For the most part, Colombia has managed to shake the poor reputation it gained through a past of drug trafficking and violence. As a solo female traveller, I was pleasantly surprised by how safe and tourist friendly it is. Sadly, though, petty crime is still a big problem, as I found out when I was robbed travelling in Cali.
ROBBED TRAVELLING IN CALI
Cali was my last stop in Colombia and I’d been having a fantastic time. I’d just come from the stunning Cocora Valley and was feeling smug that I’d survived exactly 4 weeks of independent travel without any mishaps.
I’d just arrived at the Pelican Larry hostel and discovered that the entire troop of guests was heading out to a Pacific coast-influenced free music festival that night.
The pressure was on to get showered and eat in time.
I shoved my passport in a locker and hurried to meet two of my new friends in reception.
FINDING A RESTAURANT
We didn’t have time to be too picky, so we settled on a pleasant enough looking Italian on the road around the corner. The only seating was outside on the street, but it was a little set back from the main pavement and seemed ok.
Under a false sense of security, I placed my bag on the floor between my feet and the table legs. It was pretty wedged in and I must have figured I’d see anyone approaching.
During our meal, the only people who approached our table were the waiters and one old woman who came to ask for money. By the time the bill came, my bag had vanished.
SEEKING HELP
The restaurant wasn’t particularly helpful. They gave me their address and contact details when I asked for them and sent me on my way.
Back in the hostel, we had to use a hammer to break into my locker because my key had been in my bag. Over the next few days I kept having moments of realisation about what else had been in the bag. I’d lost cash, a camera, my toiletry bag, a head torch and – most distressing of all – my mother’s engagement ring, which I had worn since she passed away. I’d meant to leave it in the UK and, when I’d realised it was still on my finger at the airport, I’d put it in a small SD card pocket of the bag for safekeeping.
FILING A POLICE REPORT
Aside from having lost so many valuable items, the most painful process in making an insurance claim was getting hold of a police report.
Here’s a brief run down of our day:
1. The hostel gave me the address of a ‘nearby’ police station. We walked for 30 minutes. It didn’t exist.
2. We asked a friendly police man where the nearest police station was and he pointed us a few blocks in the opposite direction to our hostel.
3. We walked another 30 minutes and the streets became increasingly more dodgy. A shop assistant told us tourists never came to this area and it was ‘really dangerous’.
4. We hopped in a cab to an existing police station, where we talked to police staff, but they said they couldn’t file a report. They gave us the addresses of two other police stations where reporting was done.
5. A cab took us to the first on the list, but it didn’t exist either.
6. A cab took us to the second one. Finally someone agreed, reluctantly, to file a report.
At no point did any police officer ask me for details of what actually happened or offer to look into the crime.
MAKING AN INSURANCE CLAIM
I had comprehensive travel insurance with World Nomads and they were fantastic. They accepted evidence I photographed while still overseas and they paid out in good time too. They even accepted a photo of my mother’s ring as evidence I had had it with me in the bag.
Since this experience I’ve always bought policies from them. They give me the peace of mind that if I was ever robbed travelling again, I’d at least get some kind of compensation. Aside from great customer service, they allow you to extend your policy while still overseas, and they have a tool to check which backpacker activities are covered.
Use the tool below to search for a policy to suit you.
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TIPS TO AVOID BEING ROBBED TRAVELLING OVERSEAS
- Think really carefully about whether or not you need every item in your bag every time you leave a hostel. I had more than usual because I was in a rush, but in hindsight a few seconds emptying my valuables into a locker would have been well spent.
- Wear your locker key on a band around your wrist, so if you do lose your bag you can still access your other belongings!
- Never let your guard down. Disguise money bags as well as you can and keep larger bags on your knee with the strap around your body.
- If a beggar asks for money, don’t just ignore them and hope they go away. Stare them down and be extra vigilant of your belongings.
- If you are robbed travelling, call the police immediately, or ask the establishment you are in to do it.
- Do your research about the location of the local police station before you head out into a dodgy city.
Sorry to hear about this Arianwen, it really sucks. Hope you can put it behind you and keep on enjoying your travels.
Kieron recently posted..Sunday Spotlight: Ljubljana, Slovenia
Thanks. I already have. It was annoying, but I have insurance and I’m just glad there was no violence involved. These things happen…
That is so terrible, I’m SO sorry to hear this happened! And your mother’s ring as well, I’d be devastated. I had my bag stolen when I was 14 and disembarking from a school cruise in Miami. I don’t even know when it happened, just that by the time I got off the ship I no longer had my purse with me (it was my first time using a purse, so I wasn’t great at looking after it because I kept forgetting I had it). They found it a short while later in a bathroom, with all the money taken out of it – and because this was a special trip, I’d taken cash I’d saved from years of tooth fairy mo$ney, birthday $, Chinese New Year $…I was hysterical because I’d saved that money for years hoping to spend it on something nice, and just like that it was gone. I felt so dumb for not keeping a better eye on my bag, and to this day am super paranoid about keeping my bag on me at all times. I know this doesn’t remotely compare to your story, but I can empathize with you and what you must be feeling. I hope the rest of your trip is so awesomely amazing that it will outweigh what happened in Cali!
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Oh no! That’s such a sad story. I can imagine how much those savings meant to you as a kid. I’m sure the rest of the trip will more than make up for it. In fact I would say it already has :)
Like Arianwen said it was completely unbelievable how this happened, it was Copperfield’esk’. But the tip on not ignoring the beggars is more of a must do. Tedious as it had become we should have not stopped being obnoxious to beggars and tried the new tactic of ignoring them.
On a city walk of Cali that I did, complete strangers were coming up to me telling me to walk on a different street, after the 3rd one I realized it wasn’t a scam. So if you were told the same thing in different part of the city I guess the warning really is, be very careful where you go and what you do in Cali.
I bloody hate that place! Thanks for adding that comment. You never know if people have ulterior motives when they say things like ‘you shouldn’t be walking that way’. I guess in Cali, it’s best to always assume it’s true!
That really stinks, Ari. But as you said, at least there was no violence involved and you are okay. Good tips.
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Yep. Always look on the bright side. That’s what I say!
That really sucks, I’m so sorry you lost your things! :( Too bad you didn’t like Cali. Hopefully the next places only get better from here…
Callie recently posted..IF YOU GOT TO LIVE HERE, BEING A NUN MIGHT NOT BE SO BAD
Thank you! Yes, I’m sure they will! I still had a pretty good time in Cali, but only because the hostel was really cool and I met a lot of nice people.
I was pickpocketed and my bag was taken out of a van in Portugal. Both incidents were in the grand scheme of things not a harrowing despite inconvenience. In fact it led to some positive situations all told.
I was with an American poet one time and he told me about how his phone was robbed with similar misdirection by a beggar in a restaurant in Barcelona. The guy was a poet so he had been inspired to write a poem from the desperate person’s perspective. I shared this story to someone else and he had a completely different perspective, he didn’t have the “privilege” to afford losing anything.
Its funny how when you travel, depending on your larger disposition misfortune rolls off your back because you have no choice but to keep your head up on the road. Especially a long trip away.
Loz in Transit recently posted..Sintra, Portugal: "O mundo gira" – The second chances we get in life and travel
You’re right. Whenever anything doesn’t go as planned you just have to accept it and move on straight away. It would have bothered me a lot more at home, but here, I’d replaced the vital stuff within 24 hours and it was as if nothing had happened (well apart from the hundreds of emails going back and forth with the insurance company!). Maybe I’ll pen a poem too! …
Oh no that is terrible to hear, but so common. I wish I knew you were about to head to Cali, one of my favourite hostels ever is there is Barrio San Antonio.
If you’re heading to Ecuador at all I have more recommendations for hostels as some are great and some not so much. But if you are on the bus in Ecuador NEVER put your day bag at your feet or up above, it has to stay on your lap. Bag underneath on the bus is fine.
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I had a recommendation for a hostel there, but then someone said that wasn’t a good area to be in in the city. I really liked Pelican Larry though. Despite hating Cali, I think it’s probably my favourite hostel so far too!
Thanks for the bus tips. I’m in Ecuador now. Don’t you worry. I always wear my bag, drape a jumper over it and then hug it tightly. I still get backpack separation anxiety when they put it under the bus though.
If you are traveling alone don’t worry. Always greet the bus driver with a smile and they will take care of you. Most times they would stand near by bag just in case.
Ayngelina recently posted..Well hello there, Snoop Lion?
Really sorry to hear that Ari. I dont know how they do it but these buggers are sneaky, the other week my girlfriend had her bag tea leafed from a Prezzo in London. Just like you she had the bag between her feet.
The Police thing is odd, as you say, why would they send you to a dangerous part of town? Glad your safe anyway, and I hope your next destination is much more enjoyable.
Neil recently posted..London 2012 Paralympics through Instagram
Thanks Neil. Yeah, these things can happen anywhere. I am now super paranoid, but that’s a good way to be I think!
Hey Ari,
again, I’m sorry that all this happened; it just really sucks but yes, it’s good no violence was involved. As I told you before I got robbed in Ecuador because that time I let my backpack at my feet, even with a foot in the stap so that nobody would snatch it away, I never thought they would go through with a knife from under the seat!!!
I met other travellers in Ecuador to whom it also happened and they had put wire inside the backpack so that, even if a knife goes through, nothing can be taken out.
Good thing to have insurance that can help out on all other things except the sentimental value of others.
I truly hope that you’ll enjoy the rest of the trip. Be paranoid but open-minded, I know you will; the rest of the trip is gonna be awesome!
Cheers!
Jul’
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I know I’m really late in replying to this because I first found out on Facebook but just wanted to say that it is AMAZING how cunning people can be when robbing you, so don’t beat yourself up about whether the bag was on your knee or by your feet, it is just horrible. In Nicaragua a girl I was with had the cash stolen from her wallet in an empty restaurant, her bag hanging on her chair in full view of all of us. We still scratch our heads about it to this day.Then again I had my purse stolen from under the door of Warehouse changing room in the West End of London so it can happen anywhere – the woman got nothing from it, just me empty wallet and an original picture of my dad from the 1960’s that I always carried. I hope your positive experiences on the trip are making up for this negative one. x
Jaillan recently posted..How To Eat (& Drink) Your Way Around Portugal
Yeah, these things happen, even when you’re really careful. I heard yesterday about a girl who had her backpack on her front and was distracted by a fight. While she looked the other way, someone cut the back off her and she didn’t even feel it!! I’m really sorry about you losing the photo of your dad. It’s the sentimental things that make it so much more difficult to deal with.
Hi Arianweb, sorry to hear about you bag issue – it must have been a really unsettling experience to say the least. I agree with you 100% about Cali. I think it is a really horrible city. So much so that I cut short my planned 2 week stay and returned to Medellin (where I have been living for four months) more than a week early. Medellin is certainly not perfect but in my opinion is in a different league to Cali.
It was a bit of a nightmare at the time, although it could have been worse – if I’d had my passport in it for example. Plus I’ve since returned to the UK and got money back from my insurance company, so the day spent looking for a police station was not in vain! Medellin is pretty cool. I liked it much more than Cali too, and I caught the end of the flower festival, which was interesting. I loved Guatape and El Penol.
Aww man, that sucks! I would cry if that happened to me. I feel so bad for you. Cali has been my temporary home for the last few months! Indeed it is an ugly city, but you learn to love it eventually. Really, it took me many months of living here before I stopped hating it.
Cali has a lot of issues, crime being one of the biggest. It is still not a tourist city, but it could be. Most of the police are corrupt, robbery is so common, and no one usually reports it, that the police were probably surprised and didn’t know what to do when you asked to report it.
Anyway, the people of Cali are amazing, and those people that were telling you not to walk in certain areas were 100% genuine. If there’s anything the people of Cali are good at, it’s looking out for tourists and they generally do warn you if you are in a dodgy area or anything. It’s not a scam, they’re just trying to keep tourists safe, as they know what can and does happen here so often. Cali people are some of the friendliest, nicest and most genuine people you’ll meet.
Fortunately nothing bad has ever happened me in Cali, or Colombia. Probably because my boyfriend has trained me so well to have ‘Colombian sense’ as he calls it. Those ‘senses’ have allowed me to avoid many potentially dangerous situations, so I am glad for them, even though it’s kind of sad that you need to have such a guard in this city.
Anyway, hope you’re enjoying the rest of your journey! :)
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Yes, I agree that I met some fantastic people there. I think I could have liked Cali a lot more if I’d had more time to look around and interact with the locals and not spent all of my time dealing with the robbery! Ah well. I hope this doesn’t put people off visiting Colombia. It’s a fantastic country with the friendliest people I’ve met, and at the end of the day – you could get mugged anywhere!
One of my cameras recently disappeared in Bogota. My guess is that someone really sneakily got it out of my pants pocket.
Ever since I was accosted by beggars outside of a Delhi restaurant, I never eat outside anymore. After reading this, I’ll continue that practice for a second reason.
This stuff has to happen once in a blue moon. I was recently attacked by a kid with a knife in Bogota. He got nothing as I got away, fortunately he didn’t stab me. *Phew*
Mike | Earthdrifter recently posted..Alive on Ayahuasca
Wow! I bet that was pretty scary! I had a sly mugging and an attempted one, but neither involved a weapon, thank God! Glad you’re ok. Sorry to hear about your camera.