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Patrick Sawyer
climber
Originally California now Ireland
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BigMike
Jan 4, 2013 - 01:35pm PT
Where is the OP on this one... Starting to smell a rat...
BigMike, I feel the same way, but we could be wrong.
EDIT
t*r
Jan 4, 2013 - 02:21pm PT
Those links do not endear me to the story. If indeed these travellers' story is true, then...
...but it also could be a case (and I am not saying it is) of one of self-aggrandisement. I could easily post stuff on the internet and in blogs that would not be questioned by many, but then...
With the internet and such, it is easy for stories to be picked up and given credence to by blogs, forums, lazy journalists (something I know a lot about).
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JLP
Social climber
The internet
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Latin America is not a giant sh#t hold Yes it is! Septic systems and sewers, drinkable water? No. What else is a giant shithole? This place defines it. Sh#t everywhere.
I do generally agree with your points, though.
It's super obvious who in this thread has been through a 3rd world road block, and who hasn't - regardless of their opinion of it.
Pretty interesting shots linked to above - nice flashy cloths in the market with EVERYONE looking at them - forget the truck.
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couchmaster
climber
pdx
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vininja asked: "Why the need to copy and past the whole letter on the 5th page? A good link was on page one. Unneeded post" I replied: "Vajayjay, I posted the whole thing (on P 5!) as the link wasn't working for me and I also put it here for posterity, so that if that link or the text is gone we can all reflect on it and remember the truth later at our leisure." WML said: "Looks like they redacted their item list; saved for posterity on the fifth page of this thread by someone else. Good call."
We have always been at war with Oceania. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nineteen_Eighty-Four
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Patrick Sawyer
climber
Originally California now Ireland
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t*r
i just found this... answers accusations of scamming:
http://www.planetjh.com/news/A_109001.aspx
What does that prove, it is still a one side of the story told to a home-town newspaper, and I know journalists, believe me, they can be 'gullible' (I am being nice) when there is a story, especially about a local person. I'd like to see what the Peruvian papers/journalists have to say. I guess I have a bit of googling to do.
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wbw
Trad climber
'cross the great divide
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This story is reminiscent of an experience I had in Caraz, Peru several years ago. We were traveling back to Huaraz after being in the mountains, and the main road in the Callejon de Huaylas was shut down for a labor strike. Labor strikes typically last for two days in Peru, and they happen frequently. So we just decided to hole up in a local hostal and find some cheap beer to wait out the strike.
In town, people were getting pretty fired up about the strike. No problem for me and my friend as we were just laying low. Then we meet this young, clueless traveling American who wants to "experience" the strike up closer. He tells us that he's headed to the Plaza de Armas, where the local men are getting all fired up and pissed off, to see it up close.
Clueless and arrogant: as if the world was made for young, relatively wealthy Americans to have their experiences so that they can go home and tell stories of daring do in exotic locations. Really reminds me of these young folks in this situation. Well, they got their story didn't they??
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WBraun
climber
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In today's horrible economics times where so many are having a difficult time trying to survive these people have now setup a PayPal account
requesting donations for a new truck along with the $20,000 they've already made from donations.
Pretty bizarre greedy entitlement gall.
Please support our fun while so many others suffer is the message they are projecting now.
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Big Mike
Trad climber
BC
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Peru this Week was able to confirm that the official mentioned in the blog post works at the US consulate, but the official declined to comment on the events.
According to El Comercio, Cusco’s office on foreign trade and tourism confirmed the incident, based on reports from the Ocongate police station, but said no formal complaint had yet been placed.
No formal complaint? What? They haven't pressed charges?? Hmm.... Interesting.... Still no independant stories on this one, everything refers back to their blog. At least the OP made somewhat of an effort on this one, he did make four posts before starting his money troll....
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weezy
climber
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Back in my day, these kind of incidents got filed under "objective danger".
Dangerous bridge crossings, seracs, angry mobs. It's all part of the approach to the base of the slag heap.
Doesn't anyone value adventure anymore?
[Click to View YouTube Video]
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harryhotdog
Social climber
north vancouver, B.C.
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Here Here, well said
I'm very sorry for what has happened to these folks, but it must be said that this type of a trip to Peru is exactly what to do if you want this kind of trouble.
To take your truck to Peru from the USA, and make the same kind of car camping trip that I make to the Valley, or southern Utah is pretty naive to begin with. Then to go to a remote location like the region they were in and just pull over on a dirt road to camp out would draw attention from the poverty-stricken locals. The locals were most likely attempting to simply rob them; the use of rock barricades to stop vehicles is a common tactic in robberies that I have heard about in numerous cases in Peru. This includes robberies that occurred in much less remote places than the Ausungate region. Then, fighting the locals by not giving up their documents, and spraying them with bear spray turned the situation into a desperate struggle to survive.
I have traveled in almost all the various regions of Peru in eleven trips I have made there. I have thought about avoiding a scenario like this many times, and these folks made all of the mistakes possible. Any experienced international traveler, who travels discretely and respectfully could have predicted the outcome of a journey such as this. Any person in Lima would have warned these folks against such a trip. I'm amazed that they were not killed.
With due respect, this is a story of how the "ugly" American travels around the world clueless of the local cultural and socioeconomic factors, and gets themselves in trouble only to hope that the local American consulate will bail them out of trouble (which it generally is not inclined to do.) Safe travel in these kind of poor places is done by making wise decisions; not idealistic itineraries. This situation says a lot more about the kind of travelers these folks are, than it does about traveling in Peru or other poor countries. They truly are lucky it did not end worse.
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wbw
Trad climber
'cross the great divide
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JLP, people gotta sh#t, whether the money is there for sewage systems or not. I've been to villages in east Africa where people are just hiking down their pants while standing next to the road, and taking a crap. Kinda shocking when you see it the first time, but once you get used to it, doesn't really take away from the natural beauty of the place, or the cultural interest of the local people.
These three young wankers continue to show themselves as spoiled brats.
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Patrick Sawyer
climber
Originally California now Ireland
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A bit off topic but...
we would hike into the Sangay park (technically a tiger preserve,
no offence DonPaul, but don't you mean perhaps jaguar? Tigers are in Asia.
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mechrist
Gym climber
South of Heaven
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I wouldn't even imagine asking my FAMILY for donates to help replace gear stolen on a climbing trip, especially to a 3rd world country.
A couple guys I knew went to Venezuela to climb some teetering pile of choss. They got all kinds of shiny new gear and clothes. I got a great deal on the shiniest of the shiny and the rest was to stay in the bottom of the bag until the climbing started.
Another friend just had her iPhone stolen out of her hand in Paris. She chased the guy down, punched him in the head, took her phone, and posted it on facebook 5 min later.
Hopefully something good comes out of this thread... either the realization for some that traveling in 3rd world countries (or anywhere really) is not a excerpt from and REI travel catalog, or at least a big heads up for the youngins who are starting to consider big travels. I'm not a big traveler, but I'm always aware when I do travel. It is interesting when you realize you may very well be the ONLY person in Paris with blue jeans and a puffy.
56. Strange lands and separation are the wanderer's lot.
When a man is a wanderer and stranger,
he should not be gruff nor overbearing.
He has no large circle of acquaintances,
therefore he should not give himself airs.
He must be cautious and reserved;
in this way he protects himself from evil.
If he is obliging toward others, he wins success.
A wanderer has no fixed abode; his home is the road.
Therefore he must take care to remain upright and steadfast,
so that he sojourns only in the proper places,
associating only with good people.
Then he has good fortune and can go his way unmolested.
I Ching, written a few years ago or something
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prickle
Gym climber
globe,az
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i can't afford a regular cell phone never mind an i phone...
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Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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When it comes out I am not buying Three Cups Of Coca.
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JLP
Social climber
The internet
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JLP, people gotta sh#t, whether the money is there for sewage systems or not. I've been to villages in east Africa where people are just hiking down their pants while standing next to the road, and taking a crap. Kinda shocking when you see it the first time, but once you get used to it, doesn't really take away from the natural beauty of the place, or the cultural interest of the local people.
So we agree it's a giant shithole, then. I will never get "get used to" rampant and uncontained sh#t, garbage and disease.
This is a culture with a really low IQ. It's been tested and compared to the rest of the world, with Africa at the bottom by a long way. This is the reason for thier economic and living conditions. It's certianly not a lack of natural resources.
I find Europe and parts of Asia more interesting these days, myself.
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mechrist
Gym climber
South of Heaven
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Holy fuking ignorant
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Patrick Sawyer
climber
Originally California now Ireland
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In today's horrible economics times where so many are having a difficult time trying to survive these people have now setup a PayPal account requesting donations for a new truck along with the $20,000 they've already made from donations.
Pretty bizarre greedy entitlement gall.
Please support our fun while so many others suffer is the message they are projecting now.
Werner sometimes I do not agree with you, most of the time I do, and I certainly do now.
My mom always said: "Patrick you are a good judge of people, but the biggest procrastinator I have met."
Well, if mom is right and I am a good judge of people, I smell bullshite with these people's story.
If they are honest, okay. If they are scamming people out of money, there must be some sort of law that can nail them. Today Show? Does that surprise me. More money for them, eh.
Perhaps they really did mess up and found themselves in a bad situation. But their actions (posting a blog a day after on the internet, looking for donations - and if Riley Wyna is correct, that they were looking for money even before the so-called incident - giving interviews, etc) are anything to go by, something does not add up.
Perhaps they ran out of money and were looking for easy money? Perhaps they were looking for some illicit substances? Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps.
I am not going to give a penny to them, because, I do not have a penny to give to begin with, and I suspect they may be chancers secondly, though I could be wrong.
It just does not add up. As I mentioned before, especially with the story going viral and Today Show talk, I see book and film rights for these three well-off kids.
But the truth will out.
Now, to add, the Irish government refuses to believe my story that I was mugged by a bunch of leprechauns who stole my life savings. And that a Banshee showed up at my door. Go figure. It did happen. And my landlord does not believe it either. So it looks like the safe haven I have created for Jennie (with her medical condition) is going to be gone and social services will try to find a safe, secure and affordable environment for Jennie and I to live. And Boots the cat too. (NB, by being her full-time carer in home care I am saving the taxpayers four to five times what it would cost for State care. The Carer's Association reckon that homecarers like myself save the Irish economy some €4bn a year.)
When Jennie came out of hospital (58 days, summer 2010) after the initial diagnosis, and the doctors and social worker said that she had two options - home care (me) or State care, there was no doubt in my mind. Even though several people said to put her in State care and have a life, I could not do it. She was my partner.
I had over €100,000 of mine at my disposal. I could have gone climbing anywhere.
Why do I mention this? What does it have to do with the thread?
Simply because I chose the less selfish way. Not that I am an angel or saint. Far from it.
I do not see the three storytellers going the "less selfish way".
To repeat Werner's assessment...
In today's horrible economics times where so many are having a difficult time trying to survive these people have now setup a PayPal account requesting donations for a new truck along with the $20,000 they've already made from donations.
Pretty bizarre greedy entitlement gall.
Please support our fun while so many others suffer is the message they are projecting now.
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FRUMY
Trad climber
SHERMAN OAKS,CA
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So not much different than the U.S., we have all the toilets you could want & yet people sh#t at every climbing area there is.
I was at Half Moon Bay a couple of weeks ago, and someone sh-t in the packing lot, at the beach -- 30 feet from where they sh-t there was on open out house.
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Brandon-
climber
The Granite State.
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JLP never got used to the concept of putting your toilet paper in a wastebasket.
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