Stop! Thief! Gotcha!!!!!
Trip Start
Jan 01, 2007
1
67
141
Trip End
Ongoing
Cariari,
Costa Rica
Thursday, May 10, 2007
We arrived at Cariari with time to spare before the next bus left for Tortuguero. We took turns watching the bags and wandering around the little town. Cariari has every little knockoff item you could want and a dozen different people selling it. We had made friends with Adolfo, a bus company employee, who was giving us lots of tips for Tortugurra. When the bus arrived he opened the back door for us so we could throw our bags in the back and grab seats.
As he opened the back door a bunch of other people jumped in front of us and took up three of the five seats across the back row. No big deal as there are plenty of seats
Frank on the boat ride to Tortuguero
. We threw our bags in the corner and sat in the rows in front of them. Mark and I noticed two seats open in the back row and were eyeballing the extra legroom. Legroom on these buses is at a premium so you have to jump on it when you can. Mark and I take the last two seats with Mark next to a local and I'm against the wall.To say the bus is hot is an understatement. I now know what a Thanksgiving turkey must feel like when you first put it in the oven. All the windows were open but we still could not breath and the bus did not leave for 15 minutes. The locals next to Mark were being very friendly and helpful by stacking our big backpacks a little higher so they wouldn't fall into the aisle. The one guy next to Mark kept showing him how to put his day pack under the seat so he would have more room. Mark really didn't want to do this but the guy was persistent and he finally gave in. Kay thought the whole scene of the two of us and three locals in the back row funny and wanted to take a picture. As soon as she pulled out her camera and aimed it us they ran like cockroaches when the lights come on. They joked and moved around so they could not be photographed. I joked and said they must be in the witness protection program.
We are sitting there sweating and the guy next to Mark keeps asking me to open the end of the window
Mark and Frank - note the empty seat
. I try but it is sealed shut. He keeps asking and I keep trying and say sorry it does not open. The last time I try and turn back around they are gone. Kay says what do you guys smell or something where did they go. About a second later Mark looks under his seat and says "THAT GUY TOOK MY FRICKING BAG!" and darts out the door. About a second later I`m out the door running full speed two steps behind Mark as we chase 2 of the criminals, as they are now criminals and no longer helpful locals, around corner and down the street. One of them headed down an alley, Mark followed him, and the other continued down the street, who I went after. About 5 steps later I grab the guys arm and start yelling wheres the bag!. When I grabbed him he got immediately nervous and tried to play dumb. He has something under his shirt and I pull it up while still holding on to him. It was just his hat. I think he was trying to change his appearance so I would not recognize him. At this point I really do not know what to do because I have never chased a criminal before let alone caught one. I`m still holding on to him when I see Jessie half a block behind me and a lady from a little shop yelling " Amiga, Amiga" holding up Marks red day pack. As soon as Jessie has it in her hands I let him go. At this point Mark has also returned after grabbing his guy and asking the same questions. We have come to the conclusion that due to our lighting quck response to them taking the bag and the blinding speed we exhibited they threw the bag in the store because they were scared and the nice store owner returned it to us. As they say in football the receiver heard footsteps and got scared! Thats right there are a couple of gringos on your trail so look out. They start to look through the bag to make sure nothing is missing and I ran back to the bus to make sure Kay was OK. I was afraid this could be a distraction to get at the other bags. Kay was fine and the whole bus was watching the chase scene unfold.
Jessie and Mark return to the bus with the bag and everyone give a little cheer and we clap. Mark and I give ourselves a big high five and Jessie takes our photo with the bag back in Marks hands. Our friend Adolfo comes running to the bus to make sure we are OK as well as the bus drive and another guy who lives in Tortuguerra. We are OK we tell him and explain what the criminals look like to him because he has called the cops.
Right after we had returned to the bus a motorcycle cop was headed in the direction we had chased the criminals. A few minutes later Adolfo tells us they have caught the guys and they are being arrested as we speak. Score one for the good guys. The response by the Costa Rican police was amazing.
These criminals should be nominated for the Darwin award and here are the reasons why:
1. The bus station is right next to the police station.
2. There was four of us so we could easily give chase.
3. They were older than us and not in good shape so we easily caught them.
4. It turns out they are Colombians not locals and the whole street saw them and turned them in.
Fully of energy and excitement we took our seats and the bus headed out of town. About 30 minutes later the bus pulls over and there is a police truck behind us. In the truck is 3 cops and Adolfo for the bus company. At this point Adolfo comes to the door and says the police would like us to come back and sign a police report or they have to let the thieves go. They really don't want this to happen because they want to clean up these problems in their town and make things safe for tourists. Mark says can't you just throw them a beating and leave them in the field. They laugh and say no we need you to come back and fill out the report. A few minutes before the bus had picked up 20 school kids and they now all have their faces pressed into the buses back window wondering why the cops are talking to these two gringos. Also at the same time Jessie is taking photos of us talking to the cops. Its like a TV show.
Mark and Jessie go back to the station with the cops, they only need him because it is his bag. They get a fun ride in the back of the police pickup and have a great time at the station with the cops. They had to fill out a report and sign it so the people could be prosecuted. It turns out that the Colombians were in the country seeking refugee status and will now be deported because they have a criminal record and will not be granted the refugee status. Part of me feels bad but probably only because we got the bag back. If we didn't we would be really upset and the day would have sucked. On his way out of the station Mark says "Adios Amigos, Buen Viaje" Which means "Goodbye friends have a nice trip". He said the cops laughed so hard at this. After a few final photos with the cops they headed into town for lunch and caught the afternoon bus and boat to Tortuguerra where we met them at the dock. Mark pulled out a nice big bottle of Rum and said it is time to celebrate.
Here is how it went down. Once Marks bag was under the seat they distracted us with the window while they used their feet to slide it down the row to the lady on the end. With the continued distraction of the window they started to leave the bus one by one until we turned around and noticed they were gone. We got really lucky in that Mark noticed the bag was gone while we were still there and not five minutes later after the bus left and there was nothing we could do.
Just a few travel tips for others who are on the road.
1. Don't let you bag out of your sight even if they are nice and trying to help.
2. Criminals don't always look like you think. These guys and one girl were all in there 40s and well dressed. The guy I caught was wearing Khakis and a blue polo shirt.
3. If some one is distracting you in a specific direction it is for a reason.
4. If they run away from being photographed keep an eye on them.
5. Run fast and catch them! You will feel great.
Cheers and Safe Travels
Frank
Comments
yep
great work dude!