So yes, Baños was a wonderful getaway and we soaked up the scenery, soaked in the hot springs, and then got soaked on the river.

Little did we know our luck was about to change.

On our way back from Baños, we split up and took two different buses. Laurene and Freddie needed to get back to Quito to work/find work the next day so they left after lunch. But I didn’t have any pressing engagements (let’s be honest, no job prospects in sight) so I was contemplating traveling further south for a few days. After much deliberation, I ended up going back to Quito, so I took an afternoon bus with Evan, our field producer and cameraman.

We were seated in the last row of the bus on the right hand side. On the left side of the bus there was one additional row of seats further back that were directly across from the bathroom. Our bags were under our seats, and our seats backed up against the bathroom.

The 4-hour bus ride had lulled me to sleep and by the time I woke up about 30 minutes from Quito, our camera was missing. We searched frantically all around us, on the top shelf of the bus and under our neighbor’s seats. They noticed us panicking and one young couple offered to help: the girl went to talk to the bus driver, who called the police.

Within ten minutes, our bus stopped on the side of the road and a police officer boarded to inspect everyone’s bags. Every passenger on the bus had to open their bags to prove that they hadn’t taken the camera.

The search was fruitless. The couple in the very last row across from us recalled a guy sitting next to them on a stool in the aisle who had gotten off the bus mid-way through the trip. He must have been the thief. He didn’t even take the whole backpack, but had the nerve to unzip it, remove the camera, and zip the backpack up again before high-tailing it off the bus.

We had all been hearing horror stories from the moment we arrived about theft and muggings in Quito. In all fairness (not quite sure how it’s fair though), it was probably a matter of time until we were robbed – in fact, Laurene was pickpocketed on the trolley a few days before.  Apparently our neighbors even had Laurene and Freddie over for a “safety talk” when they first moved in.

Of course I was incredibly bummed out, but that doesn’t even begin to describe how miserable Evan felt about the whole thing – and it wasn’t even his fault. That camera was his job, his livelihood, his passion – it was like someone kidnapped his dog, crashed his car, and forced him to watch Twilight on repeat – all at the same time.  And we all know there’s nothing worse than that.