Stranded In The Desert

From GopStopTravel

Event Stats
Victim:	Keren Eldan
Author:	Keren Eldan
Translator:	Stanyslava
Scam Type:	Theft
Date:	2006-6-20
Location:	Ica, Peru
Keywords:	tragic taxi kids

"...The driver grabbed and threw me out of the car while one of his children snatched my daypack right out of my hands..."

An unfortunate occurrence that has forced me to suddenly cut my trip short and return to the Promised Land two months before intended.

On June twentieth 2006 in Pisco, Peru, I separated from my travel buddy Hen, who was going to Lima to catch a flight home, and continued to Ica from where I could catch a bus to Cusco. Already in the Ica bus station, it was clear that luck wasn't on my side today. In one bus company there was no more room, and another company that did sell me a ticket ended up rudely throwing me and my backpack off the bus saying there was no room for me there either! Once again I found myself looking for a bus to Cusco, but shortly realized that I’m far away from the station and the night is coming close, so my next best bet would be a cab.

I stood on the road still furious about the bus, when a cab pulled up. Inside was a family of five – father, mother, a baby, and two older children ages ten and fourteen. I saw there wasn't much room for me in there, but they were so nice and persistent I agreed. We began riding and soon I realized we weren't anywhere around town any more. "OK...," I thought to myself when the father, who was driving the car, suddenly turned right and stopped the car in the middle of the desert. He came out saying there must be something wrong with the engine and that's where I felt something terrible is about to happen. My gut feeling wasn't a moment too soon. The driver grabbed and threw me out of the car while one of his children snatched my daypack right out of my hands and with it everything I owned on this continent. Money, passport, camera, diary, and even my ticket back home were all gone. Needless to say, my backpack was in the trunk of that car which simply drove away leaving me with nothing.

It took me a second to realize I was in the middle of the desert, so I began running as hard as I could after the car, but it shortly faded away from sight. Desperate, I rummaged through my pockets and found 50 soles ($15) which were in my pants by sheer coincidence. After running for three kilometers, I reached a small village, all hysterical and crying, where three guys took my by rickshaw to find the wretched cab, but it was hopeless. Eventually we ended up in the police station and after a worthless "police chase" found myself filling out a report and leaving Ica for Lima to restore my identity.

On the bus to Lima a Peruvian angel who was sitting next to me helped me find a hostel room at two in the morning. To my luck, I found Hen next morning and she helped me with all the formalities. In the hostel I'm like a queen, everybody is so helpful and supportive but after a week long wondering decided I will go back home. It's a shame the best three month of my life ending like this.