A VIDEO has been uploaded to YouTube showing a biker and his British girlfriend being robbed by bandits whilst on holiday in Guatemala.
Canadian biker Dan Landsborough is seen riding his Kawasaki KLR650 on a dirt track with his British girlfriend on the back, when two robbers leapt from the bushes armed with a gun and machete, forcing the pair to stop.
The thieves tore rings from Heidi Burton’s fingers and cut off Mr Landsborough’s tank bag, which contained a bag of money, an iPod and iPhone.
The theft happened on a road between Santiago Atitlan and San Pedro La Laguna, in Solola, and was captured using a head mounted action camera.
The 34-year-olds were unhurt but left badly distressed, a section of audio was removed from the clip at the request of the girlfriend.
Ms Burton, an illustrator from Cambridge, said: ‘When the first “bandito” ran out ahead of us pointing a gun, there was an initial feeling of dread. ??
‘Then the second man jumped out with a machete demanding money and we knew the best thing to do was give them what they want and get out of there.??
‘I'd hidden my valuables well and left my backpack at the hotel out of caution.??
‘I felt violated, being searched and having rings pulled off my fingers by a masked, armed robber, but the feeling of not knowing how far it will go was the worst thing.’
Ms Burton started backpacking in Central America in November. She met Mr Landsborough in Mexico, where she joined him on his motorcycle trip from Canada to Argentina.
Speaking of the theft, Burton added: ‘Luckily we had hidden our bank cards, money, and other valuables elsewhere. ??
‘Apparently this road is notorious for robberies, though we hadn't seen any reports online for a few years and people we met had used it with no issues.’
Despite their encounter, Ms Burton said she is not put off and will continue to travel in Guatemela.
‘I would still recommend people visit beautiful Guatemala and not be put off by crimes like this.??
‘Otherwise this has felt like a very safe country with warm and kind inhabitants.’
The video of the robbery was uploaded to YouTube on April 13 and has been viewed almost 230,000 times.
