In NYC they had a much easier scam, I had a 49ers licenced leather jacket, the guy had a gun pointed at me and said he wanted it. You have no idea how fast I removed my Medium sized jacket for a 6'4" 250 lb guy. Needless to say the police didnt care. Out of the 3 times ive been robbed its aways been in the good old USA http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/frown.gif

What nice places do you hang out in the US?

so glad to hear of your good fortune!

I heard recently of another scam - your wallet is taken, and soon after someone returns it to your hotel or wherever you are staying , minus the cash, with a note, "sorry I took your wallet - I needed money and i am very sorry. I didn't use the cards and again, I'm sorry." So you think it's all ok..till you get the credit card bill and someone has gone hog wild w/ your credit card numbers, ordering mail order stuff...

Glad to hear things turned out OK in the end, davistev!

"ordering mail order stuff.." So like someone steals my credit card and orders all this stuff and has it sent somewhere, so like can't the police track down the thief by the address the stuff gets sent to?

In Chicago it was on Michigan Ave, It was 10 years ago when the police just didnt care.

1) usually you are home by then
and the thieves are long gone from their site
2)having been robbed some years ago, my experience is that police rarely investigate CC fraud like this. it's up to the CC carriers and they don't seem to care. Only one that took action was Nordstrom.

Trust davistev and his wife made it safely to Europe and are sweltering away on the Continent, passports and other documents still in hand, and no untoward other experiences to recount.

Not wishing to rub any salt in wounds, nor stir up bad memories of BA, none the less thought I might recommend a film we watched last night on the pay movie channel: NINE QUEENS. Written and directed by Favian Bielinsky, it is caper film about BA con-artitsts. About a third of the film is set at the BA Hilton, and it captures beautifully the whole seedy street culture that crossed paths with them last weekend. I realize what happened to davistev and his wife was nothing to make light of, but I would hope they could watch this film some evening and enjoy it for what it says about the straights the people in that city/country have found themselves in. And the type of crime this brings about.

[I'd be happy to dub a copy and send it off to Japan, since it may not be that easy to come by in Nagano. And since I paid the way for a group of Argentian filmmakers to come up to Canada back in the 90s, I am sure this minor violation of copyright can be taken as an appropriate payback to me.]

G'day,

My wife and I made it back to Zurich just in time for the heat. We also were "lucky" to experience Britain's hottest day on record. LHR could not get any worse if it tried and there were many grumpy travellers to steer clear off in the terminals. Humanity at its worst shines brightly at LHR.

We are now relaxing in Miami with family. I need another break before I go back to Japan to tackle the grind.

I would love to watch the movie mentioned above Shareholder. I'll email you.

On a final note, I have visited most countries in South America (except Guyana, Surinam, Fr Guinea and Paraguay). Argentina has actually turned out to be my favourite followed closely by Colombia. The Argentines are a resilient bunch and although we were robbed, EZE is still a safe city with wonderful architecture, wine, food and people. I still recommend this country for travel. Use the same sense as anywhere else. But if you are going to be stung, there is little to stop you being the target. Your awareness will determine how hard you will get stung.(and luck!)

I am happy to hear that it all fell into place. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

"The web of our life is of a mangled yarn, good and ill together"

William Shakespeare
All's Well that Ends Well Act IV, Sc 3

Glad to read your experience did not turn you off the other charms of BA. As you note, the architecture is a delight -- blend of Paris, London, Madrid and Miami -- and sculptures all over town... Film is on again today, so I shall happily record it and await your mailing details. After your European experience with the heat, must be nice to be in "cool" Miami!