There truth about the world we live in is that danger is everywhere. Many people express their disbelief about we single women who travel, work and live abroad and the dangers and risks we face being international. The truth is there are dangers everywhere and I often point this out in my defense of living abroad and working in post-war, developing countries. Yet every once in awhile I have to acknowledge when dangerous situations arise and when my being a foreigner is a disadvantage.
My trip to San Marcos La Laguna included one of these moments. Myself and a friend decided to walk to a neighboring village for the day. The walk was about 3 hours and the weather was wonderful. We walked around San Juan, ate lunch and started back on the road to San Marcos. As we reached the edge of town we passed two women carrying a large bundle of wood on their heads. I stopped to ask them about their load and when we finished chatting they suggested we take a tuk tuk the rest of the way. We asked why and they said the road was dangerous.
A man walking the same direction as us agreed with the women and offered to walk with us since he had a matcheti. This made me more nervous but we agreed to walk with him until a tuk tuk passed. As we walked he explained that groups of thieving boys would watch the main street to see when foreigners would leave. They would then run along the mountainside and intercept the travelers on the road to rob them. Eventually a tuk tuk passed and we were able to take it the rest of the way. But it made me realize how vulnerable I was as an outsider and how open for danger I really was. Sometimes a small reminder is helpful and kindness from strangers is always welcome.
1 comment:
Kindness of strangers indeed! that was a close call.
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