Backpacks and bus drivers

In recent posts I’ve written about safety while traveling. I outlined tips and advice for keeping yourself safe, but an important part of being safe are the surroundings themselves and the people around you.

Before I switched my backpack over (that's the bus on the right)

You can never predict who you’ll meet while traveling. But who you meet can make all the difference.

Stepping off the bus and onto the busy streets of Quito’s famous tourist area, I was confused. After all of the traveling we’d done and the elevation, it was hard to keep awake and focused, as we should have been.

The area was a well-known tourist trap called Gringolandia, which is Spanish slang for white land. We were told to look out for pickpockets.

Only seconds after getting off the bus we were taking pictures (I know, smart). The colorful buildings, the sun breaking off the rooftops and the tropical flowers were the perfect distractions. That is, until the bus that we had just left pulled off to the side and the door slid open.

“Hey you,” the driver called out. “Take your backpack off!”

He was clearly talking to me but I thought he was joking.

“Wear it on your front or somebody’s going to take it,” he clarified.

I quickly thanked him and switched the straps around so that the bag was on my stomach. I wore it like that for the rest of the day and luckily nothing was stolen.

It’s nice to know there are a few people who still just want to help out.