My wallet got stolen in foreign land!
Frankly speaking, I've never thought I would ever fall prey to such unlucky stuff. I thought I was careful enough. Little did I expect that the act was carried out within a short time span of about 5 minutes.
Our group of 7 was only out from the small hostel alley into the main street barely 5-10 minutes, and browsing through any potential bags that could be bought back for CampComm, when PF realised my backpack's compartment was open.
I knew what that meant. Bringing the bag around to check would only confirm my worst expectations. The wallet was missing, but the rest of the items inside the small compartment were intact. Even my Ipod Touch was still there.
The 5 seconds that followed was totally helpless for me. Looking back at the street, life was going on as normal. My mind was blank and unsure of what I ought or could do. I knew it was gone forever, but I just wasn't satisfied. Luckily I was reminded that my debit card was inside, and had to cancel it right away. Then the thought of a lost driving licence, along with my matric card and ez-link card, meant that the losses weren't just confined to the monetary values. And my favourite wallet so far, was totally gone, too.
But then again, there were many bright sides to look at, which I was pretty thankful about:
1. I had wanted to top up USD 100 into that wallet before I left the hotel.
2. It was already the 2nd last day of the trip, not the first.
3. All accommodation and tour packages had already been paid for by then.
4. The thief took just the wallet, not wallet+ipod in the same compartment.
5. We met 2 Vietnamese 贵人 who lent us alot of help in finding a police station, and translating the incident.
6. We got to look at a Vietnamese Police Station room.
Lost money can be claimed or earned back.
Lost cards can be replaced with some effort.
But once impressions are hurt, it can never be fully mended. I tried not to view every Hanoi person with an air of suspicion after the incident. But just a little google search will reveal that pickpocket rates there are high. And we met alot of cheaters out there who tried to 'eat' us. Their impression that all foreigners are loaded is deep and flawed. They should totally clean off their greedy minds if they wish to benefit more from the lucrative tourist dollar.
Hanoi visitors, please beware!
人生是黑白的.
4:53 PM <3
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