An Honest Thief in Mexico

I haven’t quite sorted out how I feel about this yet, so I’m just going to report it and maybe get some of your ideas.

Earlier today, while Kris and I were out having lunch with some friends who live here in San Miguel de Allende, I lent my rather expensive camera tripod to my sister-in-law and her son so she could take some steady video of him embarking on a bike trip from here to Argentina.

Well, he rode off, taking his camera, and my sister-in-law went back into her rented house, leaving the tripod outside her door.

When we returned about ten minutes later, I asked if she’d put the tripod back in my room. That’s when she realized she’d left it outside.

It was gone.

So, I spent a couple of fruitless hours searching on the internet for a camera store who might have an equivalent tripod somewhere near here or in Querétaro or Mexico City. (God, Mexican shopping sites are shitty!) The best I could come up with was having one shipped down here from where I’d originally purchased it. Including shipping, it would cost $455 USD.

Then it dawned on me. I got out a marker and a sheet of paper and made a sign that said, in Spanish: “To whomever carried off my tripod today, bring it back and I will pay you 1000 pesos (about $80 USD) no questions asked.” I taped it to the garage door, right above where the tripod was leaning.

About half an hour later, a middle-aged woman showed up with her son and said her father had taken the tripod, because he didn’t know who it belonged to. (After all, how could he know that if it was leaned against our garage door, that it was perhaps ours?)

She stood there expectantly for a few seconds until I said, “Bring it to me and I’ll pay you.” Two minutes later, she, her son, and her father returned with the tripod. They live right across the street, by the way.

The father showed me his bandaged foot and said he needed the money for medicine.

I gave the money to him, like I said, no questions asked.

You can help yourself get ready for your own travels by reading our Get Started Planning Your Trip Now page.

We love traveling–with the right gear. We've gathered a lot of the stuff we use to make travel more pleasant and efficient all on one page. Shop our Travel Past 50 Amazon page to find our favorite gear. If you purchase something from the store, Travel Past 50, as an Amazon affiliate, may receive a small commission at no extra charge to you. Thanks.

We never leave home without our travel insurance. Nor should you. Search for the travel insurance from Allianz that best meets your needs, whether it be an annual plan or a single trip.

Note: This post and other posts on TravelPast50.com may contain paid or affiliate advertising links.

Got a comment on this post? Join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, or Threads and share your thoughts!