On Wednesday evening 19 October 2011 my daughter's Canon Powershot camera was stolen from her bag in Cusco, Peru.
Memory card of reunion with her brother in NY, Ecuador and Peru gone...she is devastated.
I will post more precise details of location in Cusco when i know.
Any help would be appreciated.
Reply to this Further details
Wednesday evening 19 October 2011 my daughter's Canon camera was stolen from her bag in Cusco, Peru.
A RED coloured Canon Powershot rectangular pocket camera.
Stolen from her bag at a Club called "Mama Africa" in the Plaza De Armas.
Memory card has a photo of her name, address & mobile phone number.
Her name is Anna-Louise.
Naturally it is the memory card she wants.
Any help would be appreciated.
Here's hoping...
Reply to this Here's hoping...
Indeed! I will put this thread on the Front Page, to increase the chances.
Keep us updated, if there is any luck. 😊
Reply to this ...Cusco, Peru...
I just thought of something. I met a girl whose camera was stolen when she was in Cusco. She then bought another at a market stall for 10 dollars. I think, some of the robbers sell the cameras at the market. Maybe your daughter should check out the market stalls, on the off chance she will get lucky. Now is probably not too late to do it, because the thieves likely would not try to sell the stolen cameras right away, in case the owner sees them. They would wait for a week or 2 maybe, until the traveller they robbed probably has moved on.
Reply to this Thank you Mell,
Anna-Louise is now in Bolivia...but your advice is spot on...hopefully it may help another traveller.
I hold out a glimmer of hope for Anna-Louise's memory card...I know the Travelblog family is a powerful force...that actually cares...I am continually impressed by it.
What a story for Travelblog if it is returned...here's hoping.
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In response to: Msg #145690
Hey Dancing Dave,
Sorry about your daughter's camera being stolen. However, the silver lining is that you and Mell have helped the rest of us a lot with your suggestions to have a photo with our name and contact on the memory card and to check market stalls. I guess it's also a reminder for us to transfer our photos to other devices from time to time. Best wishes, Tara
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Ah, our heart breaks for Anna-Louise. We have few things that we value more in life than family, friends and photos. Hopefully, they will show up but if not she has the wonderful memories.
We wish her luck.
Reply to this I recently travelled with a friend through SA including Cusco. There are so many stories about being mugged or robbed that we were fairly cautious about our possessions, in particular, things we didn't want stolen.
However one of our ways of minimising disaster if our cameras were stolen or damaged was to regularly transfer photos to a memory stick. This was sometimes a tedious task as computers there are often old, slow and virus infected. But we had 2 backup copies between us of all our photos.
Both our cameras were damaged at the start of our holiday, mine with tonic water and my friends with sand, but they managed to keep working for most of the following 6 weeks.
At least with digital cameras you can do stuff like that. I remember taking a whole heap of photos during a trip to USA pre-digital only to find the camera had no film. And another trip to Israel, a whole day of photos and the film wasn't winding on.
Reply to this Thank you for your input everyone...they all highlight the fanaticism & care required for camera security.
Sometimes it is just bad luck...and not lack of attention. e.g. my travel companions in Mali & Ethiopia lost a camera and video stolen by kids who broke into a 4WD at the end of the trip. The authorities knew who had them but did nothing to retrieve them.
Their best hope is the Memory cards are returned by some benevolent traveller who might come across them.
A long shot...but I believe in miracles.
I remain hopeful for Anna-Louise.
The ID on the Memory Card and/or camera is her only hope...other than the benevolence of a finder.
Reply to this Just recently there was a photo and article in our local newspaper. Divers had found a camera which had been lost overboard in the ocean near a local island. The photos were dated 6 months ago. The camera was rusted but the memory card was fine. So miracles do happen. 😊
Reply to this AN UPDATE
Anna-Louise is in Buenos Aires and has just reported she has been pick-pocketed while taking a photo...(new camera)...purse taken out of a zipped bag on her shoulder...(money only) and the guy with her had his daypack on his back slashed and lost his passport and money.
Where was her father when she needed him...?
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In response to: Msg #148788
Yeah, robberies and even armed ones are common in south America. I have heard numerous stories from travellers about it. Your post reminds me of why I travel so light, with not electronics and just a few KG of clothes and books.
Where was her father when she needed him...?
I think, you are in the right place, at the end of the phone, where you can help her out. If you were with her, you would probably just have got robbed too. 😊
purse taken out of a zipped bag on her shoulder...(money only) and the guy with her had his daypack on his back slashed and lost his passport and money.
One point thought: Those kids should have money and passports in concealed moneybelts under their clothes. It is plain craziness to have those things in shoulder and back packs in s America. Tell, them from me, to go buy a moneybelt each right now. And, if they cant find one, put money, passport and credit cards sewn into a pouch, cotton hanky... and attached by sewing to the inside of clothes. 10 or 20 dollars worth is enough to carry in a purse they can easily reach.
I hope my daughter will listen to my naggings about safety and security before she attempts to travel alone, and I wont have to post threads like this one, about her. 😉
Reply to this With all the stories and warnings we received before we left, I invested in a travel safe bag...has wire in shoulder strap and wire mesh in the bag. All zips can be hooked closed and it was always worn across the body. Also an easy lock catch on the strap which we used to tie our bags to solid objects when travelling on overnight buses (a girl had her daypack swiped from under her seat just across the aisle from us, by a departing passenger).
We later saw another traveler with one of those wire locks to make his and his girlfriend's bags secure while they slept.
When I bought that bag I was thinking that I was being a bit over cautious as I've done lots and lots of travelling and never had a bag like that, but I think it was money well spent.
And I think you have to be a little cautious in some places.
I actually had a phone stolen in a supermarket in China and felt the guy bumping me. I checked the zips but not the pockets while he stood next to me trying to look nonchalant. I noticed to phone gone 5 mins later at the checkout but too late by then.
Always be aware of your surroundings and take little of value out with you in high risk areas.
BTW We are rich because we can travel for pleasure....I couldn't begrudge that dirty Chinese pheasant who stole my phone.
Reply to this We also tried not to let people get too close to us in crowds...though that can be a bit difficult in a crowded bus station.
Another tip, if it is crowded, one keeps eyes open while the other photographs.
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