Driving in Guatemala - risk of hijacking?

This is a shocking story that I appreciate you sharing and you should feel blessed that so little is lost and lessons are gained. I can't help but agree with at least the sentiments of enroutesligo (the second sentence of my post #1 is "avoid driving at night"!) and what they did was reckless and wholly unnecessary. That said, you and they have my sympathies...

Crossing into Guatemala from El Slavador on luxury bus at night and they make you shut your curtains. It is a notorious for hold ups. Just a few years ago a bus load of people form El Salvador got killed on that stretch of road.

You have my sympathy for what passed. Your b/f was probably in panic state and thought it was the best plan. I agree that possibly the woman was in on it since they left her cell phone, sounds suspicious.

Again, it wasn't in the middle of the night. They left El Salvador at 4:30 pm, it was maybe 8pm. Also, the woman was undressed, hysterical, and left in the mud for hours. That sounds like a long way to go to simply rob someone. He spoke to her this morning and if she's in on it, he has all of her information. I don't know what road he was on, but I guess I say "the middle of nowhere" because that was where he described where they were taken. You're right, I have no idea of what it is like there. I have nothing against Guatemala. Hell, I live in Harlem, NYC and stuff happens all the time, which is why I walk on Broadway at night and not Riverside or Amsterdam. I have not been the best in articulating myself in my post, but I in no way meant to "demonize" Guatemala. The Bronx is infamously unsafe at night and people go there all the time when they shouldn't and shit happens to them. I'm not "demonizing" the Bronx, I just read the crime statistics.

OK... that all makes sense. You're right that I was too judgmental, but you'd probably be exasperated if someone sounded the alarm after getting being mugged dragging a chest of Rolexes through Grand Concourse one night and suggested that there miiiiiight be some risk :D The Bronx is also not a struggling, tiny country which depends on every visitor dollar it can muster.

After trying to see it from his perspective, I can imagine how easy it probably seemed to just get in a car and drive, desperate to see his family. Since it has happened to many others, obviously he is not alone: I may have even done the same thing myself, thinking, "hey, what are the odds?" The woman's whole part in this, on the other hand... still doesn't add up. The chances of a sane, straight-thinking local getting in a car with a stranger to do this are pretty slim.

By "demonizing," I mean just one other story that could convince someone not to visit the country after hearing "one more" avoidable horror story. If it convinces just a single person not to do something similar under these circumstances, then it could do some good. So it's good that you shared this, and may help others realize that the danger in doing it this way is not just theoretical.

As for having "her information," well, I'm sure this has already dawned on him and his family, and I hate to make things sound worse, but he's not the only one with info. I know at least one family who underwent a long extortion ordeal after an event like this. If she was involved (and believe me, a few hours acting in the mud for a bank-emptying payday is nothing), or not, they may now have a lot of personal info, which would include everything on there. This both puts him in a position where he has absolutely zero recourse – not as if he would anyhow, as this stuff doesn't get resolved by the police – but also vulnerability. Like I said, I'm sure the family is aware of this and if their info is on there they will change numbers, take precautions, etc. Sorry to bring this up but it is a real thing and should be on your radar.

Thanks for sharing and following up, especially after getting a pretty unpleasant reaction. This is good info for people to have. Hope you can come to the country sometime and find out what makes it so special.

...just wanted to say one more time that I am really sorry this happened to you and can only imagine how stressful it must've been. My first reaction was pretty much the equivalent of hands thrown up in the air. The only people to blame for this are the ones who carried it out and the corrupt players who have created a culture of impunity (plus possibly that shady lady, but let's not go there). Try to give an update when you can.

Everyone makes mistakes, this is just one of those cases where there is basically just one mistake to make, and it's not pretty.

I do get it about the woman he rode with. I totally understand that this could turn into something worse. I'm not turning a blind eye, it's just that he met her on a plane from Houston and yes, that doesn't mean anything, but she gave him her business card and phone number. I know she could be scamming him, but she also could not be and was also just caught in a bad situation. I just want him to come home.

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