Ecuador: Canadian mugged by machete wielding thief

theglobeandmail.com/Kayla Cotton wrote: At the exact moment that I realized the beach looked different, deserted, I heard the distant purr of a motor. I glanced back and in the moonlight saw an ATV creeping toward me along the shore. From Day 1, my exchange leaders had drilled the mantra “don’t walk on the beach alone at night” into my head. And yet there I was. How could I be so stupid? My heart pounded as the motor of the approaching vehicle became louder.

The ATV passed and I laughed at myself for being so afraid. But as quickly as my elation arrived, it disappeared as the vehicle hooked around and roared toward me. There were three men on the ATV. As one of them leapt off and ran to me, my mind turned to my mother and how I would be remembered. “This is it,” I thought.

He was half my size and screaming at me in rapid Spanish. I’d read about the fight-or-flight response, but never had such an intense out-of-body experience. My body was screaming at me to fight. I tried running away, pushing him, even attempting to burn him with my lit cigarette. I wanted to live.

SAFETY, SECURITY, HEALTH IN ECUADOR – READ THIS BOOK

His machete put an end to any idea I had about escaping. He pushed me to the ground and straddled my trembling body. He swung his cruel-looking knife back and I thought I was going to die. Then the man slashed the strings of my purse and ran with it back to the ATV, which disappeared in the direction of my hostel…….

understand my muggers – I was in an area where the economic system is corrupt, and the men who attacked me probably grew up thinking crime and violence were needed to feed their families. I was a naive visitor to their home and they took full advantage of that. Even then, I’m one of the lucky ones. But now, my home will never feel as safe as it should. Read Kayla Cotton’s full Article