Knife Pulled on Me

Sunday, Sept. 24, 2017--Ibarra to Tena

Today was a long travel day and hopefully the last that requires me to try to leave early.  I knew the trip would take about 10 hours, so I needed to leave early to avoid arriving in the dark.  (Because of being near the equator, days her are essentially 12 hours of light and 12 hours of darkness.)

I set my alarm for 4:45 planning to leave at 5:30 after eating breakfast and bathing.  When I awoke at 4:00, I decided to rush things try to catch one of the 5:00 buses instead of the one I intended to take at 6:30.  I just did what was necessary and was out of the apartment at 4:15 heading for the station.  I knew the way well, and I always walk fast.

I was halfway there when a man rode up on a bicycle and started talking to me.  I kept waking fast and responded minimally.  Soon he started asking for money.  I ignored him.  As he persisted, I said, "No." Then he rode closer to me and pulled a knife out of his clothing.  It looked like an 8-inch (20 cm) blade.

I picked up my suitcase raising it to shoulder level since I knew his being on a bicycle was a disadvantage for him.  He didn't pull away, so I tapped him lightly with the bag  so he would see his disadvantage and would know how heavy the bag was.  I did this while saying, "No!" more firmly.

I put the bag back on the ground and started walking away, again at a fast pace, while looking back at him.  He started to follow me again, so I kept my pace and kept watching him while starting repeatedly yelling as loud as I could: "Nooo!!! Nooo!!! Nooo!!!"

He obviously became concerned about the noise I was making and moved closer to the other side of the street.  Then he turned away at the next corner.  But I figured he would be back.  Sure enough, as l neared the next corner, he was about 1/4 of the way down the block headed toward me.

I didn't wait.  I immediately started yelling, "Nooo!!!" repeatedly and loudly again.  He turned onto my street again but was obviously still bothered by the sound of my yelling.  Plus, the next corner was where I would turn toward the station--a very busy street with cars passing.  When I turned while still yelling at him, he continued straight.

I kept watching for him as I walked the final 3-4 blocks to the terminal, but I never saw him again and didn't really expect to do so due to 2-3 cars (including one police car) passing in each block.

I don't think he would have used the knife.  I bet he carries it on himself as protection against anyone who might bother him.  I think he pulled it out thinking it might convince me to throw some money at him.  But I was fully prepared to hit him as hard as I could to knock him and his bicycle over and to continue pounding him if I had to do so once he was on the ground.

For the next 10 hours I was on busses.  We crossed the Andes going from the dry, deserty western side to the lush, damp Amazonian side.  We were up very high with clouds hanging around us and cold temperatures. For hours we followed a fast-rushing stream.  The people up there are poor and live in houses built from odds and ends of pieces of lumber, old windows, etc.  The towns are small and far apart.

Slowly, we descended.  Instead of thick cold forests, they started to have some ferns and palms.  And eventually the land started flattening out.  Then we arrived in Tena.  On one side of town the Andes rise to dramatic peaks, while on the other side there exists flat Amazonian forest as far as can be seen.