Editor's Note: This is your second known stopped pick-pocket in Addis Ababa!
Dear Clothing Arts,
On my travels in Ethiopia recently, we used the new light-rail system in Addis Ababa. It is a nice system, but thieves have found that the crowded rail cars and the very crowded stations are perfect for pick-pockets... they keep an active eye for visitors and newcomers.
I was about to reach the Stadium Station of the Green Line when I encountered a very aggressive set of young boys. These are kids who gang up to try and to pick-pocket you. The “system” they use it for one youngster to grab your upper arm so hard you wince with pain and have to turn your body to struggle with his grip. They hope who will lose concentration over your wallet or papers or passport. One grabbed my left arm as I was about to head up the stairs to the Stadium Station, and the other boy went for every pocket I had. They are fast and quick... but they left empty-handed!
My travel pants kept everything totally secure. Once they got nothing, they went running into the field nearby to avoid the police at the station. Yet, never has a single pick-pocket been able to get inside a pocket and get my phone or wallet or passport.
While generations have passed in Ethiopia, its capital city of Addis Ababa has grown, and some kids still have a way of finding the wrong path. Thankfully the triple protection of your travel pants offers security and peace of mind from the thieves.
- Dr. Mark S.
