[meteorite-list] Another meteorite story from Cali, Colombia

[Michael Farmer]

Hi everyone, I am once again in Cali, Colombia. I was
notified a couple of days ago about a new Cali stone
found, and when sent photos and even a newspaper
article that confirmed the find, I immediately made a
deal to buy the stone from the owner and flew down
here to Colombia. I arrived at 3 am this morning after
a crappy day of airline delays and problems. 

Well, to make a long story short the stone is a fake,
a very clever fake at that! It is a piece of metallic
slag that has been painted black (BY HAND) and a lot
of work went into making it. Apparently they saw the
photos from the last newspaper articles and decided to
give it a try. Unfortunately for me, it was good
enough to fool the newspaper people who published it
last week, and good enough for me to make an offer and
rush back to Colombia. It is a costly mistake, another
$2000 wild goose chase! So here I am, sitting in Cali
a little pissed off at the scams people try to pull on
others. Of course, the second I took the stone in my
hand, I knew it was a fake, while the finder insisted
it was real. 
Just another chapter in the Cali story, and another
warning that meteorite-hunting in far flung places can
be costly. After months of travel, the last thing I
wanted to do was jump on another plane, I wanted to be
relaxing at home for at least a day or two! My wife
will not be too happy at the boondoggle when she hears
about it.

See you all in Denver, at least those who are going. 
Michael Farmer