I was among the first people to show up at the Colombian consulate in the morning. The efficient lady behind the counter took my documents and said that they would need a few days to check if everything was in order. She also gave me a number to call on Friday morning to check whether I’ve been granted the visa or not.

Traffic

Spiralling mall

Once my work at the consulate was done, I stopped at a small cafe for breakfast. I had a 5 dollar bill in my hand when I got out of the cafe, but I was too lazy to fish my wallet out of my back pocket and neatly keep the money in it. So I just tucked it into the pocket of my jacket intending to keep it in the wallet later. Then I got into one of the crowded trolley buses to get back to the hostel. On the way, there was a brief argument between an old couple and a younger man. During the argument, I noticed one guy move directly in front of me, and another directly behind me. Both were carrying black plastic bags. I found the situation a little suspicious, so I took one step to the right so that I was no longer between them. They both got off at the next stop, while I stayed on the bus.

On eventually getting out of the bus, I put my hand in my jacket pocket to retrieve the 5 dollar bill. Some sub-conscious part of my brain somehow knew that I wouldn’t find anything there, and sure enough, the pocket had been cleaned out. I was a 100% sure that the suspicious guys on the bus had stolen it. On thinking about it, the argument between the old couple and the young guy was probably also part of the plan and intended to divert the attention of the would-be victim. But anyway, I was glad that I hadn’t been completely distracted and they hadn’t been able to get my wallet or my camera. Five USD was a small price to pay for a big lesson learnt.

At some famous arch (just after being pick-pocketed)