As promised, the phone mishap had some new developments, but don't get excited...I still have no phone.
So I had the email address of one of the thieves' friends, whom I also met at the coffee/chat bar. I emailed him to say his friends Abraham and Yonas stole my phone and asked him to please help me if possible. I didn't expect to hear from him but he responded quite shocked and said he doesn't know them well but would revisit the chat bar to see if he can run into them again. Fastforward 2 days, he gives my new local cell phone number to Abraham (I borrowed someone's phone for the remainder of my time in Ethiopia).
Two days ago, during the afternoon, I actually receive a call from Abraham! He claims that Yonas told him to steal the phone and that he merely wants the money I owe him back. However, Yonas wants 3500 Birr ($200) for the phone. I don't like being extorted. After he said that I actually laughed out loud. Sure, to him the phone is worth more than that, but it was a freebie for me to begin with. The only thing I'm really devastated about is all my music. What am I supposed to do from now on on my 10+ hour bus rides?
Still, I played along and asked him if we can meet to do the exchange and agree on a place and time. We decided that same evening, 7:30pm, at a popular cafe that I've been to a couple of times. I promptly call my cop friend and tell him this new development and he said he will be there with another cop in plain clothes and with concealed weapons.
I get there at 7pm, the cops arrive around 7:20pm, and Abraham is still yet to show when 7:30pm rolls around. His number is inconsistent to say the least. Sometimes no one answers, sometimes it's turned off, and occasionally he's in the mood to talk. He said he's afraid to come and ask if I'm alone. I said I'm already at the cafe waiting by myself and I have the money. Another 25 minutes pass and he's still not there so I call again. He texts back that we should wait until I come back from my trip to the north but he "promises" to give me my phone. So we waited around for an hour for nothing, and I felt horrible for wasting other people's time.
After I get back to John's home that evening around 9pm, Abraham calls again and says he's sorry for not coming but he was scared. But he again "promises" to meet me again the next day. I didn't think he'd show but agreed anyway since we had to go into town anyway. This time we decide on noon at the same place. I call him that morning and his phone number was canceled so I basically figured he wouldn't show but John and I swing by around 12:15pm anyway to see if by some miracle he was waiting. No big surprise, he wasn't there and I didn't even bother waiting.
So that's that. On a positive note, I purchased my roundtrip flight to Lalibela yesterday at a third of the price I found online. Apparently it's substantially cheaper to purchase domestic tickets at the airline office here. So now I can afford to fly both ways instead of taking a rickety old bus for two whole days. 3/3 -3/6 will be spend in Lalibela and then I will fly to Dubai on the 3/6 evening.
Ethiopia has definitely been the most memorable country so far, but I'm not sure if I want to come back...
If you know cops, you'd know you didn't waste their time. Most leads are much more sketch than that even and they learned long ago it's just part of the job.
ReplyDeleteYou're one tough buttercup. Per usual with theft, make a best effort to retrieve it, then move onto something fun and swell to get your mind off it.
Oh, and sorry I can't be there to whoop some a**.
dg