Eastern Block countries......
A friend of mine's son went to Poland for a 4 day relaxing break, with 3 other friends, and has had the most terrible experience of his life.
To portray this lad, he is 21yrs old, and really has a good head on his shoulders, never ben in trouble and never had any bother with fighting etc, so all in all a "good egg".
Firstly, on their second night, all 4 of them were "mugged" at knife point. Mugged being, abducted by a group of 7 heavily built guys in broad daylight, all 4 of them were taken to a cash point and
were forced to withdraw the max amount for that day.......
They were kept until after midnight and then they were again forced to withdraw the max amount from the cash point, then released to go on their way, some 100 miles from their hotel. Obviously shocked the group decided to cut their trip short and come home.
Secondly, while having a meal in a bar, and waiting to come home, the guys were discussing their previous experience's. So imagine the scene,
4 guys sitting round a table enjoying a meal in a bar, the bar is busy and music playing in the background, the hustle and bustle of bars, people pushing past the tables etc.
A guy on the table behind, has had his meal and paid for it, stands up, turns around and with one punch, punch's my friend son in the side of his head, and walks out of the bar.
He falls to the floor, knocked out by the punch, his friends rally round him as the staff call emergency services and police. All falls quiet in the bar, and people gather round this lad, his face starting to swell.
Back in the UK now, after an evac from poland. Turns out that this one punch has
Smashed his eye socket , broken his cheek bone and broken his jaw in 2 places, severed the nerves in his face and almost lost his sight. He needed a bone graft from his thigh to reconstruct his face. He is now recovering from his ordeal.
The polish police caught the attacker, when questioned and asked why he had done it, he replied that he didnt like English, and they deserve a beating......
So, be on your guard if you go there, and the "mugging" is a NEW wave of getting money from tourists which is emerging from Russia and spreading across the Eastern Block.