Safety in Numbers.... or so I thought

Last week I was on my way home from a meeting with a local friend when I decided to stop by the grocery store and pick up some essentials which for me and my roommate means eggs, cereal, bread, and milk.  I was driving my bike, and I circled the general area of the store 3 times looking for an appropriate place to park.  If you think it's hard finding a parking spot on a Saturday at Walmart, try living in a city of 10 million.  Finally I spied a spot open in front of the post office.  I had never parked there before, and I wasn't clear on what the yellow and black stripes on the curb meant.  But as I didn't see a no-parking sign, and since there were 7 other bikes parked in the same general vicinity, I felt like I was good.  I mean after all, there's safety in numbers. Right?? (You see where there is going?) I ran in the store, and when I came out 10 minutes later, my bike was gone.  Now my initial thought was that I simply forgot where I parked my bike.  I have to admit that after meeting my friend and speaking in and listening to the local language for 2 hours my brain was zapped.  So when I didn't see my bike, I just assumed that in as little as 10 minutes I had forgotten the correct spot.  So I went to the 3 other areas where I had driven looking for a spot to see if my bike was there.  After about 20 minutes of walking around the area, it finally dawned on me that all 7 of the others bikes parked with mine were also missing.  And right on cue, a tow truck barreled down the road carrying my bike and several other scooters and motorcycles.  The rest of the story is not that interesting.  I had a friend take me to scooter jail where I had to present my international license and pay a fine.  So now I know.  When it comes to a no-parking zone, there is no such thing as safety in numbers. Lesson learned.