Wow, what a story. I'm 34 and have been living out of a backpack for about 10 years. From experience, I'll tell you this is the kind of stuff that builds character. Helps one stay calm and overcome challenges in life...period. Good for you that things worked out well.

"oh don't go in that neighborhood is dangerous"....this is why I generally prefer Asia to travel in. You do have to be careful in this part of the world especially being a sweet young girl. However the odds are much higher that people will help you regardless of where you are and thankfully that is exactly what happened.

I'm actually experiencing my second day in Mexico, Playa del Carmen in the Yucatan. My first day was a disaster. After being all through central America, Ecuador and Colombia I had no problem with ATMs and money at all. I get here and I can't get cash out of an ATM. I tried 25 different ATMs and almost had to sleep on the street! The pouring rain didn't help either...lol. Was a total disaster, but I got it worked out and i'm all settled in for a good 9 day stay.

I'm new on steemit. Only been here a month. But have decided to stick with well written informative travel reports. And they have done really well. I write from a budget travelers perspective. To afford my lifestyle, I try to stick to about a 20 dollar a day budget. Here's my latest report if your interested...

https://steemit.com/travel/@world-travel-pro/backpacker-hot-spot-report-2-san-juan-del-sur-nicaragua

I'm trying to reach out to other backpackers and share my info and acquired travel knowledge, as well a make friends with fellow travelers like yourself. Are you a perpetual traveler too? How long have you been traveling for? Hope you enjoy my posts as much as I enjoyed yours. Up-voted and following. Cheers - Dan, World Travel Pro!