Study Abroad Peru 2013: The Miracle of the Video Camera (Puno)

Of all of the amazing an miraculous adventures that happened on this trip, I personally think this is the most miraculous. I don't know if it is the eleventh hour nature of the story, or the number of times it would have been easier to give up, or the number of "coincidence". But here it is for you to decide...

Most of the time when you are travelling and lose something you give it up as lost. Particularly when you are in a foreign country. Particularly when you are in a third world country. Particularly when the thing you lost was a $70 video camera. Almost everyone would tell you to just give it up for lost. But for some reason Porter, Rydge,and Nelson are not most people, and don't give up easily. This is their story...




At some point Rydge realized he had a problem. The video camera he had been using to interview people had gone missing, and the last place he remembered having it was on the public taxi/bus, the day before. After discussing the problem with Porter and Nelson they decided to set out after it.

 Nelson happened to remember the bus number. So they set off to one of the most frequented stops to try and track down the bus. They ended up in a taxi and eventually chased the correct bus down.

After some convincing the driver revealed that he hadn't been driving the day before, it had been a friend. After some more convincing he drove the trio to his friend's house.

The friend initially denied knowing anything. But after some convincing he called his son (who had been with him) to the front room. The son heard what was going on and disappeared to his room. A few minutes later he appeared with the camera, intact and with all of its SD cards and cables.

Nelson, Porter and Rydge made it back to the hotel after the driver, friend and son had all been paid for their "trouble".

It is not often that you find some thing you lost...but this is just one of those miracles.

One last group shot on the islands.