Saturday, October 11, 2014
' an unfortunate incident'
We started the day with some lunch at this canadian cafe named Joma. We had some bagels, sandwiches, salads and some soup. After fullfilling the girls' wishes to eat there, we went for a bit of shopping along the streets of Ly Quoc Su and found ourselves in front of this gorgeous old neo-gothic church named 'Saint Joseph Cathedral'. When i saw the church, i was immediately drawn to the architectures and its surroundings, and decided to take some pictures of the place. I couldnt help but pond upon the fact how hidden this church is. I slowly moved my eyes inch by inch, aweing the place. I was then joined by my friends a couple minutes later. As bruneian tourists, we had a selfie moment covering different angles, as if we were professional photog. I was so eager to see what's inside so i walked towards the church's door and continued to awe. The interior was spectacular. Its funny how old buildings like this (churches & temples) impress me. We then went to Cozy Hotel to check in. It was my first time checking in at Cozy. I didnt believe how cozy it was untill i went into our room: the family room. It was huge!!! While waiting for the clock to strike 6pm, some of my friends slept while I had a fun talk with my mum through whatsapp. That night, Roland and I decided to get a haircut so we went to a salon nearby, recommended by our friend: Kiat. As I sat down facing the mirror, the beautician was sharing some of her stories, emphasizing how safer it is in Hanoi compared to ho chi minh city. She continued rambling on how peofessional the pickpockets are and how dangerous it could be when facing this kind of situation. With an ego of typical bruneians, we brushed the information off and make fun of it instead. After having our hair cut, we went to Avalon for dinner and was showered with VIP treatments due to that one incident; we were given a table with a spectacular view, free drinks & excellent services by their own manager. It was a fun ......until Zurah's wallet got stolen. It all started in this famous night market which was filled with cheap fake goods, electronics accesories & many bypassers. We were looking for some monopod when the girls decided to leave us. After not being able to bargain to the price I wanted, we decided to move on to the next stall and realized the girls were gone. Since this was the second time going here, i assumed the girls went to the other streets to check other vendors so Roland & I tried to catch up and found ourselves 3 streets ahead of them. I thought to myself, "where the hell are they?!!" Few minutes later and a couple of vendors away, Roland's phone rang. A phone call that changed the night from good to bad. That phone call was from Zurah, crying for help as she realized her wallet got stolen. We ran to the entrance to meet them. There they were, Zurah & the girls, discussing about what went down. We inpected the bag and realized her bag was torn. It was a straight cut possibly made by a knife or a cutter. We panicked but maintained a brave face. We hurrily went to Highland Coffee to settle this down. As we discussed the many possibilities of ways on how the robber took the wallet, Zurah was on the phone with the Brunei's Embassy, her mum, some banks & a couple of vietnamese friends. Cards got blocked, parents were informed and friends offered to help. The clock stricked midnight & the girls wanted to go back to the hotel. As we were walking down the streets, I looked upon my friends- tugging their bags closely to their body, looking cautious and walking fast. They were scared as shit. After sending Jas & Izza back to the hotel, we immediately went to the police station to file a report but the problem was that the vietnamese police cant speak english so we went to pick up Ha - so he could explained everything to the police and translated what the policeman had said to us and vice versa. An hour later, we found ourselves, marching back to the hotel, smoking the night away. We were worn out by this incident. Situation like this has made me realized (and taught) me to be more careful and be more aware with my surroundings whilst being abroad. Dont get carried away. Xx |
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