Robbed in Santiago

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Hi Everybody!
We took a bus today from Vina Del Mar to Santiago. The day started out great! We found a hotel in the central part of town, checked in, and walked to the Plaza de Armas. We walked around, took photos, and visited the National Museum of History. We found the museum fascinating. It had an unbelievale collection of Spanish Colonial military artifacts, carved furniture, trunk desks, Indian pottery, weapons, tools, etc. It also had a very interesting religious section. When we finished at the museum, we walked to an outdoor cafe in the Plaza. After enjoying a drink, we started to pay our bill. Walt took out his Chilean money and placed his wallet on the table. A young thief ran by, grabbed Walt´s wallet, and kept going. We jumped over the rail and pursued him with no luck. I am still trying to figure out why I didn´t yell THIEF!!!!! Two Chilean policemen were on horseback in the PLaza area. They sent us to the police station to make a report. The cop there told me that there are hundreds of thieves just in that plaza area. We have only ourselves to blame for this. The guidebook clearly stated that the Plaza was one of the most dangerous areas in Santiago because of pickpocketers. This morning, several Chileans warned us to be careful. The boy got the wallet which contained several hundred dollars, military ID with SS number on it, ATM card, and at least one credit card. We both had the rest of our cash and credit cards in our money belts. We are so lucky that this hasn´t happened before on any of our earlier trips. While we were at the police station, they brought in a young man that they had just arrested. Two policemen was holding on to the man´s arms and he was laughing his head off. I have heard that the police here are very strict. It surprises me that they have so much crime. Walt says that the good thing is that he can stop walking around with his hand in his pocket. He always held on to his wallet when we were out in public. Never fear, we are not going to hit anyone up for a loan. We have enough money to finish the trip. I just hope the thief doesn´t do anything with the SS numbers.
It is much warmer here than it was in Vina Del Mar. I forgot to mention that the water was too cold for swimming in Vina del Mar. I think the water stays cold year round. We will be in Santiago another night. I think that I will be ready to leave CHILE!
Take care,
Everette

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Comments

[karen Ray]

Pickpockets
Ouch! So sorry to hear you guys were the victims of theft in South America. Reminds Eric and I of living in Lima, where everyone at the embassy had a theft story to tell. Be safe, enjoy yourselves. Where to next?

[james st. james]

crime and punishment
i'm really sorry you got robbed in chile. chile does not have a lot of crime and is in fact the safest country in latin america. to be clearer, it does not have a lot of the types of crime (violent crime, assault, murder, kidnappings) and corruption that the rest of the continent has. however, as you found out the hard way, what it does have a lot of is petty theft (opportunistic swipings of purses and wallets, as well as pickpocketing). chileans themselves are often on the defensive in crowded areas, especially downtown, and even the starbucks has special chairs where you can literally hook your purse so a passerby can't just snatch it and run. there's no need to be paranoid, but don't do silly things with your wallet like leave it on a counter when paying or carry it in your back pocket. also, don't put money away while walking down the street, do that in the shop. i had a similar thing happen to me in europe so this could have happened in any big city. i hope the rest of your trip goes well. coming home with one robbery story is enough. cheers!

[Mary Beth]

It happens to everybody sometime!
Unfortunately it happened to me in Santiago as well, about a year ago! I had my purse snatched near Plaza Italia. My roommate, who was Chilean, told me that she had had her purse snatched a couple of times in Santiago as well. I'm so sorry to hear about it, and I hope that it hasn't ruined your trip or thoughts of Chile. I still love Chile, even with all the mishaps.