’m a small woman :)) But… what else could I do? Is like they say (it is what it is, valor :P)
Franco says
Sorry to read this. Hope your’re all OK now.
I live pretty close from your place (in Villa Biarritz) and I don’t have a problem like this since I was a teen.
People here have the curious idea that is more easy to mug a foreigner than a local, don’t really know why. I’m glad you comfronted them, maybe this will help to put straight their thoughts.
I’m really sorry about what Pasta Base, combined with lack of education is making to our society.
Nervous Foreigner says
Good for you for successfully defending yourself and your family! I like to think I would do the same, but I am concerned about how the justice system here would treat someone (especially an extranjero) who injured or killed an “unarmed beggar”.
gringoloco says
Hoorah. Damn straight, it’s about time people started standing up to these scumbags with dangerous force.
Brian and Chrystal says
@ Karou… I’d punch them for you 😉
@ Franco… I think Pasta Base here is to what meth was to the U.S. in the mid 90s. Since meth has destroyed towns and communities across the U.S. Not to mention the lives taken with it… Pasta Base is the cheapest and most dangerous drug I’ve ever seen…
With as cheap and available as Pasta Base is, from what I’ve seen… right now could be the humidity before the storm…
@ Nervous Foreigner… Everything happened very fast… I didn’t have time to grab my trusty blade and unless he stepped the game up in that direction I wouldn’t have either… If it came to blows I would have tried to accomplish one of 2 things… either breaking his jaw (which I’m sure the law wouldn’t have a problem with) or choking him out… If I choked him out, there’s a good possiblity he wouldn’t have woke up (I wouldn’t stop until I knew beyond a reasonable doubt that he couldn’t hurt me or my family…)
The man put his hands on me and demanded money from me… If the law decided to pursue me if I took his life with my bare hands defending my family, it would turn into a huge international media circus… With Uruguay trying to come into the 1st world market, they wouldn’t allow that to happen.
@ gringoloco… Hoorah Devil Dog right back at you, thanks for the support…
alinda says
Glad you’re all okay. Jeesh.
Fabio Bossard says
I’m from Rio de Janeiro and if you try to defend yourself here, you get killed right off the bat.
ElGoyo says
@FabioBossard — that’s a fascinating statement. So you mean to tell me that if anyone approaches you you simply turn over your money, belongings, loved ones ..? Or do you avoid going out in public? I’d like a little insight into your world.
Brian and Chrystal says
Fabio – that is one of the reasons we never plan to visit Rio!
Nervous Foreigner says
“If the law decided to pursue me if I took his life with my bare hands defending my family, it would turn into a huge international media circus… With Uruguay trying to come into the 1st world market, they wouldn’t allow that to happen.”
Hmmm…. I don’t share your confidence. There’re plenty of examples of people getting locked away for a long time in foreign countries for doing a lot less than killing one of that country’s citizens. (And they’re not “Club Med” prisons either.)
If the guy who attacked you was a minor (as a lot of the “beggars” are) and you killed him, I think it would be very easy for the govt to spin the PR to make *you* out to be the bad guy.
I’m 100% on your side, but I’m not at all sure the govt would be.
Brian and Chrystal says
The guy was definitely not a minor, there’s no doubt about that. He wasn’t a beggar… He was aggressive, his hands were trying to go in my pockets. He was also cracked out of his mind, his eyes were the size of saucers. There was no begging about it, he was a demander, or in my book someone trying to rob me.
You’re right… Some countries have thrown away the key on foreigners for much less. But with the government and people of Uruguay, I can’t see them supporting some scumbag trying to rob a pregnant woman, toddler and father.
If the government did not support me (again I think they’d let me go free) it would turn into a media circus. Let’s say the worse case scenario happened and I got life. If I had to spend the rest of my life in prison for trying to protect my family, so be it. It would suck, but it’s better than something happening to them.
Thankfully, nothing happened more than what did… So we’re grateful for that.
BTW, no prison is “Club Med,” some are just cleaner than others.
Nervous Foreigner says
Remember too that they don’t have jury trials here…. It’s all up to the judge you get.
Anyway, I do hope you’re right. And for now, all’s well that ends well. I’m glad everyone is OK!
Diggy says
Hey Brian!
Crazy story, but it’s worse that your family was there. If you’re on your own and some guy tries to mug you it’s one thing…
That’s why it’s always good to know how to fight and be prepared for idiots like that. (Pepperspray or mace does wonders, I don’t know if it’s legal where you are? One spray in some irritating guys eyes and he’s out)
Keep safe!
Diggy