Left my camera bag on an Ella cafe table for two minutes and it vanished — report it or just chalk it up?
Sunrise crowd, ordered tea, stepped to the counter to pay, turned back — bag gone. Not a crow stealing toast; a person took it. Passport was in the room safe. Memory cards and a lens are gone. Do people actually file a police note here, ask cafe CCTV, or is it a write-off?
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4 Answers from travellers
Do both the cafe and a police note if the bag had real value — ask staff about CCTV immediately while the window is fresh, then file a report with your passport copy and a list of what was inside. It may not recover the gear, but insurance and card chargebacks often need paper. Do not accuse random customers loudly; work through staff. Going forward, bags stay on your lap or under the chair with a strap around your ankle in busy tourist cafes. Crow food theft is annoying; unattended bags are a different risk.
Filed a note after a snatch near a viewpoint cafe. Gear gone, insurance paid part. Glad I had the paper.
Asking the cafe about cameras now, then heading to the station with a written list.
Hosts hate hearing this story. Strap the bag or do not stand up without it.
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