This is quite a bizarre experience I encountered in a while.
Maybe I was getting a little bit too comfortable. Knowing how comfortable everything was, maybe I let my guard down a bit too much but damn, I mean my first time there was a good time. I stayed at this accommodation that was just too good in the bustling of Bangkok. I mean, everyone sort of hated to stay longer in Bangkok but this was an oasis in the middle of this chaos. And let me tell you, I got to know everyone there, the staff, the cleaners, you name it. I even got into their personal stories. I trusted them that they would help me out when I got into a trouble, it was like a fourth even fifth family, you know?
So, on the 12th, I wanted to get some cash out. I wanted to get a cake and ate together with my Thai friend on the evening. That's when I realized that I lost my wallet.
I turned my bed upside down, emptied out my bags, searched every nook and cranny in that dorm but nada. That green wallet was gone.
Panicked and didn't know what to do, I asked the staff to check the CCTV. Long story short, the mystery started there.
From that CCTV at 4PM on the 10th of May, they saw me packing up everything including my wallet. Then, I got into my dorm room to take a nap and eventually from the CCTV it was shown that at 10PM, I was only with my keycard without my wallet. Since then, they have not seen me around at the lounge with my wallet.
I am a creature of habit, a hardcore one especially when I feel a little too comfortable. So I sit in the same spot, same routine, nothing is too extraordinary. You will notice it and that was the case. Same with my coffee habit as well. So, during that 5 hours, where did the wallet go?
Did someone inside my dorm steal my wallet when I was sleeping?
Staff reported there were only 4 people including myself inside and the other 2 stayed and 1 is an indonesian girl I talked to briefly that didn't seem like she was stealing my wallet. She even gave me Indomie, a rare commodity around here. You also don't let go indomie that easily.
cleaners also saw no wallet, nothing.
Around 5PM on the 12th, I was trying so hard to keep it together, but I was bawling like a baby, feeling totally helpless. My thai friend came to the rescue and topped up my phone so I could call my damn bank customer service. I kept saying thank you dozen of times but another shitshow went down. 100 baht credit gone, just like that. I could not even get through to the damn customer service at my bank!
There I was, exhausted and had no other way to get any cash.When I calmed down, I thought for a while.
Fortunately, I had quite a bit of options 1) I could transferred all of my money back into crypto and find a p2p to get a cash, 2)A remittance service and asked my Thai friend to cash out for me.
I went with the second option. From my end, the transaction had been successful and my account said it went through, yet my Thai friend hasn't said anything about the money going through her account. I am a little afraid as that was pretty hefty chunk of money. So, finger crossed it will arrive.
This morning, I tried another ways. I asked my mom to call the bank. I was on the line with my cousin so I could talk to the customer service through my mom's phone. Holly hell! the customer service first refused the request saying that I should be calling from Thai number. I was once again, bawling like a baby in frustration. I told this lady on the line what happened to me and she sounded sorry about what happened. Eventually, she helped me through it and while I was sobbing, she processed everything. So, finger crossed I would get it activated before Monday and I could get access to my card that would save me before heading back home.
That being said, the lesson is that never get too comfortable, bring more than 2 cards even 5 if needed too. Never put too much money on the cards, find p2p to cash out and most importantly make friends around.
credit Unsplash via maksymiv
