theft at laos border...

i was on the bus from vientiane to the laos border...the bus departed from vientiane at 7.30pm on 18 jan...the bus stopped travelling at 2.30am....n it was parked somewhere near the border.....the bus onli started to travel again at 6.15am...it was a seating bus....so could not sleep much even though it was not moving.....n at 7am....the bus attendants asked us to get off the bus....ohh....so we had reached the laos border....i was reallie tired...got off the bus...but mind haven wake up...there were lotsa pple sitting outside the border....i took out my passport from my sling bag which i wore under my jacket...n walked into the departure counter...it was total chaos inside...there is no queue...n everyone jus crowd ard a counter...everyone is pushing their way ard n trying to be the first in line...a lady came so close to me n touch my underarms....i was filling up my departure card n queuing up at the same time....but there was no queue....so i made my way to the grp of ang moh travellers to fill up my card...so that i dun get pushed ard....after i filled up my departure card...a lady asked me to lend her my pen...i gave it to her..n she disappeared with my pen...i continue to stand behind the crowd....the ang moh travellers were in a grp...n one of them who was in front collected all the ang moh passports n gave them to the immigration officer....i did not pass my passport to the front yet...cos i was still behind many pple....n i dun wan my passport to be lost in the crowd....i was behind this big german lady...n when pple pushed her...she pushed back w her haversack....i asked her to pass my passport to the front....if not my passport would never get stamped...i was afraid that my bus would run away without me as i m among the last few pple in the mess.....i waited....luckily singapore passport is red colour...very easy to recognise....finallie i got my departure stamp...i was checking n walking towards the money exchange....n i saw the lady whom took my pen....i asked her for it n she signalled that she had passed to someone else....i was checking my sling bag to find if i haf laos currency to change n to my horror....my sling bag was cut opened...n the zipped lock bag which contained all my valuables (USD, sing dollars, some nepalese rupees, some laos kip, n all my cards) were gone...wat's left is my mentos sweet which i bought in vientiane for the long bus ride....i was left w no money...not even an atm card to withdraw money....i wanted to report to someone but everyone was busy...i walked into a few rooms w officers....but after they realized wat happened....they looked at me n continued w wat they r doing....i went out...saw the japanese n korean couple whom i met on the bus....n told them wat happened.....the japanese guy asked me how much i lost...i told abt 100usd...he asked if i had anymore $$$...i told no....n he immediately took out a 100usd note n gave it to me....i asked him for his address so that i can return the money to him when i return home....but he dun want me to return...i said if he does not want me to return th money....i dun want to take his money....but he insisted that i take the money.....in the end....i took the money...n hurriedly went in the officer again to find someone to make a report.....an officer brought me to another officer...but the another officer cannot really speak english....i know that i cannot recover anything...all i need is a report so that i can claim insurance....i told the officer that i write a report n he sign....but he jus brought me in n out of the immigration officer...i asked for a ppaper n he told there is no paper....n gave me a small yellow post-it pad....arrrggghhhh......now that i lost my valuables...i m oso afraid that my bus would run away without me.....the officer walked out...tink he tried to run away...n i followed him n pestered him to find someone to write a report....finallie he brought me to another officer who can speak better english...n the other officer asked me where m i from....cos he had found some valuables (student card..credit cards...wallet minus the money) in the toilet....but they were not mine...i told that my valuables were lost...n he asked me to follow him....finallie someone can help me....n at the entrance...the brazilian gal whom i met on the bus told the officer that the valuables which he found in the toilet were hers....she got pickpocketted too...she lost her 30usd....but uncovered all the rest....so we went to make the report together....the officer gave us paper w small squares.....no proper letter head....finallie we wrote the report n got the officer to sign n stamp...hope i can make a claim w that....before we left....we went to the toilet to check....in the laos toilet....there is a tank of water used for flushing in every toilet....the brazilian gal n i checked every toilet but could not find anything....i tink that i cannot recover anything....n decided to go..in case the bus left...cos we were reallie late....i was holding my passport in my hand throughout...i dun wan to put in my bag n get stolen....if i lose my passport..it would be more troublesome.....n the 100usd which the kind japanese gave to me...was still in my hand too....i dun not where to put the money.....in the end..i put the 100usd in my book which is in my sling bag.....n i took extra care at the vietnam border...the brazilian gal was w me..n she was very kind to gave me 1usd for me to cross the vietnam border....so that i dun haf to break my 100usd dollar note....

v unlucky that day...n on the way from the border to vinh...i witnessed tha aftermath of a fatal car accident....n even saw the body w blood on the road....was traumatised again....then from vinh to hue....i saw the front of the bus being smashed...did not see blood this time....scary....

however i m v thankful that i haf met many kind pple whom had helped me....i m in saigon now....tmlo flying back home....100usd is enuff for me to make it thru vietnam to home....if not for the kind japanese's 100usd....dun tink i can make it this far.....