My trip so far has been hassle-free and more or less without hitch (apart from losing my camera in Azerbaijan and getting stuck in Djibouti), for which I am very grateful. I am always surprised when I hear scare stories of people getting robbed, horribly conned or even physically threatened. But all this became frighteningly real for me today when I received an e-mail from a Mrs Chicovsky, the mother of Ryan, a guy I had met whilst travelling in China. Although I only spent a couple of days with him I remember him well and have fond memories of our adventure together. It seems that last year, whilst travelling in Laos Ryan went missing and hasn't been seen since. I feel somehow slightly guilty that I ambled through the same place without incident and that my glowing praise of the place may have helped convince Ryan go himself. However, there is no evidence that he is dead and therefore hope still remains. If you think you may have any information please visit the following website and get in touch with his parents. I cannot begin to imagine what they must have gone through this past year and I sincerely hope the situation resolves itself happily.
5 comments:
Hi Erik..
these news made me speechless. Don't know what to say, but I really hope that the family gets some information through their site...
Sabine
I wish there was something positive I could do to help this family.
Travelling alone always seems dangerous to me. There are too many people who would like to take adavantage of a lone traveller. But I wouldn't have thought backpackers whould be worth robbing, they're not exactly loaded with money.... that's why they are backpacking.
Currently, there is a Canadian traveller missing in Syria, see
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070505.wxmissing05/BNStory/National/home
Her family have set up a web site asking for help in locating her.
I looked at the link you posted. No new developments on the blog since Oct 2006. I wonder if that means the family hasn't heard anything at all since then?
Regarding travelling alone.... sometimes I think that just a subway ride by myself is taking a risk!
Hi Erik,
I am quite speechless too...How terrible this must be for the family, especially the whole incertitude and time of waiting...
ex-shammi- I always travel alone and I feel perfectly safe. It just depends what you are up to. And actually...you aren't even alone, because you always meet people on the way. But here we could start speculating already about what happened, where, when? ...
Until there are no other news, I just hope the very best for him and his family...
Sabine
PS: Erik, don't blame yourself for having praised beautiful Laos! It is a fantastic place and worth a visit! He might have gone there anyway!
I feel I must agree with Kangaroo with regards to travelling alone. The feeling of danger and mistrust that is all-too pervasive in the West is not the way forawrd as it leads people to becoming more insular and inward-looking. That's a recipe for disaster as we need more understanding in our global world where events in far away places affect us directly. Unfortunately such tragic incidents happen, but then again they can happen anywhere
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