[OGNorCal707]

Like the thread says, FUCK HOSTELS!!

For one I will play devils advocate against my own argument and say that I have had good times at hostels and do see some positive aspects to staying in them. That said, I decided to spend a few nights here at my current location at the Nomadas Hostel in Merida, Mexico. I met a couple hot European chicks at the hostel I was staying at in San Cristobal de las Casas, who raved about it and said it was the best hostel they have ever stayed in, so going off that and the fact it was number one on hostelbookers.com, I decided to book 3 nights.

I was almost about to not book it, solely on the premise that the private room didn't have a private bathroom, only a shared one, but I said fuck it, at $20 a night the price was right and it would help me save a little money before dropping $75 a night in Playa del Carmen.

Well this morning at 5:30 AM I got up to use the bathroom which was outside the room around the corner, I was going to lock the door, but I was in my boxers and didn't feel like carrying the key, and figured the chances of someone going into my room to steal something in the 3 minutes it would take to go for a piss were slim to none.

3 minutes apparently were enough, later this morning around 11:30 when I went into my bag to get my sunglasses, but they were gone, the case was there, but the sun glasses weren't. Now I know for a fact they were in my case when I left my hotel in Campeche, and I had my bags with me, right next to me, within my sight the entire time, except when they were locked up in the bottom of the bus, but it was a direct route, with little chance of someone having the time to go through my bag and find them.

To me the only time they could have been stolen were early this morning when I went to take a piss. Fucking 3 minute piss, and that was enough time for someone to slip in and steal my $200 pair of Ray Bans. Ofcourse the owner of the hostel claims they looked at the security tape and saw no one, but me enter the room. I'm pretty sure they are just saying that to try to cover their own asses, even though I know that they can't and won't accept responsibility for lost or stolen items at the hostel.

I guess there is no real point to this post, and for sure stuff can get stolen even if you are staying at a nicer hotel, but the chances of something like this happening at a nicer hotel are way slimmer. If anything I learned that I need to not stay at hostels or at least stay at one with a private bathroom adjacent to my room, keep my door locked at all times even if I'm only going to be gone for a few minutes, and keep all valuables in a locked bag.

If anything I am trying to be grateful that it wasn't my passport, money, and credit/debit card. Normally I keep all that buried at the bottom of my duffle bag in a cargo short pocket, and keep a lock on my duffle bag, but last night, I left my duffle bag unlocked, so theoretically they could have dug threw and found all that stuff as well.

I fucking hate thieves and I got to admit that this has put me in a really bad mood and pissed me the fuck off, but live and learn I guess.

[avantgarde]

When I saw the title, he probably got his shit stolen. I was right. That is too bad. It depends on the hostel. You put your shit in a locker. Some places, they are pretty safe like Georgia. In general, less people, it is more safe.

[Mentavious]

Same thing happened to me in Colombia. Peeps were sleeping when I left to go shower. Next morning 100,000 pesos were gone.

I'm sure you sunglasses are worth more but don't let it ruin your trip. Live and learn.

Thieves do suck.

[The Fantasist]

Feel bad for you man. If there is video footage then look at the film yourself to check.

I hate thieving skanks who are too lazy to save and buy their own things. Hopefully they will fall out with a cartel somewhere down the line.

[Alexander]

For me it seems like that "Fuck Mexicans" would be a better title, there are some countries where that would not happen, regardless of whether foreigners were staying.

I haven't met many Mexicans, but the ones I have have been cheating bastards

[germanico]

(03-05-2013 02:35 PM)OGNorCal707 Wrote:  

Ofcourse the owner of the hostel claims they looked at the security tape and saw no one, but me enter the room. I'm pretty sure they are just saying that to try to cover their own asses, even though I know that they can't and won't accept responsibility for lost or stolen items at the hostel.

A decent person would have let you have a look at the tape.

[avantgarde]

I left my laptop and passport in a hostel once, but it didn't stolen.

[Caligula]

Friend of mine had $200 taken out of his pocket in a hostel in Peru while we slept in a shared dorm.

It's par for the course; back when I stayed at hostels never left anything of value there. I slept in a zipped up sleeping back with my valuables at the bottom of it. Friend of mine slept with his wallet in his boxers.

Main thing about hostels is it never feels relaxed because you know there are often thieves around.

[OGNorCal707]

(03-05-2013 02:49 PM)germanico Wrote:  

(03-05-2013 02:35 PM)OGNorCal707 Wrote:  

Ofcourse the owner of the hostel claims they looked at the security tape and saw no one, but me enter the room. I'm pretty sure they are just saying that to try to cover their own asses, even though I know that they can't and won't accept responsibility for lost or stolen items at the hostel.

A decent person would have let you have a look at the tape.

Yeah I'm sure the owner of the hostel was straight up bullshitting me. I asked to see the tape, but he claims that the video surveillance is outsourced to a surveillance company that records and monitors the tapes, so they don't actually have a copy of the video to show me. He claims that they contacted the company and the person at the company reviewed the tapes and didn't see anyone enter the room. For one who knows if they actually looked at the tapes, for two who knows if there actually is a company that keeps records of the surveillance tapes, also if they did look, it's quite probable that they didn't look at the exact time the theft took place.

So I won't ever know for sure what happened. What really pisses me off is whoever stole my shit is probably hanging around the hostel and probably heard me complaining about the theft. In their fucked up minds they are probably snickering and thinking how slick they are. One thing is for sure they are lucky as hell I didn't catch them in the act. I am a peaceful guy, but have been training martial arts hard for the last year and a half, and would have gone straight Jon Jones on their ass. I really wish I had caught them and smashed their face to bits with my elbows.

I have been traveling for the past 10 years and stayed in hostels all over the world and this is the first time I got anything stolen from me, I guess maybe it was bound to happen. I am also kicking myself because I am always completely OCD about locking doors, but the one time I get up to take a piss for 3 mins. and don't lock the door, I get some shit jacked. FUCKING PUTA!!

[thegmanifesto]

(03-05-2013 02:39 PM)avantgarde Wrote:  

When I saw the title, he probably got his shit stolen.

When I saw the title, I thought he got stymied on swooping a 10.

But either way, I have been saying this on here for years.

I even remember when I first came on here and said it and got attacked for being a pretentious *sshole.

Good to see the forum is advancing.

[InternationPlayboy]

That does suck, and whoever did that is a dirty bastard. But I hate so say it man, you can't blame anyone but yourself. You should know better being in Mexico. You knew the situation, you took the gamble. It really should be more, "fuck Mexico." But you probably knew that robbery in Mexico was an issue before you got there. Had you been at a hostel in Western Europe, I doubt this would have happened.

But I agree, hostels do suck. I only stay at them if I'm on a super budget. Otherwise Airbnb or compartoapto is my go to.

[Kona]

The owner didn't see anyone on the video because it was the owner that stole the glasses.

The owner probably also isn't a sole proprietor but a manager. People that work at hostels usualy don't get paid and work for their beds. They eat by ripping off the guests. Its their only source of income.

Owning a hostel was one of the worst experiences of my life. The shit bag employees robbing me and everyone else that came through that place was the biggest problem. If you try to hire experienced hostel workers, gues what? They're. experienced in ripping you off.

I'm surprised someone hadn't stolen the camera the owner didn't see anyone on.

Aloha!

[TheBulldozer]

I figured you'd come up with a business plan where you decided to open a hostel chain that requires every guest to have sex.

[LostGringo]

(03-05-2013 04:11 PM)Kona Wrote:  

The owner didn't see anyone on the video because it was the owner that stole the glasses.

The owner probably also isn't a sole proprietor but a manager. People that work at hostels usualy don't get paid and work for their beds. They eat by ripping off the guests. Its their only source of income.

Owning a hostel was one of the worst experiences of my life. The shit bag employees robbing me and everyone else that came through that place was the biggest problem. If you try to hire experienced hostel workers, gues what? They're. experienced in ripping you off.

I'm surprised someone hadn't stolen the camera the owner didn't see anyone on.

Aloha!

In a more perfect world, I would say go befriend some local degenerates and kidnap the scumbag - holding him for, say $400 ransom. Split the take with aforementioned degenerates and then rig up a prison tattoo gun and determine the preferred local slang for "cock" - then put this on his forehead; "Me encanta >>>>>"

[OSL]

Was staying at Tsim Sha Tsui's Chung King Mansion in Hong Kong. Woke up to a bed filled with dozens of bed bugs and bites all over me.

Never, ever again. Disgusting.

Don't ever live at Chung King Mansions. It's worth throwing down more money to live in a nicer place.

This is that same night that I woke up and saw that fight between Nigerians and Indians at that 711.

[Handsome Creepy Eel]

Hahahahhaah... this is awful, but still funny. It reminds me of an old guy I recently met on a train. He said that he was in a sleeping wagon (with his own cabin) and, upon arriving at destination, was in the toilet for 2 minutes after the train had stopped. During those 2 minutes, someone entered his closed but not locked cabin and stole the luxury cheese and wine that he was carrying as a gift to someone. Bizzare but hilarious when you imagine thieves waiting at the station to jump in and speed-rob some high-quality food!

[michelin]

In any hostel never ever leave your valuables dragging around when you leave the room. I prefer to be the one guy who uses his locker, instead of running into trouble.

Mexico is particularly a pain in the ass, when it comes to little thieves. On a night bus ride, a guy even tried to steal money I was carying in a special safety wallet around my NECK. Fortunately I woke up and saw a hand slipping away but still had my wallet around my neck.

[thegmanifesto]

(03-05-2013 03:27 PM)InternationPlayboy Wrote:  

That does suck, and whoever did that is a dirty bastard. But I hate so say it man, you can't blame anyone but yourself. You should know better being in Mexico. You knew the situation, you took the gamble. It really should be more, "fuck Mexico." But you probably knew that robbery in Mexico was an issue before you got there. Had you been at a hostel in Western Europe, I doubt this would have happened.

But I agree, hostels do suck. I only stay at them if I'm on a super budget. Otherwise Airbnb or compartoapto is my go to.

Kona's story is probably right on, however backpackers are opportunists as well.

They are broke and hungry.

What do you think they do when someone leaves a camera, sunglasses or wetsuit out in the open?

[InternationPlayboy]

I feel you on that. I'm not trying to hate on Mexico, I'm just saying going down to South America or Central America, you should know what you are getting yourself into. I love Brazil and Colombia and know full well that I have a decent chance of getting mugged when I go down there, but I don't let that deter me from going. But you're right, it definitely could be a back packer as well. I'm just as guilty of doing the same thing. I left my door unlocked for a couple minutes at my hostel a couple of times, and even thought about it not being the best idea. But if I were to get robbed I wouldn't blame it on the hostel, I'd blame it on myself. And to be honest, I think your chances of getting robbed in a hostel in south or central america is a bit higher than one in Europe.

[thegmanifesto]

(03-05-2013 08:02 PM)InternationPlayboy Wrote:  

I feel you on that. I'm not trying to hate on Mexico, I'm just saying going down to South America or Central America, you should know what you are getting yourself into. I love Brazil and Colombia and know full well that I have a decent chance of getting mugged when I go down there, but I don't let that deter me from going. But you're right, it definitely could be a back packer as well. I'm just as guilty of doing the same thing. I left my door unlocked for a couple minutes at my hostel a couple of times, and even thought about it not being the best idea. But if I were to get robbed I wouldn't blame it on the hostel, I'd blame it on myself. And to be honest, I think your chances of getting robbed in a hostel in south or central america is a bit higher than one in Europe.

Could be right, but maybe not.

The only place I have been heisted is Europe, if my memory serves me correct.

Not to mention the pickpockets there are on another level.

[gsinplaya]

Almost all of the hostels in Playa Del Carmen don't even allow Mexicans to stay there because of stuff always getting stolen.

The ones that do put them in there own area without access to the other rooms.

I've had a fair amount of stuff go missing from my house which is really secure. To this day I don't know how. Owner could be breaking in for all i know. I've become really careful about it now but you're best not to trust anyone when in Mexico.

[OGNorCal707]

Okay guys I think I got my main suspect, before I get to that, for the record I take responsibility for what happened, but I still say fuck theives, you can't fully blame yourself for the shadiness and fucked upness of others.

The thing is, 99.5% of the time I am super anal, OCD and cautious about locking stuff up, especially doors. The one time I slip up and get fucked. Mostly it was circumstantial, it was 5:30 in the morning I was in my boxers and didn't feel like fiddling with the lock and carrying the keys, I was groggy, tired, and needed to piss badly, basically I wasn't in the clearest headspace. The bathroom was literally right around the corner and I figured I would only be gone from the room for 2-3 mins. max. Where I really slipped up was I am pretty sure I saw someone at the far end of the courtyard, as it looked like there was light coming from a laptop or tablet.

I spent the whole day pissed as fuck, but fortunately was able to hit a local gym, work off some of that anger, squat, benchpress, and barbell row, in addition there was a heavy bag that I beat the shit out of, punch combos, knees, and elbows.

When I got back from the gym there were a bunch of people in the courtyard, there was some kind of Mexican cooking class, and when I was mixing up a protein shake I noticed a slick looking black dude, who was obviously American...

Since I haven't met any brothas on this trip, nor many Americans, I said "what up brother", and started rapping with the guy. After my shower we were kicking in the courtyard and got to talking. The guy was probably already buzzed and he was pounding a 40 oz of Corona, and was seeming kind of drunk.

We were kind of talking about where we are from, our life stories, and travel experiences. I could tell dude was streetwise and kind of hood, so we got onto the topic of pussy and weed, two things that I love.

Well dude said he had been traveling the world for a year straight and said he never wanted to go back to the U.S... Using my sixth sense I could tell something was up with the guy, and straight asked him if he had some charges he was trying to avoid back home. Unless he is slipping across borders unchecked, I am guess that he doesn't have any felonies, but he claimed he had a charge for drunk driving and another for selling knock off Louie Vouton bags.

Then he starts going off about all kinds of shady shit, stuff you probably don't want to talk about in public around others, like fucking teenage girls in Thailand and Cambodia, stealing money to survive in Australia. It was obvious that the other people in the hostel were getting uncomfortable about the shit he was saying, and to be honest I wasn't too stoked being associated with him in the eyes of others.

The shit that really set off my alarms was that he was telling me that he was broke, and basically stole money from the hostel he was staying at to get his bus fare to Merida. Then he said he was planning on going to Cancun to try to sell coke to all the American college students, but in all reality he will probably cop some baby powder and straight rip people off.

Before he told me all this shit, I thought he was a chill dude and I was being mad nice to him. When I went to take a shower he was at the bathroom and saw my organic facial wash and asked to use some and I let him take a bit to wash his face. He also was saying how he was low on ends and being the generous guy that I am I offered to buy him some dinner since I was planning to go eat, and prefer company than to eat alone.

One thing that now in retrospect set off an alarm and seems odd is that I had warned him, "word to the wise bro, I got a $200 pair of sunglasses ripped off out of my room, so watch your shit". Instead of saying oh thanks for the warning or oh that's fucked up, he was like "damn $200 dollars!" I didn't think of it at the time, but now I am realizing that he perked up and was probably thinking "damn I just hit the jackpot", because he probably had no idea how much they were worth.

After he started talking about all his shady shit and telling me he stole money from the hostel in Mexico City, it pretty much clicked that it is highly probable that he's the guy who jacked my shit. There is a good chance that he just travels around, from hostel to hostel and steals stuff from unsuspecting people. I thought about straight up confronting the dude about my sunglasses, but I figured it would probably be póintless, because there is zero chance he would just confess to doing it, and apologize and give them back.

Also, this guy is pretty damn big, easily 6 ft 5 in., and seems like he could be really dangerous. As he was getting drunk and talking like a loose cannon. He said that he would kill someone to get the money to keep traveling, if it meant not going back to the U.S. Now I don't know if he was speaking tounge in cheek, or if he was serious, but I for one don't want to find out. I thought about confronting him head on and in my mind ran threw the possibilities of fighting the guy, but he is probably packing a knife or some other weapon, and it's probably not worth getting stabbed over a pair of sunglasses.

One thing is for sure, I belive in karma, and karma is a bitch. This guy is obviously not the sharpest knife in the drawer and he is a fucking loose cannon, so karma will catch up with him. He will probably fuck over the wrong person and get stabbed or shot to death sooner or later. Either that or he'll get caught up with the police. He was openly talking about fucking underage girls and claims he has a blog called "teen pussy hunt", which I belive is marketing sex destination to guys who want to fuck underage girls.

I'm an open minded guy, but his dude is a fucking filthy piece of shit, whether he is the one who jacked me or not. I hate to say it, because as much as I am cool with black folk, this guy is a perfect example of the kind of shady American black man that the world has sterotyped and has something against. Fortunately he is supposed to be going to Cancun tomarrow, so I hopefully won't have to see or talk to the guy ever again... Maybe in Cancun he will sell some bunk coke and get beat down by a bunch of roided up frat boys, or get shot by a local drug dealer.

End of story.

[thegmanifesto]

Bingo.

I told you it was a backpacker.

Moral of the story: F*ck Hostels.

Update:

InternationPlayboy,

My crib in Mexico got jacked all the time when I was younger.

Our rides got jacked all the time too. By policia, federales and local hoods.

Charge it to The Game.

[InternationPlayboy]

Damn man, that's fucked up. But like you said, he'll get his. Like G says, charge it to the game. Lesson learned and I'm sure you won't make the same mistake again.

[Volk]

If he goes to Cancun and does that, he will get gutted by Zetas real quick.