Blogadougou

After 60 hours of air travel, stumbling out of the Santiago airport and into a clear blue sky and the snow-capped peaks of the Andes was quite literally a breath of fresh air.  A quick van ride later and I was in the heart of the Maipa Valley—Chile’s wine country.  When I unpacked by suitcase, I realized my brand new camera had disappeared.  Now, bad things happen all over the world, and it’s conceivable that the camera could have jumped out of the suitcase during layovers in Paris, DC, or Atlanta.  But, I doubt the camera ever left Johannesburg.  First, Johannesburg airport is notorious for theft: see here and here.  Second, on other travels through JNB I have personally experienced extortion (“give me something to make sure your luggage arrives”) and a set up for a robbery (Me: “could you tell me how to get to the domestic terminal?” Him: “follow me up these stairs.”  Stairs: “Proceed beyond this point at your own risk.”)  And third, one current scare story of crime and corruption in South Africa is of customs officials coordinating with local gangs to tail and attack arriving passengers who declare large amounts of currency (I dodged a bullet by comparison).

So I learned a lesson today: don’t pack small valuable items in your checked baggage.  Especially in Johannesburg.  I don’t miss the camera as such.  I just would have liked to have been able to upload my hundreds of Madagascar photos.