A LUGGAGE THEFT AT HOSTEL MARIOT-M AT SOFIA BULGARIA
Tsvetanka Stoianova's Hostel Mariot-M
No, Mariot (not Marriott) is not misspelled. Also, it used to be called a hotel (see Photo Page) rather than a hostel, and it used to be located slightly off the Maria Luiza Street at 51 Kiril and Metodiy Street (see Photo Page). Of course, once you walked inside "your" room, you'd learn that it was really a hostel. Get down to it and it was really a house converted into a hostel, with 2 rooms on main floor, 2 rooms upstairs, and a toilet and a bathroom located in the basement without the luxury of a way to lock the door from inside. Now, the hostel has moved to the second (third, if you are from the Americas) floor of 65 Maria Luiza Street (see Photo Page), but is presently being accurately represented as a hostel. Only now, it's an office space converted into a hostel and still with 4 rooms. Both old and the new locations were barely a 1/4 mile from the Sofia train station. Owner is still Tsvetanka Stoianova (see Photo Page), a single mother (her man having ditched her years ago) of a daughter who's been attending university forever. She'll quote you just about anything for your stay depending on your appearance. But do pay her in Leva or Euro because if you pay her in dollars, she'll come up with a higher new rate everyday, complaining of the falling dollar. She'll even get you a cab to the hostel for only 20 Leva, which should cost no more than 2 Leva without her "help". But if you get it any cheaper than 20 Leva, both her and driver will bug you after arrival for extra money especially if the driver assisted you with your luggage. After freshening up, don't ask her where you might go out to meet some good Bulgarian girls or she'll either get on the phone and order you a prostitute for 75 Leva (30 for pimp, 30 for girl and 15 for her cut) or offer her driver's assistance in locating some girls, clubs or brothels.
PRELUDE TO LUGGAGE THEFT
If you happen to be fairly well-dressed and carrying expensive luggage, be sure to be carrying traveler's checks and a homeowners policy, especially if you happen to expose cash, photo or video gear, exchange large bills or order a prostitute because later that evening a man with only a back pack for luggage will stay in your room for the night. Next morning, the man speaking almost perfect English will try to befriend you, even take you out to a cafe, at least 15 minutes of walk away, with promise of exchanging money from a local Rabbi at lucerative rates or meeting chicks at clubs who give themselves away for a drink. Once seated at cafe, he'll step out with some excuse with promsie of a quick return. Of course, he won't return, and perhaps needless to say, when you return back to the hostel, the man will have checked out with his luggage - and yours. Fill-in man sitting at the desk will tell you that Tsvetanka is out for a doctor's appointment, that the thief has checked out and that he himself being only a fill-in didn't know your luggage from thief's luggage.
DOWN AND OUT?
Relax! There's no need to run to Sofia train station. You won't find him there. Police report, although wasn't required by the US consulate, would be mandatory for filing a homeowners' insurance claim, for updating passport number with the Passport Control office on Maria Luiza Street, at the airport or at Bulgaria's international borders; and even with the airlines, in case this mishap causes you to miss your flight. Your embassy may notify the border control but the thief won't turn up there either since, if you haven't guessed it already, he was a local who performs such jobs for Tsvetanka who registers him as guest in her hostel under info of an another guest who might have once stayed there. In my case, the thief was registered as Daniel Ifran, 20 March 1950 for date of birth and Israeli passport number N7546895. To make a police report, you'll be asked to go to a distant V police station which will ask you to bring along an "official interpreter" from your embassy, and at least the US consulate didn't spare one. So, I had to hire a private official interpreter at $10 per hour, hading my Seiko wrist watch as collateral, and it took an entire day! Police takes a report and sends you off to the courthouse and courthouse will send you off elsewhere, each adding a stamp after stamp. You'd be a moron to expect financial assistance at least from the US consulate, even in the form of a loan. In fact, in my case, they asked me for $60 for the replacement passport after turning down my request for a loan so I had to wait around until American Express replaced my traveler's checks after two interrogations that resembled a murder investigation. On traveler's checks it was indicated that the UK office handles Bulgaria and had a toll free phone number listed but there was no 800 connection from Bulgaria and no one knew what a toll free call is. So, only getting a hold of the American Express was no easy task. In fact, after an inquiry, they asked me to call them back after a few days. Swiss Air asked me for $120 to hand me a reprint of my e-ticket. And all the meanwhile Tsvetanka back at the hostel will harrass you with her "pay today?" reminders, even though luggage was stolen while in her hostel's custody! As a token of their assistance, the US consulate will ask you for contact info of your relations and friends only so they can contact them and inform them of your dire situation and ask them to send you money so they don't have to! They have no money for anything except the wars.
ARE YOU SURE IT WAS TSVETANKA?
1. Hostel room doors don't normally have a key in them, and mine didn't until the time I was going out with this man. Would a hostel allow 2 persons in a 3-bed dorm room to lock the door and take the key in front of the staff? Man locked the door, took the key so none but him would be blamed for the theft . At desk was sitting the fill-in man, and Tsvetanka just a few steps behind us. As the man locked the door, he asked her loudly: "You have a doctor's appointment at 12?" and she loudly said "yes."
2. Tsvetanka asked me within a couple of days of the theft if I had any cash in my suitcase, and I told her that I didn't. My guess is that man informed her that there was no cash in the suitcase, and she wanted an independent verification of a theif's word.
3. Tsvetanka never asked if I wanted to place my suitcase in the storage (kitchen), which she always kept locked.
4. I was the only one in hostel on my first day there, which leaves 3 other rooms vacant. Yet, Tsvetanka assigned the man to my room. Her explaination: She wants her guests to socialize.
5. Tsvetanka was into ordering prostitutes and overcharging for cab rides, so is a theft too far above her?