Comments on: For Our Friends Robbed at Knifepoint: Nicaragua Photos

By: Audrey Scott

Audrey Scott — Sun, 17 Jul 2016 14:54:17 +0000

In reply to Quentin. Thank you for sharing your story, Quentin. I'm sad to hear that you and your friend had to live through something like this, but thankful that you both emerged without harm and that your meditative state helped you choose to respond the way you did and celebrate love and compassion even in the shadow of an experience like this.

By: Quentin

Quentin — Wed, 13 Jul 2016 14:02:17 +0000

The same happen to me at the same place with the same people…..
I even wrote a story few years ago about it….

Kidnapping Vs Meditation

This is the story of how a kidnapping turned into a meditation session.
My friend Max and Myself where in Granada, Nicaragua.
We decided to take our Guitars and Cameras for an inspirational trip outside of the city.
A public bus brings us just outside of a little town called Masaya.
There, we shared a taxi with this woman who were going at the same place than us : The biggest handcraft market in central america.
The Taxi stopped twice to pick up two more guys.
Uncomfortably sit between those ones, the driver and the woman on the front, I was telling Max that this situation reminded me of how we manage to fill 30 persons in a mini-van in Africa few years before.
We were driving fast.
Suddenly, the woman, the driver and the 2 other guys, all together, screamed “ASALTO!”
We were grabbed violently, a screw driver front of our eyes.
“Que cerran los ojos, si los abren, los voy a matar”
“Close your eyes, I’ll kill you if you open them”
I think it was pretty clear.
The fake taxi, the “too cool” woman who asked to share a ride, those two other guys were all part of a plan.
Find tourists, sneak them in a car, scared them as hell and take everything they have.
Because we needed to close our eyes, I naturally calm down.
I remember the first thing I told myself was everything is going to be alright, I forgive them, truly, honestly.
After few minutes, I could feel their hands releasing the pressure on my arms…
Time stopped.
I was surrounded by Love, I could feel my breath, I was deep into myself. Calm was surrounding me and I felt free. Probably more free than ever felt before.
I wasn’t scared, I was just me.
Maybe half hour passed by, or maybe an hour, I don’t know.
When we finally went out of the car, Max and myself looked at each other, smiled and gave each other a big hug, full of Love and compassion.
I knew he also went into this deep meditation state.
It’s probably what saved us that day : PEACE and LOVE

By: Audrey Scott

Audrey Scott — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 15:53:14 +0000

@Peter: I imagine that if Nikol and Martin did have their guard up, they probably would have answered as you had suggested. But, they didn’t have any clue that this woman was part of a scam. You’re right, is very easy to let you’re guard down when you’ve had weeks of great experiences with local people.

By: Peter

Peter — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 06:23:55 +0000

It’s interesting that this lady asks Martin and Nikol where they are going, and when they answer, she says she is going to the same place. When she asked “where are you going” They could have said “we haven’t decided yet. Where are you going?” I’ve never been to Latin America, but I hear the people can be very friendly and it’s easy to let your guard down.

By: Daniel Noll

Daniel Noll — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 11:59:17 +0000

@Lawrence: Thanks for your comment. In writing this post, we really tried to be fair to what happened to our friends and also to our general experience in Nicaragua. Having said that, as tourists going from Granada to Rivas (a very common tourist route), our friends were obviously targeted. I cannot say whether this happens frequently or not, but I’m sure they were not the first tourists this will happen to, nor will they be the last. We also stressed the point that our friends were not naive tourists, but rather seasoned. But after one has been traveling a long time, weariness and corresponding vulnerability can set in.

By: Lawrence

Lawrence — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 14:53:14 +0000

I’m very sorry for what happened to that couple but Nicaragua is actually a very safe country compared to other countries in the continent, foreigners can be crime targets but that is very rare, it will usually happen to people that goes places they don’t know or are just too naive to travel.

By: Audrey Scott

Audrey Scott — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 22:58:47 +0000

@Robert: Land border crossings are always rife with scams, from money changers conveniently leaving a 0 off the currency to special “fees” at immigration to transport confusion. Here’s what happened at the land border between Honduras and Nicaragua. It took us a while to get through immigration control, so we were stuck with a smooth-talking English speaking bicycle taxi to take us to town to catch the bus. He tried this game first: “Just pay me what you want when we get there.” Absolutely not. We agreed on a price. Then, when we got to the bus, he complained because we didn’t tip him 200-500% of the price. Annoyed, we paid him the agreed fee, ignored his pleas for a tip and got on the departing bus with our stuff. A guy then came up to ask asking for bus ticket money, so we paid him. Then, all the Nicaraguan women around us on the bus started yelling that he wasn’t the real ticket guy, but was a friend of the bicycle taxi guy. They sent the real bus ticket person after him and we got our money back. No personal harm was done and in the end it was only about $5 that we would have lost, but still annoying all the same.

@Ob1: You are very right about how local people are not exempt from crime. We just did a photography project in a “bad” area of Lima. The organization insisted on getting us out by 4 PM because they couldn’t ensure our safety after dark. We could leave, but the hundreds of thousands of people who lived there obviously couldn’t. When we studied in Xela, Guatemala my teacher didn’t leave her house after dark and told stories of local buses getting robbed.

But, it is also true that travelers do stand out more than locals and are more likely to have cash and electronics on them. Nowhere is 100% safe. I’m really sorry to hear about your experience of getting robbed in Guatemala. The thought of facing a machete or gun just sends chills – I can’t imagine how I would react (and hope I never have to find out).

By: Jason

Jason — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 22:09:00 +0000

You make a good point. I think it is understood that everywhere in the world the poor are always at a disadvantage. I am confused about your last comment concerning, “But I still wish someone would have posted a few pictures for meâ€¦”

By: Ob1

Ob1 — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 17:59:03 +0000

@Jason: “but I guess since we are not locals we can never fully trust others”
This is true but it is not limited to foreigners. Locals, especially poor ones, are at least as likely to be the target of crime as relatively rich travellers from abroad. They live in bad areas, can’t afford a taxi home, no insurance or government which will help them if they really need support. And, in contrast to us travellers, they did not choose the risk of being there – they have no choice. I have friends and family in Ecuador and many of them have lived through similar experiences (despite this, Ecuador is still a relatively safe place compared to many other Latin American countries, especially outside the two main cities).

No matter how much care one takes it is never entirely safe out on the road. Even if they would have noted down the license plate it might not have done them any good. Many cars have illegal plates, are registred at false addresses or the police won’t act anyway. In the best of circumstances it will get you your camera back, but at least for me the psychological effects of being at the wrong end of a machete while hiking in Guatemala were far worse than the loss of a few dollars and a camera. But I still wish someone would have posted a few pictures for me…

By: Robert Hill

Robert Hill — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 20:18:36 +0000

“Aside from the garden-variety border scam…” Could you do your fellow traveling readers a service and describe exactly what the attempted scam was, how it was initiated and how it was avoided. Thanks.