I guess I was lucky, if they would’ve pressed for more money I would’ve had no choice but to fight or run. And if they had weapons, the situation would’ve got ugly pretty fast.
Lesson learned: just give them the money. $5 won’t ruin your bank. BUT if they still don’t back off, create a confusion and escape (which is exactly what you did).
If you think that fighting is better or more honorable (which I do), remember the problems you could have in a foreign country at the police department. Now that’s where you really don’t want to be.

You are not the first one to take that kind of action to save yourself from a tight spot. In fact I think it’s a primal response, so you really couldn’t avoid it the first time it comes.

As you did, I have done it in the past. I also punched a teenager with a knife in his hand. A stupid thing to do here in Mexico City. I know it was not the best to do.

It’s true what you say, you could have done a lot of things different, and I bet you will in the future, not only in Buenos Aires but also wherever your feet take you.

Keep something in mind while you think about these new routes and what this experience means for you. You reacted based on fear and overcame it. That makes you a real human being and a person into my eyes.

Of course now that your rational side has kicked in. It’s time to don’t go doing that stuff and avoid such situation. Good luck on what you want to do in the future!

As far as arming yourself goes, your keys are a great friend, especially if you’re not confident in your skills hand-to-hand. Hold the ring in your hand with keys clenched between the index, middle, and ring fingers, and you can do a tremendous amount of damage, especially to soft targets (eyes, throat, temples, solar plexus, etc.). Probably not recommended unless they’re armed or threatening violence, though.

I’m not sure I’d play the “I don’t speak your language” card, though. Someone who speaks the language is a worse target – they have a better chance of knowing they’re being scammed, have a far better chance of having/getting help, and are far more capable of involving police after the fact. From my experience, anyway, the guy who can’t understand you and who no one understands is a far “safer,” more anonymous target.

Na, really though, sorry to hear about your misfortune but it sounds like you handled it swimmingly. Unfortunately someone lifted my engraved Florentine leather wallet without me noticing a couple weeks ago in a crowded Bangkok night market. Slick, sneaky bastards! Reporting the lost cards and waiting on new shit from the bank was a pain, but I miss my damn wallet most! Sentimental value. First time I’ve been robbed in ten months here in Thailand (and thankfully no violence yet—they’re very chill people out here).

Anyway, everyone’s gotta be careful and keep their wits about them out there, not just traveling but at home too.

@Ronnie: Thanks! I plan on working more experiences and adventures into the posts now that I know a bit more about the place, so hopefully I’ll be able to keep you coming back!

@Braeden: Haha! The peso is hovering between 3.82 and 3.89 when compared to the USD…not bad, but not the best ever. Not sure about the political climate…most people that I speak to tell me they don’t care about local politics, and that American politics are much more interesting (I think ours are just more publicized, personally, because of all the 24-hour news stations coming out of the US). I’ll keep asking around and get back to you, though.

@Amber: Thanks for the advice, Amber! I’ll do my best to not be drunk, single or female when walking home But seriously, I definitely have been keeping the drinking to a minimum (it helps that people don’t get ‘trashed’ here like in the US…more moderated all around). Glad you’re liking the evolving style! Still working on locking down my writing ‘voice,’ so it’s great to get feedback on that.

@Jonny: Haha, I wish! That would have been an even better story! I actually just went through the old photos I have on a hard drive and picked the least threatening one I could possibly find (trying to make it very clear that I’m not some kind of badass for whom physical confrontation is a normal thing). The bonus is that it KIND OF looks like the robe a boxer would wear before going into the ring. No? Yeah, you’re right…