Friday, August 17, 2012

Staying safe in Palermo at night

The Sant'Elia is located close to the Quatro Canti on Via Maqueda in Palermo. It is indeed a great place to watch a concert but then arises the problem of walking home late night in this beautiful city. Guidebooks advise people to either avoid being out at night or walking in a large group. Since the venue was jam-packed, I assumed that many people would walk towards the Politeama Opera Theatre with me, but as I stepped out, I saw a large crowd walking the other way.

I didn't feel unsafe, but after hearing all the stories, I decided to walk fast and be aware of my surroundings. All the Indian-operated cyber cafes and the curry houses were open. So, I guess if I had trouble and the "kick and run" policy didn't work, all I needed to do was get into a currry house and scream bachao (help in Hindi).

Of course, the evening wasn't that exciting, the streets were full of South Asians and a few Sicilians with punk-styled hair cuts. There was also a smattering of French tourists taking pics of the city at night. I had about 10 Euros in my pocket and if a mugger wanted it, he could have it. As I walked back to the hotel, I felt more and more at ease.

Palermo was beautiful, peaceful and kind to me on this gorgeous night. 

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