Summary: The car window was shattered in Vina del Mar, and a backpack and a suitcase were stolen, with the estimated loss of items totaling over 10k [Sigh]
⚠️⚠️⚠️ A lesson to be learned, everyone should take heed!!
❌ Mistake 1: We thought leaving the high-crime area of Valparaiso would mean safety, but locals informed us that Vina del Mar has also experienced a surge in security issues this year. You can’t let your guard down for a moment!
❌ Mistake 2: The trunk was full, so I placed a travel bag and an empty backpack on the back seat floor, which were stolen.
Two coats (an Arc’teryx and a Canada Goose) left on the seats were not taken (thank you).
❌ Mistake 3: We just wanted to get out of the car to admire the coast, parking by the roadside next to a restaurant, making it an easy target with the traffic.
❌ Mistake 4: Initially, we planned a quick stop, but it turned into a 1.
5-hour city walk, and we were away from the car for too long.
❌ Mistake 5: Locals at the restaurant warned us that having surveillance cameras often makes a place a target [Disappointed]. We didn’t even notice if there were any cameras.
When we returned to where the car was parked, someone from the restaurant was already waiting by the car. She told us that a customer noticed the car had been broken into, and it was caught on camera. She had already called the police. Within 10 minutes of our arrival, the police came. Since we didn’t speak Spanish, she helped us communicate and translate, accompanied us to the police station to file a report, and even called the car rental company to sort everything out.
May good people have peace all their lives [Crying].
Fortunately, we had our wallets, passports, and camera lenses with us. If they had been in the car, the loss would have been much greater [Sigh]. So far, the stolen items include:
– Most frustrating: All the chargers are gone, really frustrating. Phone chargers are manageable, but the camera chargers (Canon, Leica, Hasselblad), card readers, filters, and various camera and phone accessories, a whole bag, would cost several thousand RMB to replace 🥹.
The key is that these are hard to find in Chile, and we only have a few days before our cruise, so buying online is not an option. Thankfully, Type C chargers can now charge cameras as well.
– Most heartbreaking: A thin Canada Goose down jacket bought in 2018, which I’ve taken to many places, was casually stuffed into the luggage bag today, another few thousand RMB gone 🥹 (I usually don’t do that).
– Second most heartbreaking: The Y3 backpack, which I’ve also taken to many places, although it was bought on sale, still cost several thousand RMB 🥹.
– Most troublesome: A large bag of skincare, sunscreen, my dad’s electric shaver, my mom’s hiking shoes, our flip-flops, a folding kettle, a luggage scale, and a fruit knife, all unusable now!
!!
– Funniest: A big bag of fruits [Laughing][Laughing][Laughing]. My mom was especially sad about her bananas [Laughing].
I’ll be sure to keep you posted with any new developments as they unfold.
