Gringoboy said:
I'm very sorry to hear that this happened to you, but I find your explanation confusing to say the very least.
I imagine you wrote it not long after and were feeling pretty confused, if not shocked.
But I have to say that, milling around in that area on that particular night with an expensive camera etc doesn't seem sensible at all.
Furthermore, to say that you 'appreciate that they need that stuff more than me' and 'I'm fully insured' is like gifting your life away on the basis that you can get another.
And why do they need the stuff more than you? You worked for it and paid for it! Why can't they?
If we all wandered around with expensive stuff around our necks, knowing it was insured and suspecting we would be robbed, not to mention expecting the insurance company to cough up each and every time, we would be regarded as a joke.
Hola,
First off I apologize for taking 2 days to reply to my post.
I've had 2 days of trying to cancel my cell phone, making insurance claims etc... plus I had to work today.
I've had 2 days to calm down now and reflect on this incident.
I apologize profusely for sounding like I was making a generalization about the Porteño attitude.
There are certainly far more good Porteño's than bad ones here in BA.
My Porteña friend is a good person and I think she was embarrassed and in some kind of denial by this as she likes to present her city in a positive light to me and others. No, she should not have said I was from Canada... but at the same time this probably would have happened regardless.
I should not have said that... I was fuming angry when I wrote that and I hope everyone can appreciate that.
Please forgive me.
Secondly, I have traveled a good portion of the world at length for many years and this is not my first incident like this unfortunately. These things will happen to even the most seasoned travelers sometimes.
I have a ton of experience in bad travel situations and always manage to come away unscathed fortunately (*minus stolen personal items of course).
These things can happen even when you are trying your best to ensure your personal safety. I am extremely safety conscious when traveling. This incident was an unfortunate bit of bad timing/luck.
When we arrived at Plaza San Martín New Years Eve there were maybe a dozen other 'normal' people sitting along the railings overlooking the Torre Monument getting ready to watch the fireworks (*this actually turned out to be a bad location as the fireworks were partially blocked on either side by the tall buildings in that area).
I noticed these folks there and it made me feel safe enough that we proceeded to sit on the grass just below those railings.
I started taking photos of the fireworks... but little did I know the dozen or so people who had been sitting right behind us had left .. most likely to move to a better location for viewing.
We both had our backs turned to this and did not notice them leave... otherwise I would have left too at the same time realizing this was a bad situation.
About then a guy in his 20's came and sat next to us and started talking to my Porteña friend... all the while I'm concentrating on taking good photos with my camera in night mode, which requires a very steady hand.
Unfortunately she mentioned to him (in Spanish) that I was from Canada during their conversation.
He did not seem to be a threat at this point and he just sat with us for 5-10 minutes talking to her so I just kept taking photos.
Little did we know but he had 3 buddies hiding in the shadows somewhere just behind the railings behind us.
Next thing I know... and this happened in the blink of an eye... those 3 buddies jumped down and were on top of us instantly.
It was dark enough and happened so fast that I did not even see the other 3 guys faces clearly... plus it looked like the one demanding my camera was holding some kind of weapon (a knife perhaps) in his hand.
At that same moment, the guy who we had been talking to started demanding that my Porteña friend hand over her purse in a very threatening manner. She had important documents in her purse and was quite upset about potentially losing them.
I stepped in between them and her, put up my hands and let them take my camera and Blackberry.
Thankfully they just ran away into the night after they got what they wanted.
(*Strangely they did not take my wallet or her purse).
I've always been told to just hand over the merchandise in these situations as personal safety far outweighs material objects (as I state the obvious).
Hindsight being 20̸20.. I should have known better I suppose... but I was also placing some trust in the advice and experience of my Porteña friend (*It was her idea to go to Plaza San Martín... instead of Puerto Madero where I had originally wanted to go).
Not to mention my landlady who is trying to rent me an apartment across from the Retiro train station for March 1... she told me it was a safe, good area too (*obviously I realize she just wants my money and would tell me that.. but now i`m not so sure that is a good idea and will probably just keep my place in Recoleta).
But in any event I had 2 locals telling me it was ok there... and I haven`t had time yet to fully figure out every nuance of every neighborhood.
As for the quote above about ``wandering around with expensive stuff around our necks``... I certainly NEVER do that... I conceal my camera etc. at ALL TIMES in my plain looking backpack.
I am a travel photography enthusiast... and unfortunately that means bringing your good gear out into `the field` sometimes for better or worse.
This was just bad timing and unfortunate luck more than anything and could happen to anyone.
I still think it was important to post my incident here as a reminder to all expats, tourists etc. that you can NEVER be too cautious when traveling.
Again, I apologize for the anger and silly generalization about Porteño attitude.
Yes, my friend acted strangely after this happened (*exactly as I reported her behavior previously) but I am not writing her off just yet.
I think a combination of things... shock, embarrassment, denial.. maybe a little aloofness.. all combined to make her act the way she did.
But I know she`s not a bad person per se... and everybody deserves a second chance. We are now slowly discussing the incident and will work through this.
