A really, really bad experience

Well, I am officially a stupid tourist.  I was robbed this morning as I was walking care free around El Centro.  I had a lovely breakfast at Restaurante Archangel and then decided just walk around for a while before going home.  It was very cool and families were out walking with their children.  As I passed San Antonio church (I think one of the oldest in QRO) I went to look inside, and I felt something wet dripping down my arm.  I felt my back pack and there was some brown liquid dripping down it.  I thought a bird had pooped on me.  A young man came toward me from the church, saying let me help you -- you have something bad on your back -- come into the church so we can wipe it off.  He and a woman had some tissues and were helping me wipe off the pack.  One of them distracted me to hand me more tissues and evidently the other one reached in my pack and took out my wallet.  Then they disappeared.  I didn't even realized what had happened until I had walked 2 blocks or so toward home to change my clothes.

I smelled my hands that still had some brown stuff on them and it smelled like salsa.  So I wondered where would salsa come from in the middle of a plaza in front of a church?  Then it hit me -- it was a very clever plan to rob me.  I checked my pack which still had my spanish book but not my wallet...... my wallet with all my credit cards, my debit card, my license, my checkbook...todo.  Gone.

And I feel very stupid, because I know better than to carry all that stuff around.  Up until today when I walked around,  I had just brought with me in a pocket what money I thought I would need and nothing else but my camera (which I had with me today, but they were evidently not interested in stealing a camera).  But this morning, I thought I would bring a book with me to read at breakfast, and though I thought about taking the wallet out of the backpack, I didn't.  I think I have been feeling so comfortable here like a resident not a tourist, but forgetting that I still LOOK like a tourist.

So once I discovered the wallet missing I walked on to Aurora's and Javier's house and luckily they were there.   I don't know what I would have done without them.  Javier called the police who came to the house, and I tried to go online with Aurora's laptop to alert the credit cards but that became too complicated because it was not my computer so I couldn't access my accounts.  Javier found the Amex number and I called them -- luckily I have that credit registry so they blocked all my credit cards.  Tomorrow we have to go to the Police station to file a formal report and supposedly Amex will moneygram me some money to Walmart of all places.

So I learned a lesson the hard way -- a lesson I already knew, but didn't honor -- never carry anything of value with you in a bag.  And unfortunately, be suspicious of everyone.

Hopefully, this will turn out ok, but it feels terrible right now.

P.S.  The police said this has happened to several people recently because the Mexican holiday is coming up and outsiders have come in to take advantage of the many people coming here to celebrate.