Robbed while on vacation alone with her six-month-old son, VICTORIA DENG recalls her chilling encounter and what she learnt from it.
In July 2015, I set off on a two-week holiday with my then-six-month-old son, Owen. It was a break I was looking forward to – a free-and-easy journey through the south of France by train and a few days in Paris.
My goal was to cover 14 cities and towns in all. I was breastfeeding Owen at the time, so I had to take him along with me. My husband didn’t have any issues with me holidaying alone with our son, and being a seasoned and savvy traveller, I wasn’t too worried either.
My dream holiday turned-nightmare
The trip went smoothly the first six days. Owen and I had a wonderful time checking out the lavender fields in Haute Provence, and the stunning coastal views of the French Riviera and Monaco.
I also went on a few day tours, where I met fellow travellers from Asia. When they found out I was travelling alone with Owen, they were surprised and told me that I was brave.
I must admit I was proud of myself for having survived almost a week without any drama. Owen was generally easy to look after; occasionally, I would need help carrying his stroller up and down the bus or onto the train, but bystanders and other travellers were usually more than willing to lend a hand.
On the seventh day of my trip, I went sightseeing around Nice. I hadn’t booked a day tour, so I just took Owen for a walk along the beach. We then went for lunch and ended up in a little shop in Old Town, shopping for souvenirs.
I’d run out of small notes, so I paid with a 100-euro (around S$158) bank note. For some reason, the cashier announced to everyone in the store that he was returning me over 90 euros in change.
It made me self-conscious. I quickly shoved the money into my pouch, put the pouch into my tote, zipped it and hooked it onto Owen’s stroller before leaving the shop.
This story is from the December 2016 edition of Young Parents Singapore.
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This story is from the December 2016 edition of Young Parents Singapore.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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