Ever lost your bus pass when you didn't have any cash to get home? It was a real pain in the backside, right?
That is nothing compared to the mess you would be in if you had all of your documents and cash in one bag over your shoulder with your phone and suddenly found yourself without that bag. No passport, no phone, police that barely speak English, no money and no contact numbers.
A situation like this is easy to avoid, even though I've been traveling in Asia now for many years and am pretty confident everywhere from India to Outer Mongolia to Vietnam and back I still never carry all my money in one place and I keep photocopies of my passport and any visas somewhere safe. A photocopy of a passport or a visa isn't going to be accepted in place of the real thing, but it will help to convince Embassy or Immigration staff that you are who you say you are you're where you are supposed to be.
If you open your wallet in a place where the average monthly wage is 100 dollars and there is obviously two grand in it you will get it pinched. Wear it in an invisible money belt around your stomach, never get it out in public and keep a few bucks folded up in your pocket. No credit cards, no ATM cards, none of that guff. Just carry on hand what you need for the excursion you're on.
If it is too good to be true, it's too good to be true. Sometimes even when it isn't too good to be true, it's just not true. Use reliable operators to arrange your tours and transfers. If you're staying somewhere with a travel desk service, use them. Otherwise use a reputable agent. Under no circumstances give any money to a tuk tuk driver in exchange for a ticket that he assures you is valid.
That's it for part two, part three coming up tomorrow.
