Was it only postponing the inevitable?

[bakubo]

I was at the beach this morning and while there I remembered a small incident about a month ago at the beach on a very similar morning. I was sitting in the shade and about 10 meters away there was a middle aged Asian couple with towels spread out on the sand and in the sun. The man had a camera bag and while his wife was sitting on the towel he was walking around a bit taking photos with a Nikon D3 (or maybe D3x or D3s -- I didn't get a real close look at it) and 70-200mm f2.8. He then changed to a 24-70mm f2.8 and continued taking a few more photos. While he was doing this his wife got up and got in the water. A couple of minutes later he put his camera down on the towel and casually dropped a t-shirt on top. The Nikon camera strap was still uncovered. He then went to join his wife in the water. Before he did this I was about to get up and leave, but now I felt conflicted. I didn't want to leave since I felt some obligation to watch over this stranger's expensive camera gear that he had so nonchalantly left unwatched on the beach. I decided to stay until he returned. Actually, the beach is pretty safe, but it is still mind-numbingly dumb to leave a few thousand dollars worth of camera gear alone on the beach. No doubt they probably had also left cash, credit cards, cell phone, etc. in their bag too. I watched and in about 10 minutes they returned so I got up and left. He never knew I had been watching over all of his stuff. I have to wonder though. Is it still a good deed if you have only postponed the inevitable?

[Birma]

Hi Henry, a good deed is a good deed, and you can't be responsible for the future. I find it astonishng that someone would leave a camera there like that. The only thing I can think of is that he is looking to switch to a Nex system, and if his Nikon stuff went walk-about then he would have a great excuse for having to buy a new system .

[bakubo]

Japanese, in particular, who have not travelled abroad before, especially if they are a bit older, often are much too trusting and often have things stolen, are scammed, etc. when they travel. Go to just about anyplace in the world and scam artists are always on the look out for Japanese, especially the over 40 ones. The thing is that I don't think this couple was Japanese. I have been in Japan enough and have association with Japan for 25 years and after awhile it is usually pretty easy to recognize Japanese. Not just facial features, which is not always reliable, but clothes, mannerisms, etc. Of course, if I hear them speak or if they have a book or magazine in Japanese then it is a no-brainer. In this case I didn't hear them talking, but at the time I felt like they may be Korean or maybe Chinese. Generally, I would say the Koreans are a bit less trusting than Japanese and Chinese are even less so. If I had thought they were Japanese I would have politely spoken to them.

Yeah, maybe all of his stuff was insured and he was hoping to collect on it.

[Greg Beetham]

Hi Henry, a good deed is a good deed, and you can't be responsible for the future. I find it astonishng that someone would leave a camera there like that. The only thing I can think of is that he is looking to switch to a Nex system, and if his Nikon stuff went walk-about then he would have a great excuse for having to buy a new system .

Ha Ha! Birma you haven't lost it, get his D3 stolen so he could move to a NEX....that's the best I've heard all day.
Greg

ps. I think Henry, good deed and all (well done), it's only a matter of time I think if they are that casual with their possessions.

[Javelin]

Maybe everytime he walks away from his stuff and every time he comes back his faith is restored in humans. expecially that shifty guy on the other towel who was so interested in his camera.

Henry , maybe being American which seems to come with a certain level of fear that you don't notice . when I travel I do notice diferent amounts depending where I go. in the US there is a huge demand for "gated comunities" which in my mind really are jazzed up prison compounds. In Arizona they like broken glass on their fences and bars on their windows. in Detroit they like wire fences with razor wire and armed guards. in Taiwan they have bars on their windows... even on the 20th floor, (they are afraid of the Chinese more than burglars though)..Are these fears rational, I don't know. to my mind probably not. In the smaller cities in Taiwan I see people are more casual with their belongings than here but more guarded for their presonal safety from weather and other disasters. a lot of them won't enter shopping malls because of the fear of being trapped for example.

[Dusty]

Tourists are always a target, and should understand that. There are groups that target tourist areas almost anywhere you go in the world, with the exception of 'non-tourist areas'. In those places you're likely more a curiosity and likely to be highly regarded!

You did a good thing, Henry, but probably should have warned him to be more careful.


Dusty

[bakubo]

You did a good thing, Henry, but probably should have warned him to be more careful.

I know from experience that some people just get offended if you try to help them out. I thought about saying something to the guy, but there have been times in the past when I suggested someone should not leave their stuff unattended and the person was just rude and let me know it was none of my business. Of course, sometimes the person is grateful for the warning. You have to figure that by the time someone is middle-age they either have some common sense or don't.