Rules of Engagement

My old camera had a scratch on the lens, so it had to be replaced before my trip to hike the Inca Trail. I deliberated so much over which camera to buy that I actually purchased two in hopes that I could sell the one that didn’t make the cut in test runs. My Canon G12 was the winner. Every day she took stunning photos of the scenery during our four day, 43K hike, and every night I would sleep with the battery to keep it from draining. She even had videos of us dancing up the stairs to lift our spirits on Day 2, the most challenging day of the hike that involves a 1200 meter gain in elevation. When we finally caught our first glimpse of the ruins, we just couldn’t take enough photos. But, being physically exhausted from the rigorous hike and routine of waking up from anywhere between 3:30am to 6:00am, I may have been a little mentally challenged as well. I realized my great loss when our group met together to make a human pyramid: she was nowhere to be found. Did I let my sacred camera slip off my shoulder whilst sitting down to take a rest in an ancient corridor of Machu Picchu? Did someone cut the strap and sneak away, with me failing to notice? Did the Great Camera Demon decide that I would be his next victim? Even the footage from video cameras aimed at monitoring various locations in Machu Picchu didn’t contain the answer (although it was a creepy reminder that Big Brother is always watching!).

Did I cry like a baby after complete sleep deprivation and exhaustion at the loss of a brand new camera and a never to be repeated collection of photos? No way, of course not! [Drip, drip, drip, drip....salty splash]







In times of war, Rules of Engagement serve as guidelines: for example, it’s not ok to kill civilians or keep massacring an army that has accepted defeat. If memory serves me correct, during the Incan Empire, armies would stop fighting in order to gather their harvests. Well, thieves of the world, I would like to propose that you, too, ought to draft some Rules of Thievery, and they would go a little something like this:

Fine, take my camera, you horridselfishheartlessgreedy jerks, but give me back my memory card containing memories of a 43K hike to see the stunning ruins of Machu Picchu! Drop off the SD card at a designated safe zone!


Oh, and I’m blaming you for adding coveting and financial debt to my list of sins. If I hadn’t lost my camera, I would have probably never discovered that Wendy’s $1200 camera can capture shots like this:








I forgot all about SLR heaven. Great, now I feel like a one week old widow whose already fallen in love again. Sigh.