Extortion, Antigua
Trip Start
Oct 06, 2006
1
34
76
Trip End
Sep 14, 2008
Antigua Guatemala,
Guatemala
Thursday, August 2, 2007
Maybe you remember some of the stuff I talked about in our last blog update regarding the extortions that are happening in Guatemala, and probably in all of Latin America. If not, take a quick look at This is a different world! - Chiquimula, Guatemala to get an idea. Well ... this was something I thought I would only hear on the streets, read in the newspapers and see on TV but I never thought this would actually happen to us. What a crazy world! I will make this short because there's a lot of detail involved but it's hard to believe what has happened and it's something that should be told.
One morning Mariela was on the way to an Internet Café and got pulled into a car and threatened with a gun held to her head. Yes, crazy! After trying to molest her she was able to escape from the car and ran. The car was able to pass her up at another corner where the men told her that she'd pay for her action (of running away). A few days later one of the men shows up while she is walking through town and threatens and forces her to go to the ATM (bank machine) to withdraw money from her account
Antigua, Guatemala
. If she would not follow his instructions, go to the police or tell anyone about this they threatened her to hurt her as well as her boyfriend, i.e. me. Organized crime! Lot's of crazy shit (excuse my language) happening here with many details that I can't really all write about in this blog, but, oh boy, that was something we would have never expected especially after being in Guatemala for more than 6 months already and knowing lots about the culture, the people, and various places, etc.I've learned a whole lot through this experience. It's sad to say, but you have to be careful who you can trust and who you can't. I'm the kind of person who loves talking to people, socialize, hear stories and tell stories, and easily trusts folks, but in this world you have to be a bit more cautious because you don't really know what someone's intentions may be. I have also learned that you need to be careful if you spend a lot of time in one place. Especially as a foreigner like me (tall and blond) you stand out and people notice your routine and what you are up to on a daily basis. I think I will leave it at that and I am sure you can see some of the things I'm trying to tell you here. Besides loosing a couple hundred dollars to the extortionists we definitely experienced shock, confusion, anger, and a bunch of other emotions which in the end made us I believe stronger, smarter, and more careful for the future. You might wonder why we didn't go to the police and that's a fair question, but all I can tell you is that with the corruption and involvement of the police in organized crimes this was not the route we were going to take.
Well ... would I visit Guatemala again after all these experiences? Of course I would! This is an incredible place, with incredible people, incredible landscapes, and incredible customs. Guatemala has a special place in my heart, not only because my girlfriend is from there but also because we spent a very long time here and got to know many good people. The unlucky stuff that has happened comes down to being at the wrong place at the wrong time and really could happen almost anywhere around the world. You might run a bit more risk around Central America but it is no reason to be afraid and miss out on the opportunity to get to know all the beautiful things this country has to offer.
Comments
Extortions in Antigua
Not surprised, in Antigua one has to be careful who one talks to and what information one shares, even in casual talk. Its full of opportunists preying on foreigners, its become a national pass time - Very sad. Genuine friendship is hard to come by here, contrary to many lat.Am countries. Small time Travel operators are the worst. Get your info. from foreigners NOT locals. A beautiful setting, but
many rapacious people, beware of the strained smiles. May those who are innocent of the above mentioned forgive me. But in general its true.