Yup, so this happened today. After working out at the gym I went to visit a friend who owed me some money, but nothing significant. I parked in a rather large car park that's right next to the biggest street in Skopje, Macedonia, knowing my car would be 'safe' there.
There were at least 30 other cars in the car park, not to mention the fact that I parked right next to the spots reserved for taxis. At least one taxi is almost always present there, so I thought nothing could go wrong. Unfortunately, it did.
Returning to the car park some 30 mins later i find the small rear window busted and my backpack missing. It was hidden in the back footwell away from view, but I guess I should have known better. They broke the window, opened the door and took the backpack without touching anything else (not that I had a lot of other things in the car).
The usual procedure followed: curse at myself for leaving the backpack inside, curse at them for being c**s and eventually call the police. They came, looked at it and wrote a report, nothing really significant to mention. Next stop: gas station. Buy some aluminum foil to patch up the window and make it hold together for a day or two until I find a replacement.
I don't really know the point of this article. I guess I just wanted to vent out a little bit, and alarm you to be more wary of surrounds and personal belongings. The way things are going in my country, I'm honestly lucky I still have a car. At least one gets stolen every week, but living in a nicer part of town, I thought I was exempt.
Never leave your valuables in your car, and I do mean never. Don't take it for granted like I did. In the end I'll end up paying twice what my friend owed me to fix this, not to mention the fact that the running shoes and the t-shirts in the backpack were worth circa $100. They were worn and sweaty after a work out though, and I hope the guy who stole them stinks like they did for the rest of his life.