Thief!
The bus to Cesky Krumlov finally arrived, three hours late on a cold and rainy day. 
My wife was the first to enter its door and climb up its narrow stairwell. I followed immediately behind her but was bruskly pushed aside when a large man stepped between her and me. I got on right behind him and another man crowded in behind me and another behind him. Suddenly everyone was in a hurry to get on board! The first man then stopped and turned around trying to leave the stairwell, blocking my progress, while the man behind me was pushed into me by the man behind him. I was embraced for an instant in a crush of bodies. Then instantly, all three were gone. I watched them run across the parking lot into the waiting room of the Prague bus station as I felt my left hip pocket where I always carry my wallet. It was gone too.
I started to go after them but realized they would fade into the crowd.
Perhaps they had a car waiting and were already on the road. I didn’t speak the language and there were no police around. Would I have to make a report? What would I do? What had I just lost, and was suddenly stranded in a large foriegn city without?I quickly checked to find what I had just lost. My passport, Master Card, American Express and Visa credit cards, military ID, driver’s licence, medicare card and about $200 in large bills were all in my money belt, and safe. The theives had taken my my public library card, a AAA card, two discount cards for use in grocery stores in North Carolina,my AARP card, and a card for SAMs Club, which had just expired. My wife had even told me I needed to buy another wallet or quit pulling it out when she was around - it was falling apart and embarassing her.
I did not seek authorities but remained on the bus which left on its two hour trip within three minutes of the theft. If I had lost my ID and money, I would have been stranded in a suddenly strange land with many problems immediately ahead. During the trip to Cesky Krumlov I had time to reflect back on the value of the money belt and also to consider why had I brought my public library card with me in the first place? It should have beeen home in my desk. Also the grocery discount cards, should have been there too. I had used the SAM’s card on an earlier part of the trip back in the states, and might have used the AAA and AARP cards if our flight had not gone, but they would not be used after our plane left the country. Why were they not safe in the glove compartment of our car back in its parking lot?
Well, the money belt IS a pain in the butt. It is a HUGE pain in the ass. It is awkward, clumsy, semi-embarassing from time to time, inconvenient and time consuming - especially when you have to get something out of it in a hurry. So now I’m stuck - I have to put us with that damn thing for days on end whenever I travel - all so it can be of real use for less than one second.
More reflections reminded me that I had my camcorder in a fanny pack that the theft must have passed his hands over. All he had to do was to release the clasp and the camcorder was his. Most people don’t carry camcorders in their fanny pack, but they probably do carry things they don’t want to lose. Then I realized that if in the future, I pass the strap of the fanny pack under and then back over my belt, if the clasp were undone by a thief and the fanny pack pulled upon, it would not give and I would be turned around facing my assaliant.
My wallet was in my left hip pocket which was a deep pocket, the top of the wallet was probably an inch and a half below the opening. The pocket had no button. I was wearing a light weight “Polar Tech” jacket that came down over the top of the pocket and had a longer vinyl wind breaker over that, also over the pocket top. My right pocket had only a 3” x 5” spiral notebook and a Mini-Max flashlight. They had been rejected by the pick-pocket and were still there.
Now, when wearing a money belt I also carry an extra business card case. It is in one of my front pants pockets and it contains certain convience items such as a few small currency bills, tokens or transfer slips, etc. These are items that I can easily get to without need to pull out the trusty old money belt.
This post is intented to be in the public domain. Please feel free to take and republish it.
My wife was the first to enter its door and climb up its narrow stairwell. I followed immediately behind her but was bruskly pushed aside when a large man stepped between her and me. I got on right behind him and another man crowded in behind me and another behind him. Suddenly everyone was in a hurry to get on board! The first man then stopped and turned around trying to leave the stairwell, blocking my progress, while the man behind me was pushed into me by the man behind him. I was embraced for an instant in a crush of bodies. Then instantly, all three were gone. I watched them run across the parking lot into the waiting room of the Prague bus station as I felt my left hip pocket where I always carry my wallet. It was gone too. I started to go after them but realized they would fade into the crowd.
Perhaps they had a car waiting and were already on the road. I didn’t speak the language and there were no police around. Would I have to make a report? What would I do? What had I just lost, and was suddenly stranded in a large foriegn city without?I quickly checked to find what I had just lost. My passport, Master Card, American Express and Visa credit cards, military ID, driver’s licence, medicare card and about $200 in large bills were all in my money belt, and safe. The theives had taken my my public library card, a AAA card, two discount cards for use in grocery stores in North Carolina,my AARP card, and a card for SAMs Club, which had just expired. My wife had even told me I needed to buy another wallet or quit pulling it out when she was around - it was falling apart and embarassing her.I did not seek authorities but remained on the bus which left on its two hour trip within three minutes of the theft. If I had lost my ID and money, I would have been stranded in a suddenly strange land with many problems immediately ahead. During the trip to Cesky Krumlov I had time to reflect back on the value of the money belt and also to consider why had I brought my public library card with me in the first place? It should have beeen home in my desk. Also the grocery discount cards, should have been there too. I had used the SAM’s card on an earlier part of the trip back in the states, and might have used the AAA and AARP cards if our flight had not gone, but they would not be used after our plane left the country. Why were they not safe in the glove compartment of our car back in its parking lot?
Well, the money belt IS a pain in the butt. It is a HUGE pain in the ass. It is awkward, clumsy, semi-embarassing from time to time, inconvenient and time consuming - especially when you have to get something out of it in a hurry. So now I’m stuck - I have to put us with that damn thing for days on end whenever I travel - all so it can be of real use for less than one second.
More reflections reminded me that I had my camcorder in a fanny pack that the theft must have passed his hands over. All he had to do was to release the clasp and the camcorder was his. Most people don’t carry camcorders in their fanny pack, but they probably do carry things they don’t want to lose. Then I realized that if in the future, I pass the strap of the fanny pack under and then back over my belt, if the clasp were undone by a thief and the fanny pack pulled upon, it would not give and I would be turned around facing my assaliant.
My wallet was in my left hip pocket which was a deep pocket, the top of the wallet was probably an inch and a half below the opening. The pocket had no button. I was wearing a light weight “Polar Tech” jacket that came down over the top of the pocket and had a longer vinyl wind breaker over that, also over the pocket top. My right pocket had only a 3” x 5” spiral notebook and a Mini-Max flashlight. They had been rejected by the pick-pocket and were still there.
Now, when wearing a money belt I also carry an extra business card case. It is in one of my front pants pockets and it contains certain convience items such as a few small currency bills, tokens or transfer slips, etc. These are items that I can easily get to without need to pull out the trusty old money belt.
This post is intented to be in the public domain. Please feel free to take and republish it.
posted by fauxtaographer at
8:30 AM
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