- Joan has her sister's life on the line, and she's stuck in the middle of nowhere. Without the right guide, her chances of survival are extremely low. Considering, she's a semi-famous novelist, why would she balk or try to negotiate down in paying $500? Colombian ransomers would charge a thousand times more. Even if you account for inflation, that's only $850 in today's money.
- That's still going to go a long way in Colombia (to take your comparison further, $850 in today's money would be 3339548.00 in Colombian pesos), so $500 is probably more than Jack makes selling birds in six months. She also mentions all she has is traveler's checks, which highlights how woefully unprepared she is for the situation.
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