….. isn’t it such an irony that a few hours after I announced how I earned money from blog ads, I would lose my precious bag to a snatcher who came from behind me while I was about to close the taxi door yesterday?
The damage: my beloved Nokia 6230i (with MMC card) from where I have taken this blog’s photos in the past months, another brand new, barely week-old Nokia phone which my best friend has given me, close to P5,000 in cash, my credit card, ATM card, make-up bag and other what-nots.
Aaah, the hazards of living in this Third World!!! I choose to leave my heart in Manila but it doesn’t love me back 🙁
I decided not to bother telling the police anymore knowing how useless they’ve been in past incidents. I presume it is an effin waste of time recounting to them everything blah blah blah
I am just thankful that I wasn’t hurt or something. I just hope that the stash would feed one starving family for a while.
My relatives and friends could make my life easy by emailing your cellphone numbers to me. And yes, I am on a hunt again for a new (sigh) cellphone.
This hazard is not confined to Third World countries. I just got back from a Central Europe tour where a travel companion’s handbag was stolen while we were having breakfast at our hotel. She lost her passport, driver’s license, a hefty cash in US dollars and euros and credit cards. Another tourist, not with our travel group, got his wallet picked while riding a tram filled with locals and tourists.
ugh, it’s awful you lost all that. Nakakainis. Bert is right. A friend of mine lost her whole bag somewhere in Germany while shopping inside a grocery store. She got distracted when she reached for something in a shelf…laid her bag down for a while and next thing you know, it was gone. In it was $10,000, her passport, wallet etc. Imagine the trouble of getting a new passport. I have my own share of being pickpocketed. Three times pa. One time I couldn’t even pay my parking fee so it was waived when I reported that my wallet was stolen.
Thanks for sharing me your stories Bert and Noemi. My friend was also held up on a train in Eastern Europe, persisted to find the scoundrels and got them behind jail.I know things like this happen anywhere but it seems so common now closer to home. It’s a vicious cycle – the poor victimizing the poor. Bless the victims
i also experienced that my wallet got stolen at the train,1st day in paris.i was not aware na uso pala don yon.ang nakakaasar pa nakita na ng ibang passengers na dinudukuta na ako, ni wala man lang reaction. thank god he only took my wallet. kase mas valuable yon bag ko and the rest.forutnately i bought a round trip ticket otherwise i have no money to buy another ticket. dito k’se sa switzerland habit ko na lagay ko lang yon bag next to me, nasanay na. so ajay di lang sa third world nangyayari yan.police sa paris useless!
What a traumatic experience! As you said nga, it’s good that you’re safe… never mind the cost. But what a hassle about the credit cards and ATM cards and other IDs. Ma-karma sana yung nag-snatch sa’yo!
hey annalyn, i’m thankful to hear that your ok! a few weeks ago, i got a phone call at around 7pm from my brother’s basketball coach saying that my brother was picked up by the police (“Dinampot ng mga nagpakilalang pulis” were his exact words).His friend,who ran all the way back to school to report the incident,didn’t know where they took him.It was the worst night of my life. Not knowing where to look for my brother.Thank God,after a few hours,he showed up in a police outpost somewhere in Quezon Ave,frazzled but unharmed! Only his cellphone was stolen.But the two boys were convinced that the other had been kidnapped.What an awful experience.Still I am thankful that only the cellphone was taken.My bro cried about being clueless about the modus operandi, but I told him that material things can be replaced. The police were of little help, and they even accused by brother of being high on drugs. Hay! We should all just be mindful that bad things can happen…
Thanks for sharing your experience Issa. I’ve learned that it doesn’t pay to count on other people – bystanders and the police – to help you. The rest of humanity will just watch. Tsk tsk..
Dear Toe.. hassle talaga pero numb (immune) na yata ako 🙁
Zee, OMG..good to hear that nothing happened to your bro. It is horrific for somebody to be taken just to get his cellphone. I guess anyone would just prefer to experience it painlessly…
anuba ajay napaka prone mo naman sa magnanakaw. ingat ingat ka dear! at the very least ay snatcher sya at hindi holdaper. gawd di ko yata kekerihin pag tinutukan ako ng kutsilyo harap harapan. hay. at least you are safe. madaling kitain ang nawala sa iyo neng. 🙂
I hate snatchers and holdapers! Please I don’t want to become a victim! Im sooo afraidddddddddddd
Is it that time of the year na ba? It seems like petty crimes have increased. Peaceful Cebu has had its share recently. The snatcher (inside the jeepney) forcefully took a lady’s (borrowed) cellphone. When she resisted, she was shot, pointblank.
Glad to know it’s just the bag that they wanted from you. Haay…. ‘kakatakot.
Hi Anna,
i am glad that you were not hurt but it is not just a third world problem. Bag snatching is a big problem here and organised gangs operate in large UK cities. Hope it didn’t shake you up too much.
Hope to see you on yahoo soon
Ingat ka, Ajay! I hope you were not hurt. Di nauubos ang mga sira kahit saan. You have to be more vigilant.