Friday, March 12, 2010

Last Night in B.A.


Am home now safe and sound ... but ... the last night in BA my handbag was stolen with everything I owned in it including all my credit cards and my passport. I was not as diligent that one night only - all my cards and i.d. and passport had been in the safe in the apartment until our last night as i had it all organized to leave in the morning. We had dinner at our favourite little restaurant downstairs which was almost empty and I took a seat right by the wall. I didn't see two people come in for a few minutes and sit behind me. Apparently the woman appeared to be pregnant (or not?) and when I got up from dinner my handbag was gone. It was also the first time I didn't sit with my bag slung around my neck and resting on my lap during a meal. We lived upstairs, it was the best area in the city and we knew the place well. Not good enough ....

I got all my cards cancelled, and talked to the Canadian Consulate that night. I always keep a photocopy of everything in my purse somewhere else, and if I can give advice about anything, it's this. It made everything so much easier and faster since i had the numbers on all my cards and copies of my photo i.d. My friend Keith made this copy for me last year in Puerta Vallarta - thanks Keith !!! The following morning I had to make a police report and then go to the Canadian Embassy to get a travel document to get me on the plane home since i no longer had my passport or any kind of i.d. at all. The embassy was wonderful, and now I know we can count on our people when abroad. It's a great comfort. They knew I had to fly that day and went through hoops to get that document through Ottawa quickly. And "Ottawa is very busy" as the agent, Beatrice said. Emily looked like she might have a stroke at this comment ......

Honestly folks, this would have been so much worse if I hadn't been with friends. We actually were laughing while waiting for a few hours for the travel document in the waiting room in the embassy. They were helpful and supportive and Emily even attempted a small nervous breakdown on my behalf since I couldn't spare the time ... kidding .... "May they roast in Hell" is Emily's credo. You gotta love that woman. Sally and Denise were great and Sally's skype (she has all the gadgets) saved the day as most of the credit card emergency numbers for Argentina wouldn't work.

Enough about that. None of the cards have been used so they threw the purse away and took the cash, which wasn't insubstantial. May they roast in Hell.

Although it wasn't a great way to end the trip, I had seven weeks of a wonderful time and one night and a day of not so good. Pategonia is the most beautiful place on earth I think, and anyone interested in pristine places of great beauty should try to go. Being on a ship is probably the only way to see it properly and i am so glad to have seen it "coming and going" and also being around Cape Horn not once but twice. How good is that?

I will go through my pictures over the next couple of days and post the best ones.


Thanks everybody for travelling with me through the blog. It's like talking to friends doing this. I have enjoyed it and will do it for my next big trip wherever that is.

love m
xx oo

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