After spending the last day in Ecuador touring Quito, we had time to kill before our 10 p.m. flight. Fortunately, the hotel let us set up in a room off the lobby and play on our computers, talk, etc. As lunch came and went, I decided to go in search of a deli someone mentioned was a few blocks away and get us all sandwiches. I took my phone so that I could call once I got there to see what everyone wanted. I set out with a woman I had become friends with throughout the week.
We walked through the busy streets and side stepped vendors trying to sell us wares. Our conversation came to an abrupt stop when 3 men approached us trying to sell posters. They had a small child in tow. We said no and tried to side step them. They continued to get louder and follow us. Suddenly one was running backwards in front of me and one on my side. My hands were in my pockets with my hand on my phone and wallet.
In that moment, all I could think about was how aggressive they were being. I couldn’t figure out why they weren’t taking no for an answer. I was pushed by the 3 into a store corner. My hands instinctively came out of my pockets to push back. My friend had been pushed away from me and the three men surrounded me pushing. She suddenly broke through and grabbed my arm. We made a run for it and up some stairs into a small shopping center. It took a few moments to gain our composure. It was a very startling experience.
Once we regrouped we headed back out on the street to find the deli. I put my hands back into my pockets and instantly became aware that my phone and my wallet were gone. I felt like I got hit in the stomach. I have traveled all over by myself and never once had an issue. I can usually identify scams and avoid them. They had come at me so fast and so aggressively all I could do was wonder why.
I found a security guard on the corner and tried to explain in my broken Spanish that I had just been robbed. The three men were nowhere to be found. The guard called the police and asked me to wait. I sent my friend back to the hotel to have Karl cancel my credit cards and turn on my Find My Iphone app. I still had a glimmer of hope I might be able to find them.
I stood on the corner trying not to let my anger well up in tears. I decided at one point that waiting for the police was going to be pointless and prepared to leave. The security guard asked me to stay just a little longer. Within 10 minutes of standing on the corner a cop car pulled up with 2 officers. Neither of them spoke English so I tried to explain the situation again in my broken Spanish.
The police officer motioned for me to follow him and we walked back across the street looking into store fronts for the three men. A vendor on the road stopped the police officer and told him he saw the entire thing. He pointed in a direction of a park and said after the men stole my items they ran that way. We cut across the park and walked several blocks. I realized after about 15 minutes it was getting dark and I no longer had any idea where I was. I didn’t have a phone to get directions or call for help. I had no money to get a cab back to the hotel.
The police officer told me I needed to go make a report. At this point I tried not to let my fears overtake me and followed him. We walked through an entryway among motorbikes. I followed him up 3 flights of stairs. There was no lights on the stairs and for a brief second I let my mind go to worst case scenarios. I reasoned that I had nothing left to steal….and that I had no identification on me.
I was relieved when we got to the third floor and there was 10 uniformed police officers posing for a picture. I was motioned to the only desk in the room. Yet again, I had to try to tell my story in Spanish. At one point I went for my phone to look up a word in my translator app. Another time I went for my ID when they asked for my passport or Drivers License (fortunately my passport was still in the hotel with my luggage).
As I was signing the police report, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned to find my friend and another man from our tour group. They had tracked down the security guard and he told them where I was. I was so relieved to see them there I jumped up and hugged them. They quietly reiterated my own fears of the dark stairs. I was glad to not be alone any longer.
Once everything was done, the police offered us a ride back in the police car. At this point I could do nothing more than laugh as I crawled into the back seat.
*2 months later I still get notices of where my gets turned on in Ecuador. It seems it is still on a grand adventure.
Have Kid Will Adventure 