So... I have some pretty bad news... my camera and all its parts were stolen the other day. I'll explain how, but really what I need to know is if there is any insurance coverage for that. I filed a report with the police whom I can have sent to the house in Austin, so let me know if there is anything that can be done.
I was the victim of a scam that, from what the police told me, happens pretty much daily. When I write it seems a lot more obvious than it was at the time. I was walking in a town after my bus had arrived around 5:30 in the morning looking for a place to sleep, when a guy on the sidewalk told me that there was only one place that was open at that time of night, and that it was right over there. As we walked off in the direction, some guy came out with a police shirt on saying ''Stop! Stop!'' He asked us if we had left some building with two ladies, and I said no, and then he said ''Now, listen, don't you dare lie to me. Those women were just found with $4000 US dollars and backpacks full of cocaine. Now you two were seen recently leaving the building with those women, and if you lie to me I will detain you for as long as you can imagine.'' Then he told me to take off my backpack and show him my ID. He looked through my wallet, and I only had around 150 pesos, so he said ''Is this all the money you are traveling with? It can't be, show me where the rest is!'' I told him that there really wasn't anymore, then he asked me if I had US dollars, I said no, and the other guy said ''Just show him, don't hide anything, This is serious.''
Then the man started searching my backpack, but found only cloths and food (of which he searched all the pockets for money). He looked inside the camera bag and saw the camera, and then started giving me all these strange orders, which I realize now, was meant to distract me while the other guy moved the camera from my bag to his. The 'police' told me to take off my shoes and socks so he could check them for drugs, shined a light in my eyes to see if I was drugged, then told me things like ''put the back pack on!'' then ''take it off!'' then finally said he was putting everything in my backpack and he wanted me to go and didn't want to see me again. During this time he had also 'searched' the other guy and found US$400, so he told me ''this one has to stay with me, he has too much money on him, but I don't want to see you again.''
So I walked around the corner, opened my stuff to search it, and my camera bag was filled with rocks. I ran back to the corner where we had been but they were both gone.
Like I said, I have a police report. The police said that this happens all the time, and almost never are the stolen items recovered, but at least I can use that report for insurance reasons. Check both the travel insurance we bought as well as the insurance that should be inside the camera's box in my closet, and the insurance of that lense we bought before I left which should be also in its box.
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