MY STUFF IS ALL STOLEN-BEGINNING OF A SAGA
October 19, 2003
...this entry will be rambling thoughts of my own going back a few days trying to make sense of what has happened...just to make it short...my room was broken into and everything, and I mean just about everything was stolen. Now to my rambling.
There were too many "for some reason I got the urge to..." and "if only's" for me to even imagine that everything that happened was not a delicately woven plan and completely meant to happen.
Goes back a few days when I first decided to go up to Dharmakot for a few days. Before I left, I knew I would be changing rooms when I got back so decided to "make order" of my stuff and see what fit into the bag and what would have to be sent by package...I usually leave all of my clothing hanging on hangers (a trick I learnt from Dyanne) and I had hanging on the wall 4 really really nice new outfits, mostly not even worn yet which I was looking forward to wearing when I got home....as well as my very favorite clothes still from home which I had planned to take to a tailor to copy a few more of each design. I neatly folded all of them and put them into my bag. Then I added in anything else which would fit, including the beautiful bed covering I had been using and imagined on my bed at home....gathered up my handwritten journals as well and threw them in and saw I still had some room and was quite pleased....don't know why I did all of this but, whatever. Now, inadvertantly, my money bag (which always contains my passport, airline ticket, a little cash, copies of my travelers checks etc. and a couple of travelers checks from the whole batch, ) was thrown into the bag as well. About an hour later I left with a small pack for Dharamkot. Abdullah commented when he saw me "I thought you were going for 2 days...looks like you are going for 2 weeks!" In this case I was lucky I had taken what I did as that is all I have left!. One shalwar kzmeeze, one long sleeve shirt, one PJ's, 2 underpants, 2 socks, my warm shawl and my fleece jacket. and of course my face creams, nail care, makeup etc. When I got up to Dharmakot I realized right away that I didn't have my money belt but didn't think it important enough to go back for. If I had any inkling that something could be dangerous, if ANYONE at the guesthouse had thought so, I simply would have put my bag in someone else's room...but this was not something that was even suggested or thought of. I had a FABULOUS stay in Dharmakot which I may even write about one day, and came back saturday morning to find that the previous evening, between 7-8 when everyone was sitting around eating and talking, my room was broken into. I went in and to my horror found "the bag" missing! My first reaction was, "well, I will never travel again...I am too stupid or too senile"...but then I thought of what happened when I was in Greece with Chanale Yaniv and Aviva, 3 nice young people, world travelers with much experience...and one day we were already on a ferry to another island when Yaniv realized he had left his all important money belt under his pillow at the guest house....so I guess these things can happen to anyone and I am not taking it personally as a mistake or error on my part....
What I can say is this....I guess the clothes were not meant to be worn at home, as beautiful as they were and as hard as it was for me to shop for them, the older clothes from home I guess had been worn enough, the journals were mostly on the e-mail and what wasn't, I will have to reconsturct from memory I guess...will be a good exercise in remembering...I will have to deal with everything in Delhi...what the hell...and take a bus down and back....I have already had the adventure of my first visit to the police and tomorrow will go to the courthouse to get an affidavit and then back to get a police report...have found out new inner strengths that I have and liking the feeling of calm I have (and I am not in shock...I am quite aware of what has happned and what I have to do)...I have found out that I have wonderful friends here, all lending me clothing, money, support, love (my bag also had wheels and will now need to find something to replace it when I get to delhi and will backpack for the first time!)....and...best of all...most of the really important stuff was not taken...my photographs, my hiking boots (stupid people...they were the only thing in the room, except for the bag itself, really worth money), my medications, my toiletries etc...none were taken....
And the owner came up from Delhi last night and she will help me out with everything she can...she will also not take payment for the last few weeks which covers the cash which was stolen...and is going through her clothing to find me a couple of shalwar kameeze which may fit me...
I really really hate this hassle and was thinking of simply buying a new plane ticket, on any airline and straight from delhi coming home....may be up to 10 days I might have to be there...but I doubt it very much...but everyone convinced me to leave my few things here, and come back when I finish...if not I will go home in a terrible state...and I still will have more than a month to relax back here whenever I finish...and I think they are right.
That's it for now....will let you all know how things work out in Delhi....
Love to all...Jane
...this entry will be rambling thoughts of my own going back a few days trying to make sense of what has happened...just to make it short...my room was broken into and everything, and I mean just about everything was stolen. Now to my rambling.
There were too many "for some reason I got the urge to..." and "if only's" for me to even imagine that everything that happened was not a delicately woven plan and completely meant to happen.
Goes back a few days when I first decided to go up to Dharmakot for a few days. Before I left, I knew I would be changing rooms when I got back so decided to "make order" of my stuff and see what fit into the bag and what would have to be sent by package...I usually leave all of my clothing hanging on hangers (a trick I learnt from Dyanne) and I had hanging on the wall 4 really really nice new outfits, mostly not even worn yet which I was looking forward to wearing when I got home....as well as my very favorite clothes still from home which I had planned to take to a tailor to copy a few more of each design. I neatly folded all of them and put them into my bag. Then I added in anything else which would fit, including the beautiful bed covering I had been using and imagined on my bed at home....gathered up my handwritten journals as well and threw them in and saw I still had some room and was quite pleased....don't know why I did all of this but, whatever. Now, inadvertantly, my money bag (which always contains my passport, airline ticket, a little cash, copies of my travelers checks etc. and a couple of travelers checks from the whole batch, ) was thrown into the bag as well. About an hour later I left with a small pack for Dharamkot. Abdullah commented when he saw me "I thought you were going for 2 days...looks like you are going for 2 weeks!" In this case I was lucky I had taken what I did as that is all I have left!. One shalwar kzmeeze, one long sleeve shirt, one PJ's, 2 underpants, 2 socks, my warm shawl and my fleece jacket. and of course my face creams, nail care, makeup etc. When I got up to Dharmakot I realized right away that I didn't have my money belt but didn't think it important enough to go back for. If I had any inkling that something could be dangerous, if ANYONE at the guesthouse had thought so, I simply would have put my bag in someone else's room...but this was not something that was even suggested or thought of. I had a FABULOUS stay in Dharmakot which I may even write about one day, and came back saturday morning to find that the previous evening, between 7-8 when everyone was sitting around eating and talking, my room was broken into. I went in and to my horror found "the bag" missing! My first reaction was, "well, I will never travel again...I am too stupid or too senile"...but then I thought of what happened when I was in Greece with Chanale Yaniv and Aviva, 3 nice young people, world travelers with much experience...and one day we were already on a ferry to another island when Yaniv realized he had left his all important money belt under his pillow at the guest house....so I guess these things can happen to anyone and I am not taking it personally as a mistake or error on my part....
What I can say is this....I guess the clothes were not meant to be worn at home, as beautiful as they were and as hard as it was for me to shop for them, the older clothes from home I guess had been worn enough, the journals were mostly on the e-mail and what wasn't, I will have to reconsturct from memory I guess...will be a good exercise in remembering...I will have to deal with everything in Delhi...what the hell...and take a bus down and back....I have already had the adventure of my first visit to the police and tomorrow will go to the courthouse to get an affidavit and then back to get a police report...have found out new inner strengths that I have and liking the feeling of calm I have (and I am not in shock...I am quite aware of what has happned and what I have to do)...I have found out that I have wonderful friends here, all lending me clothing, money, support, love (my bag also had wheels and will now need to find something to replace it when I get to delhi and will backpack for the first time!)....and...best of all...most of the really important stuff was not taken...my photographs, my hiking boots (stupid people...they were the only thing in the room, except for the bag itself, really worth money), my medications, my toiletries etc...none were taken....
And the owner came up from Delhi last night and she will help me out with everything she can...she will also not take payment for the last few weeks which covers the cash which was stolen...and is going through her clothing to find me a couple of shalwar kameeze which may fit me...
I really really hate this hassle and was thinking of simply buying a new plane ticket, on any airline and straight from delhi coming home....may be up to 10 days I might have to be there...but I doubt it very much...but everyone convinced me to leave my few things here, and come back when I finish...if not I will go home in a terrible state...and I still will have more than a month to relax back here whenever I finish...and I think they are right.
That's it for now....will let you all know how things work out in Delhi....
Love to all...Jane
posted by Jane @ 11:23 PM
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