A jungle tour in Peru turned out quite differently on Saturday than Brandon (27) Herschel from Groningen had expected. He, his Canadian girlfriend Emma (27), four other tourists and a guide were taken hostage in the province of Madre de Dios by gang members who probably thought their car contained gold.
Brandon tells his story a few hours after the dangerous event when he and his girlfriend have recovered somewhat in the city of Puno near Lake Titicaca. “On the way back from a jungle tour in the Amazon, two armed men came out of the bushes and pointed their pistols at our driver. We stopped and the men came on board.”
According to the Groninger, the driver was forced to take a narrow path in the jungle. In addition to Brandon and his girlfriend, the car contained a couple from New Zealand, a girl from Denmark and a tourist from Peru.
Hands on the head
The group had to stand in a deserted place with their hands on their heads and their backs to the men. “They turned the whole car upside down and took our cash. They searched the entire car but apparently didn’t find what they were looking for. They told us to stay there with our hands on our heads and that they would come back.”
Brandon says that he and the others attempted to escape after forty minutes. “The keys were still in the car and everyone jumped in. We drove carefully out of the jungle. The men never returned. Finally we made it to the nearest town and knew we were safe.”
Out for gold
The guide who accompanied the group suspects that the armed men were after gold. He said that illegal gold mining is taking place in many places in that part of the jungle. “The bandits had probably received a tip that the gold would be moved, but had taken the wrong car.”
Brandon says that he and his girlfriend feel safe in Puno. “But we are somewhat done with Peru.” The couple is on a six-month trip through Latin America. “We’re almost at the end now. On May 7 we will fly to Canada, where I will live for a year. In our last week we will go to Bolivia.”
Tags: Gang members Brandon Groningen girlfriend Emma hostage jungle tour Peru wrong car
 from Groningen and his girlfriend Emma hostage during a jungle tour in Peru. ‘They took the wrong car’){kind=link}