travel tips ► GYPSIES

These guys could be a real disaster if you accidentally meet a whole gang of them somewhere near a metro station. They look like a big multicolored cloud, which can move toward you at a very rapid pace. Usually this cloud consists of girls and older women with lots of kids and babies in their arms. You also encounter gypsies on the metro. Usually a mother with a few of her kids passes through the cars of the train while asking for money. These types of gypsies are not as dangerous as a larger crowd of them, which are found outside the metro stations. But still if you see gypsies inside the metro be careful - they can be skilled thieves and have no respect for people's space or property. Their kids often have extremely dirty hands and like to touch people for no reason and sometimes as a distraction while another gypsy member reaches for your purse or pocket. The best thing to do is just hide your hands in your pockets and try to ignore them. If you meet a band of gypsies on the street, just try to walk by them as fast as you can without attracting any extra attention. Do not stop and talk to them or react to anything they tell you. If you do stop, the band will swarm all over and you could easily be robbed or even physically harmed. If you just be careful and pay extra attention to larger crowds, you have little reason to worry.