Crime and Safety

Last week a friend of mine was robbed in Guayaquil.  She and her travelling companion were taking a taxi back to their hotel and after a few blocks two men got in the car, started waving guns around, and demanded money, credit cards, ATM cards, passports, etc.  Fortunately they were not hurt, they only lost their money and passports.  The robbers eventually dropped the two women off in a remote neighborhood and they were able to find someone to help them get back to their hotel.

I’ve heard a lot about these types of robberies here in Ecuador.  They are more common in the big cities like Guayaquil and Quito, but have occurred in Loja as well.  When these things happen I start to wonder, how safe am I here in Loja? Is it more dangerous here than in the United States?

I’m not sure if I know the answer to that question, but I do know that some the risks are different here than they in the U.S.  For example, cell phone thefts – almost unheard of in the U.S. – are extremely common here.  One way that they steal the phones is to slash your hand with a razor blade when you are talking on the phone in a public place.  You drop your phone in pain and they grab it and run away.  I’ve heard of this happening in broad daylight on a crowded street in Loja.  So for that reason I have one of the cheapest phones available, something so basic that it isn’t even worth the effort to steal. 

For the most part I feel safe here.  I take all the precautions I would take in any city (don’t walk around alone at night, etc.).  It is a little disconcerting when I know that I stick out as a foreigner, but maybe it helps.  Everybody is already looking at me anyway so if something happens there’ll be lots of witnesses, right?

And one thing I’ve never heard about here in Ecuador is someone going nuts and killing people for no apparent reason.  I’m not sure why it doesn’t happen here, but maybe it’s partly because the family structure is so strong here that people never get as forgotten and isolated as they do in the States.