19 Years Southeast Asia - how I lost my smile (Part 4) 🌴
Dear fellow Steemians, let me take you back to Thailand and experience what happens next with my adventures.
Almost 3 months had passed when I came to Thailand for the first time in my life. During this time I found my dream island and decided to live there. I also met a nice Thai woman I fell in love with.
Meanwhile, we knew a lot of people on the island. I had a certain overview of the rents for land and knew that as a foreigner I was not able to buy land in Thailand on my behalf, but I was able to rent it. What I didn't know, however, was what I should do there to finance myself in the future. Probably something for tourists, but I wanted to take care of that later when I was back.
First of all, I had to go back to Germany to break off my tents there for good. And so the day came when it was time to say goodbye, to the island, to my partner, and to Thailand.
On my return to Germany, everybody was very happy. My parents, family members, and friends, even some of the business partners with whom I traveled to Thailand, all of them had come to the airport to greet me. The mood however changed when I told my parents about my plans. Of course, they weren't excited, but it was my life and I wanted to make it as I liked it.
So I got rid of my apartment, transferred money to my Thai bank account, settled everything official and after 2 months I was back in Bangkok at the airport with two suitcases containing everything I had left. There, too, was a great joy on my arrival. My partner welcomed me with a bouquet of flowers and a fierce hug.
Now I made a serious mistake. We didn't go directly back to the elephant island, but first to Pattaya, where I wanted to celebrate the beginning of my new life. We rented a room, strolled through the city during the days, went out for a nice dinner in the evenings and after enjoyed the night-life. During these days, my partner told me about a family member who had died in her home village and that there was a funeral service.
She asked me in the usual mix of Thai and English if we wanted to go there before returning to the elephant island. She would like to introduce me to her family and I can get to know the country better. I thought the idea was a good one and I agreed. One day before we wanted to take the bus to the northeast, I went to the ATM in the evening so that I had enough cash in my pocket for the trip.
Around midnight I set off on my way back to the room. Shortly before I arrived, I found out that the money was still in my pocket, but the ATM card had disappeared. When I arrived in the room, I searched the bank documents in vain for a service telephone number, which I could use to block the card. I reassured myself that only I knew the 4-digit PIN code of the card. On top of that, the banks had closed down for holidays in the next three days and so there was nothing else for me to do.
So we started to an extremely strenuous tour from Pattaya in the far-away northeast of the country. An area which is known as Thailand's rice chamber, what is normally not a destination for foreigners. I can still remember how we arrived early in the morning in the provincial capital and went out to the village with a Tuk Tuk. On a bumpy piste we drove through endless rice fields from which the morning fog rose.
Arrived there I saw immediately that the funeral service was already in full swing. Most of the men were drunk and also many women didn't seem to be very sober anymore. Well, it was still morning. Immediately everyone in the village knew that the foreigner had arrived. For the sake of decency, I, first of all, paid my respects to the to the dead woman, who lay dolled up in her house. After that, every villager wanted to shake my hand, hug me and the very drunken villagers even wanted to kiss me.
Because the mother of my partner and her brothers lived in a simple little wooden hut, we were lodged in the stone house of one of her aunts. There a hot frog curry was cooked and I got to know the popular local rice schnapps. After another day, when everyone was celebrating from morning to night again, I had enough of this crazy village. I wanted to go back to Pattaya to report the loss of my ATM card to the bank.
Immediately after our arrival, I went to the bank, accompanied by my partner. In Thailand, at that time, you got a kind of account book for a bank account and, if desired, also an ATM card. First, I handed the lady at the counter my book to print in my last draw. It seemed already strange to me that the printer took so long. When I received the booklet again and looked at the balance of my account, my heart almost stopped.
Of an amount that would have been enough to start a business and survive the first time, only about a quarter was left. As I could see from the just made entries, the rest of my money was withdrawn from my account within the last three days, in several steps, by ATM card. I wondered how it could be when there was a PIN code that only I knew?
The bank lady couldn't help me because I could not prove that I didn't withdraw the money myself. She could only print a list where was noted in detail which ATMs my card was used and at which time.
A customer who waited at a counter beside saw my misery and says to my partner that she made already the same bad experience. Her card was stolen and as if by magic, the thieves had been able to empty her account. I would like to mention that there was no maximum ATM payout limit in Thailand at that time.
This was a bitter loss, which slowed my spirit of adventure for a short time. But it wasn't all lost and I wouldn't give up so quickly. We went back anyway to the elephant island "Koh Chang" to rent a plot of land and start a business.
In the 5th part of "19 Years Southeast Asia" you will see what it means to have something built in Thailand. And also nature has some surprises in store for me.... but more about that here soon.
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