Getting robbed in Bolivia

The fifth day in Cochabamba, we finally got our TVIP extension from Aduana, like pulling the teeth - that’s another story.

Andi decided to take the advantage to fix the cam tensioner, so I said I might go for a walk to the hill - Cristo de la concordia, which looks like 4 or 5 km from our couch surfer’s home. I said I will be back in 3 or 4 hours.

I left home just after 11am, like everyday we’ve been in Cochabamba, the sun is shining . It took me about an hour to get to the bottom of the hill.

From a distance, I can see there is a cable car going up and down, also there is a walk way right next to the cable car line. There are some people walking on it, it doesn’t look like dangerous to me, so I decided to walk up  - we haven’t done much hiking recently, I really like to stretch my legs to keep fit if I can.


I started to walk up, meeting quite a few people on the way, there were families with young kids, couples, etc, so again, I didn’t feel unsafe. The walk up wasn’t very long, took me about 20 mins then I was about 100meters from the top - I can see the Cristo and also the building of the cable car.

I continued, all of a sudden two young man with machetes jumped out from nowhere, they threatened me with their knifes and started to pull my backpacker off me. My instinct reaction was to hold it tight and wouldn’t let it go also start yelling and screaming. They pushed me off the road into the bush, one guy used his machete to cut the backpacker strip off - the machete is fucked, like everything else in this country so it took him quite a few strikes to cut it off. In the mean time the other guy kept dragging me down into the bush. I was kicking and screaming and tried to fight out of my way. The guy who then pushed me down to the ground, hit my head with a rock, then put dirt into my mouth tried to stop me screaming, I bit his hand. Finally, I saw the other guy opened my bag and took the stuff inside put into his bag, then both of them left me and run down hill.

I started to chase them, then I realize they were running too fast to catch. Also I realized I did not have the strength. So I picked up my empty and slashed backpack, walked about 20meters back to the road. I didn’t know if there were any people around, but when I found my hat and sunglasses was put together neatly on the road side along with a knife, I was pretty sure it must be some one who saw it happened and didn’t lend a hand. There is no way my sun glasses would fall into my hat on the ground perfectly when I was fighting with the two guys, simply not. I picked up my hat, sunglasses and the knife. I wish to take a photo of it for evidence, but my camera was taken.

I decided to go up to the building to find a police or someone who can help. Then a group of tourists from North America come by, I tried to ask for help, the first couple didn’t want to know about it they just walked past me. An older man in the middle of the group - might be their teacher stopped and asked me what happened. I told him also asked if there any police up to the top, he said no, but he did offered if he could help. I said I will go up to take the cable car down to find the police.

I got to the building, there was a security guard there, he then took me down the cable car we went to the police right beside the start of the cable car. There were 7 or 8 fully armed police there, but they all watching the football match between Argentina and the Swiss. Finally one police interviewed me, then he called someone else, I was taken in a police car (second times in Bolivia) to another police station.

In this second police station, a police interviewed me again at least this time he wrote down what I said. He then said because you are from Australia ( NO, New Zealand, I said), you must have insurance, you need a police report right? To me, the way he was dealing with the situation, he had no intention to find the crime,  only want to do a report for my insurance.It made me think he have done this many times.

Then he told me I need to go to the bank (which is 1 km away) to pay 10 Bolivianos to buy a ticket then come back to get the report done. Luckily I hid some money in my shorts the robbers didn’t get.

So I walked 15 mins to get to the bank. I was given a number of 559 and wait. When my number was up, I went to a wrong counter - I think I was tired, distressed, dehydrated, when I found the correct counter, the number was changed to 560, the man behind the counter was not going to serve me.

With all my anger, I slammed the money and the note from the police onto his desk and said in English “ take the money and give me the fucken ticket, I was just robbed by your country men up the hill, and the police made me to come here to pay for my police report. I’m not leaving until you serve me.” A customer beside me understood my English, he then explained to the bank staff, then everyone saw scratches and bruises on my legs, my face ,then they started sever me. The man said he was very sorry, but by that time, I couldn’t care any less, I just want to get my ticket and police report and get the fuck out of there.

I got my ticket, back to the police, then wait again, another police put all the hand writing  into computer. After printed out, he ask me if I have 5 Bolivianos, this time I said NO. He then simply gave me the report, I didn’t say thank you.

I do believe it is organized crime, the guys on the hill attacked the tourists, then the police get more money charge the victims for issue a report, what a cunning plan.

I still wouldn’t say this country is more dangerous than any other counties. Robbery happens all around the world, but the aftermath bullshit makes you wonder.


When I finally got home, it was 6pm...