The Great Jewel Heist Safari: The Adventure Continues

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Baiting Guru Joined: 04 Jan 2006 Posts: 3193

I'm sure you know that the numbers he's given you are for Liberian mobiles. Calling them would prove he has such a thing, but not absolutely that he was there.

Maybe a phone call to the hotel to check he's there? Maybe he's using a different name, but you could sort that out in character. You call the hotel, because a landline is cheaper. "I tried to call you but they said you were not there." He'll tell you to call the mobile. You'll start to doubt that he's really there and demand to speak to him on the hotel phone.

You would need a female baiter, but I'm sure someone would help you out Smile

Posted: Sat Aug 18, 2007 7:27 am

Thanks for the suggestions guys, i'm going to roll with a combination of ideas.

For now, I received some amazing news from the lad:

1k3 wrote:

Honey,

I went to the Ship you told me about and they just told me that the ship has gone back to USA and i don't know if you have gone back with the ship please talk to me i am crying very hour since i came here i wanted to kill my self,please i know that you have suffered much for me but please understand me coz i am trying my best to come up Immediately before our car got broke at the road,Please,Please,Please tell me where you are and come back to me or i will kill my self.

I Love U and My Baby.

Who thinks I should tell him where I am? Laughing

In all seriousness, this plays beautifully. I NEVER told him what ship I was on, I never told him any details about it... so this phantom ship is doing me a huge favour. Here is my reply, just now:

m1ch wrote:

Dear baby

Thank God I got your email and you're safe! I have been worried sick about you, I didn't know what to think!

I have great news baby! I found the jewels! They loaded the containers back on the ship at port, it was so lucky, apparently there was a mix up on the docks and they offloaded the wrong ones. So they put it back on and I went to the hold and found them there untouched, we are very very lucky. As you said the ship left to go and I didn't know what to do, but once I found out the jewels were on board I couldn't leave them so I had to go with the ship and find them. I found them yesterday while we were at sea. I was also very lucky to find an internet connection today, I am in Freetown, which the captain tells me isn't very far. We are docked here for a while and so I will stay and wait for you with the jewels.

Sweetheart, the baby is fine, I even met a UN doctor in Monrovia who told me that things are looking good, he couldn't know for sure, but he says that everything seems normal so this is a huge relief. I am so tired though baby, I feel like I haven't slept in weeks, it has been an horrendous ordeal for me this whole thing and I haven't been eating well. The conditions in Monrovia were horrible so I stayed with the crew as much as I could, I really hope I don't get sick from the water.

I have been thinking about you night and day and wish to could see you and hold you and feel you. I always lay awake at night thinking about your family and how kind they will be to us when you take me as your wife. I know it will all work out fine. Oh, I have some other good news! That friend of mine who said he would send the money to us is going to, but I wasn't sure what to do so I told him to send it to you because I am unfamiliar with these countries and I don't want anyone to notice me taking money. He says he will wire $5,000 to you via something called western union, I don't know any details, but I gave him your email address and he says he will do it as soon as he has the cash out from the bank. This will help us get back to your home like you said.

Baby, I love you so much, I can't wait to see you, I want to hear from you soon, I am alone and scared and I need you now more than ever.

Love you sweety

And so it begins Very Happy

At this stage I wouldn't be surprised if the lad never emailed me again and went home. He's got to be at his wits end and is not going to be happy about this new modality. But I figure, he's come so far, he may as well see what Sierra Leone looks like Twisted Evil

Posted: Sat Aug 18, 2007 8:51 am

It's amazing what a $5,000 carrot will do. I think it's enough to persuade him not to kill himself quite yet. See which WU office he suggests the money is wired to.

Posted: Sat Aug 18, 2007 9:51 am

Awesome Red. Very Happy

I wonder how far around the coast of West Africa you can make him follow you.

I wonder why he brought up the whole "ship has left" thing. Perhaps there was only one large ship in Monrovia's port on that day and it just happened to leave?

Posted: Sun Aug 19, 2007 12:51 am

@ Gnasher - I have a fantastic modality that is borrowed off Jojo where the money will be wired securely to a branch of my choice

@ Josh - Yes, I got lucky with the ship, but hey, if he wants to believe it, so be it Razz

.

You'll all be pleased to know that he has replied with good news:

1k3 wrote:

Honey,

I am very happy to got your email today i was crying with joy please i want you to stay over there called freetown and wait for me coz i will be right there soon please don't go away coz am on the way ok,Please dad and everybody is crying about you and my baby please don't go on with the ship ok i am coming immediately.

Love You.

Roger that! Twisted Evil

Posted: Sun Aug 19, 2007 1:06 am

I'll tell you what, if this fella travels much further up the coast he'll be meeting Worf's Senegal laddie coming in the opposite direction.... Very Happy

Red, you need to add some maps or a webpage, because this safari deserves legendary status... beers!

Posted: Sun Aug 19, 2007 9:13 am

@ Simba - Thanks mate Embarassed

New message from the lad... he's moving fast this time!

1k3 wrote:

Honey,
Please i wanna know the name of the ship your in so that i will locate you,also i have send my uncle to the sea port and his looking for you over there now please let me know the name of the ship so that he can see you now and pick you up to a hotel.

I am on the way coming to Free Town and the drive told me that we will arrive in free town tomorrow been sunday Please i hope to see you in safe with my baby coz everybody is crying about you and my baby please send me the ship name now ok.

He sent his uncle to the port?!

This guy knows people in every bloody country on the west coast! Mobile phones in each country, contacts here and there... as I've said before, he is most certainly well organised. Totally baited, but well organised.

Posted: Sun Aug 19, 2007 10:15 pm

^^^^ Don't you feel sorry for your totally screwed mugu.

It's amazing how much you find out about the lads having contacts all over the country. Nice work, you mugu really loves you and the baby or does he loves the jewels more than you Cool

Posted: Sun Aug 19, 2007 10:21 pm

I must admit I do admire his apparent acceptance and devotion towards another man's child. In other circumstances he'd probably be a keeper Very Happy

Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2007 12:12 am

@ Rumbero & Gnasher - Laughing

LMAO... yeah, if i were female and on the market i'd be game, he sure goes to a lot of effort for a lady in need.

So, here's the latest, the lad moved faster than I expected and is in Freetown already:

1k3 wrote:

Subject:I AM NOW IN FREE TOWN PLEASE TELL ME WHERE YOU ARE.

Honey,

Hope all is very well with you and my baby,Please i just want to inform you that i am now in Free Town and the sea port staff was asking me the name of the ship that you came with so that they will locate you as soon as possible.

Please I really need to know the ship name coz i am worried about you and my baby i wanna pick you up Immediately today to my home.Please try and send me the ship name and any other details about the ship also here is my phone number in Free Town.+23233366xxx please try and give me a call as soon as possible please.

I can't wait to hear from you.

My regard's to my baby tell him that i really miss him and i really wanna see him today. Shocked

Love
1k3.

Errmm... could be a little difficult... he's still in the womb! Surprised

IP checks out: 83.229.112.2 Sierra Leone, Freetown.

Guineagirl has just conveyed some very interesting information to me and looks like he'll have to travel a bit further if he wants the jewels.

Paging Eliza... could be time for a phone call Wink

I can't believe this lad has yet another mobile phone number... he's flush with cash I reckon.

Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2007 12:55 am

I think he's cashed up too. Travel costs don't seem to faze him and he's not whining about having nowhere to sleep or nothing to eat. His English is quite good to so my guess is that he's well educated and has decided on a spot of scamming for some easy money. If that's him in the graduation photo he could well be a middle class wannabe gangsta whose parents have told him to get a damn job Laughing

Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2007 12:59 am

Gnasher wrote:

If that's him in the graduation photo he could well be a middle class wannabe gangsta whose parents have told him to get a damn job Laughing

Very funny.

As far as I can figure out, that is his graduation photo as my amateur identification skills indicate to me that it is the same person in all the photos he has sent me, and his passport is (as far as I can tell) fair dinkum. He appears to be staying in hotels everywhere he goes, so this trip hasn't really hurt him much even though he complained like crazy before the trip about having to sell his TV (must have been an expensive TV!) and other personal items to afford the bus ride. It's possible he got a financial backer to front him some cash for his trip, but if that were the case, I think he'd be a little more concerned about how much he was burning.

Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2007 5:14 am

Since the lad seems to have momentum right now I thought I would do him a favour and send him a nice message inviting him to Guinea. Big thanks to Guineagirl for the upcoming modality.

m1ch wrote:

Baby why didn't you tell me not to stay on the ship before! I had to, I didn't have anywhere to sleep, I made a huge mistake, I am so sorry, I can't believe it. I don't have any money and the local people were not very kind to me so I was scared and decided to stay on the ship, I thought the captain wasn't moving the ship but because we were behind schedule we left port while I was asleep and I woke up as we were docking in Conakry. Luckily we stopped here overnight because we weren't here on the way over and there was some cargo to pick up, and I managed to find a place with internet and saw your email. Thank god I got your email because otherwise I would still be on board right now! I will stay right where I am like you said. Thankfully you're very close to me now. there were some men that came by earlier and were following me for a bit but then there was this big man in some sort of army uniform or something they seemed to leave, but I think they were watching me. I am carrying the bag with the jewels everywhere because i am so worried about them. I am stressed out bad baby, i haven't slept properly in so long, i just really need a proper bed and some love and hugs. I also need some proper food, i've been living on rice and water and very little else, the food here makes me so sick i throw up all the time. the baby is good though, i am starting to show a little bit, my tummy is getting a little bit bigger and every day i think about you and beautiful names you chose for our child. i will see you soon, i know it, i am desperate for you now, and very worried. i hope you are safe and i love you with all my heart.

Your love

Hmmm he really should have told me to stay put earlier... what was I supposed to do?!

Conakry isn't very far from Freetown (relative to the journey) but it is not a great place to be, and with some excellent help from Guineagirl we should be able to unleash some hellish experiences on this lad.

I just read some nice things about Guinea and Conakry:

Quote:

In Guinea you can trek through beautiful highland scenery and track wildlife in the jungles of the southeast. But the country still reels from a regime that turned its back on libert�, �galit� and fraternit� and embraced Maoist ideology in the 1950s.

Let's hope he gets to experience both... on foot Twisted Evil

Also, this is nice:

Quote:

Violent Demonstrations - Border Trouble

While the situation is now relatively calm, recent political demonstrations in Guinea have become violent and there is the possibility of further unrest. Travellers should exercise caution, especially in Conakry, avoid any large gatherings and monitor news sources carefully.

Security circumstances in areas bordering Sierra Leone, Liberia and Cote d'Ivoire are still very unstable and any travel to these regions should be reconsidered.

Uh oh...

There's also a nice source of information from DFAT who recommend all travellers reconsider their travel plans and advise those who don't to exercise extreme caution: http://www.smartraveller.gov.au/zw-cgi/view/Advice/Guinea

This also sounds like fun (sarcasm definitely included):

Quote:

It is a legal requirement to carry original identity documents at all times and original vehicle documents, registration and car ownership papers when driving.

Roads and vehicles are poorly maintained in Guinea and public transportation is limited. Fuel shortages often occur.

Army or other roadblocks may be encountered outside Conakry at any time, and particularly at night.

Flooding can occur during the rainy season in May to October, making unpaved roads impassable.

Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2007 7:44 am

@ red
You wrote

Quote:

there were some men that came by earlier and were following me for a bit but then there was this big man in some sort of army uniform or something they seemed to leave, but I think they were watching me. I am carrying the bag with the jewels everywhere because i am so worried about them.

1. You could get kidnapped and ask your mugu for a ransom.

2. A kind driver gave you a lift to the next city.

the possibilities are endless Laughing

How many kms has your love traveled to meet with you and the unborn child Laughing

Wannabe Baiter Joined: 30 Jun 2007 Posts: 82

This journey will be properly brought to an end at port harcourt in south eastern Nigeria, The port officials wont be so friendly and there is a kind of mini civil revolt ongoing at the moment.The situation bothers on outright lawlessness, Its a nice place to lose the jewels to bandits and then he will only need a short bus ride home.

In between, how come his family doesnt bait a eyelid with raising a blue eyed monster' or some blonde rascal? Things must have drastically changed a lot since i was there last March.

l Hope your ship makes a port call at Tin Can island port before making its ways to port harcourt.

the guy should have stayed home and waited.

Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2007 8:37 am

@ Rumbero - My thoughts exactly Wink

I haven't calculated the kilometres yet, but in a straight line we're talking something like 2252.86 kms (courtesy of this website). Of course, that doesn't account for the route he would have had to take, so I really don't know where to begin to work out the actual kilometres he has travelled. He went overland from 4wk4 in Nigeria to Cotonou in Benin, flew from there to Abidjan, went overland from there to Monrovia and then overland again to Freetown. So... your guess is as good as mine... anyone have any good tools to work out road distances?

@ onyenekwu - Pretty soon he'll be begging to go to Port Harcourt Wink

I like the way the NZ govt sums up Guinea:

www.safetravel.govt.nz wrote:

Guinea

There is extreme risk to your security in Guinea and we advise against all travel to the border regions with Liberia, Sierra Leone and Cote d'Ivoire. There is a military presence in these areas.

That's it... short and to the point... should be a fun border crossing!

Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2007 10:00 am

I've always thought it odd that there are two countries in Africa called Guinea: Guinea and Guinea-Bissau. Sounds like that adds some potential confusion to the mix?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guinea-Bissau

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guinea

Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2007 10:21 am

@ Josh - Not to mention Equatorial Guinea thrown into the mix..

I like Onyenekwu's suggestion of leading the guy all the way back to Port Harcourt to conclude the safari.
If you can do that Red, there is every chance that this guy will never know that he has been baited.

He will be forever scratching his head wondering what on Earth went wrong, and why the opportunity of a lifetime drifted away like smoke.

I have to say what I have already said previously. Amazing safari work Red. Legendary status..... bow_down

Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2007 10:49 am

@ Simba -

Nah mate, not yet, a few more safaris and trophies under my belt and I'll be merely approaching the sacred ground those that may genuinely be called Legends reside. For now, I'm quite happy to be a wannabe. Besides, most of this safari is just luck, I found a lad who had the means to travel and wanted to buy the story. I could have written the exact same thing to 100 other lads and got very little out of it. I appreciate your comments though... they make me want to get more out of this lad for you guys! Very Happy

@ Josh - Confusion-a-plenty! Good thinking! Wink

*UPDATE* - Receiving 3 frantic emails from the lad just now:

Email 1:

1k3 wrote:

Listen Honey,

I am now in the front of Ec0 b4nk plc Beside free Town G4te,Please If you can come over there and you will see me rightnow standing,or if you can not come just let me know where i will locate rightnow so that i will be on the way,Please Please Please don't live again with the ship please am bagging you stop over there and wait for me ok.

I Love You.

Email 2:

1k3 wrote:

listen Honey,

Please Don't stay over ther ship again just fine some where and wait for me while am on the way coming to conakry Please don't Go with the ship again I am coming Immediately ok.

Email 3:

1k3 wrote:

Let me kown on how to locate you in Conakry now Please do it for me now.

Well... looks like he's game for another leg of the safari. From everywhere I have read Guinea is arguably the worst country in West Africa right now to travel out of the places he's been so far. It is one of the few that appears on many "Extreme" warning lists for Africa. And with the help of GuineaGirl there could be all sorts of trouble awaiting in those dark, stormy jungles and sparse, decrepit, rebel strewn 'roads'... Confused

Not quite a Newb Joined: 28 Apr 2007 Posts: 28

I have been faithfully reading these African Adventures and I keep thinking he's got to give up soon, but he just keeps delivering! This is great stuff. You didn't just hook a fish with this lad--you caught yourself Moby Dick!

Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2007 1:36 pm

Red-

This is completely amazing. This safari is incredible. You are doing a fabulous job with this. Keep it up!

Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2007 1:59 pm

Red wrote:

Besides, most of this safari is just luck, I found a lad who had the means to travel and wanted to buy the story. I could have written the exact same thing to 100 other lads and got very little out of it.

But that's what makes for a great safari. Most of the lads are flat out lazy and are only willing to walk to the nearest WU. They probably pay some kid to do that too. I have one lad in J'burg that thinks I'm Alicia Keys. I've tried on several occasions to get him to come to Durban to pick the money up. That's a somewhat long trip on good road,but there's money in it for him (he thinks) and he's still too lazy. That's why a lad like yours is such a keeper!

Master Baiter Joined: 26 Jun 2007 Posts: 110

Excellent Safari Red bow_down

Just read it through, its a Legend! Can't wait to see whats next Big Cograts clapping

Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2007 4:11 pm

Red, you are an inspiration, you truly are.
Very Happy

Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2007 4:28 pm

@ red

I have mugu on the island of Sao Tome & Principe. You and the Baby are always welcome to stay and find refuge.

I am sure my mugu will be more than happy to pick up your mugu
in one of the vans I donated to his cause Laughing

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