Yup, it happened again. It's now official: I am cursed. This is the fourth trip from which I've returned without the functioning camera I left with. (And that's not even counting the time it was stolen in China and recovered by a what-would-likely-be-illegal-in-the-US police search of the thief's car.) Being stripped of photographic abilities once while traveling in another country is a shame; twice, is a little crazy; three times is ridiculous; and four times, is clearly a curse.
Before I run through a breakdown of the history, I feel it is important to note that each of these four digital cameras have been waterproof up to 10 feet. Considering how much I love to be in, near, and on the water, it just made sense for me to have a camera that would (purportedly) survive a submerging.
1.) China - Stolen toward the end of my trip from my bag on a sleeper bus while I slept. (This was shortly after it had been recovered by police.) Full memory cards lost.
(purchased a new camera)
2.) India - Broke while on a rafting ride the second day of my trip. It filled with water despite being well above the 10' depth limit. Memory card saved but basically empty anyway.
(replaced for free by manufacturers)
3.) Fiji - Broke when Chuck borrowed it for snorkeling and followed an eel below 10'. Memory card saved and Mom, Dad, and Chuck were all clicking away on this trip anyway.
(Chuck bought me a new camera)
4.) Guatemala - No f'ing clue what happened. It just vanished. I don't see how it could have been stolen, and I don't remember leaving it anywhere (though, I suppose the "not remembering" is the key to "leaving" things).
(I'm now giving up.)
I was taking such great pictures too; not the usual peace sign pose in front of the monuments, but rather the restaurants, meals, and hotels we enjoyed--the elements that make trips unique and lovely. Ugh.
For full disclosure, there were two trips to the Philippines (one before and one after Fiji) during which my cameras safely returned home. However, it's time for me to accept that cameras and I are "friends off."
Luckily, I keep journals of my trips, so they're all well-documented; just not in the convenient worth-1000-words-without-having-to-read kind of way. (Sidenote: my journal was very detailed this past trip--think it has to do with being accustomed to texting or FB-ing my every thought and having left my phone at home.) I'll stick to writing about my trips and leave the picture-taking to others. (Mike got some shots that hopefully I'll get soon and post.)
I'm not sure who cursed me or why... Being that I've been using my iPhone to take pictures in Hawaii, I must now be cautious not to refer to it as a camera or take it to other countries.
While my camera situation left me baffled and in denial for a day or two (I actually thought that some nice person seeing the pictures of our hotel would bring it to the front desk), I had an amazing trip. I loved the people, the sites, the food, the hotels... and hanging out with my best friend whom I haven't seen in two years was pretty cool too. So Ha Ha, Camera Gods, I'm gonna remember this trip despite your best efforts! Nikki wins. Flawless victory.
