In Colombia, making a fresh start
Trip Start
Feb 23, 2010
1
35
40
Trip End
Jul 21, 2010
Where I stayed
Hostal Cuidad Invisible
Chocolate Hostel
Bogota, Colombia
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Hi. How are you? Hope all is well wherever you are.
I arrived with my buddy Chris in Bogota Monday afternoon after 20 hour bus. We cross the border from Ecuador to Colombia with ease on Sunday afternoon, and then headed to the next town of Ipiales to bus to the capital. We bargained for a good price on our tickets, and were off to Bogota at 5pm. The Colombian country side is beautiful as the bus drove through the winding mountains. I was so excited to be in Colombia, weve heard nothing but good things from other backpackers, so we started reading our guide books in anticipation of what was to come. Sometime during the early evening I feel asleep, busses have that effect on me.
I woke up when we stopped at some unknown town and stayed awake for one of the worst Christian themed Kurt Cameron films Ive ever endured in my life. After that, I slept some more. Around 3:30am, I woke up grumpy to some people being loud behind us. I mumbled some profanities under my breath and then went back to sleep. I think we were stopped in the city of Cali at that point (though I am not sure, it could have been further south still). An hour later, about 4:30am, Chris woke up and blurted something about his bag missing. I was instantly alert, checking beneath my seat for our bags. (Hours earlier, Chris had asked me to put his bag under my seat so someone couldnt come by and take it in the aisle. I joked and asked him why he was suddenly so paranoid, as thats really not his style. I put it under my seat anyway just to appease him, and my bag was on the side touching me.) When I put my hands under the seat, I expected to find them just a little farther back because of the motion of the bus, but they werent there. I turned around and realized the people behind us were gone. I freaked out and woke up the whole bus (I am really sorry for that). The rest is more or less a blur. I told the bus assistant, and another woman also thought her bag was missing, but turns out it had been moved somewhere else. But all of our stuff was gone (the little bags with the important stuff: passports, travel journals, my new camera, my wallet, my glasses, our travel guide books, ETC ETC). I was astonished and so mad. First, I was just worried about the passport and money stuff, then I had a second to think and the thing that made me the most upset and actually made me cry was the loss of the travel journal.
When I said that, then Chris clued in to the importance of the item and the two of us became more sullen. We were so upset, we sat separately and tried to console ourselves. I am glad that nothing physical happened to us, and most things can be replaced, I just wish I didnt have to go through all this crap. I had most of my cash on my, and Chris had his wallet on him at least. But I only changed $10 to Colombian pesos at the border. When we stopped at 9am at a bus restaurant, we only had 9,000 pesos to buy a yogurt, bottle of water and a sandwhich, but the food cost 10,000. A woman from our bus, a truly amazing human being, handed us 20,000 pesos to pay for it. When I went to give her the change and the rest of our money, she refused. I just cried. She was so amazing. I tried to give her US$ but she would take it. Truly truly amazing and kind heart that woman, I guess Ill just have to pay it forward some day.
When we got to Bogota we filed a police report, that was all they could do. The bus assistant was very helpful and said there could be video surveillance, but who knows. A Brazillian guy we met before crossing the border was also very nice and patient with us during it all and helped us by figuring out a hostel downtown. We cancelled the credit cards, thanks parents. We also figured out the passport stuff, mine was pretty straight forward, less so for Chris. I also should be covered for my camera since I JUST bought it a week before and have my receipt.
People have been really helpful, I really think Colombia will be great after this one little setback. We finally started our touring of the city today and its pretty nice. So onwards and upwards!
All will work out in the end, and it has been an amazing trip thus far, so it will continue.
Muchos Besos,
Alyssa
Comments
wow.. and this is not a story from a movie..
Sorry for your loss, however I think you gained more than you have lost. I hope you guys are safe and sound. Keep us tuned. Xoxo
Ginsburg! That blows! Especially about the travel journal. At least you have this blog....... When I was a teenager my friend threw up all over my journal one night and I was devastated (and that was just in Canton, NY). ;-) Keep your head up sister... it's all part of the journey.