I had a really lovely entry written about my arrival in Bangkok and the unexpected feeling of “coming home.” I talked about seeing Lewis again and the small joys of recognizing landmarks and recovering language. I recounted the last couple of days and talked about my plans for the immediate future.
But, I’m in Thailand with Thai Internet and that entry did not save. Instead, you get to hear about the adventure that was today!
I woke up this morning to the click of Dave leaving the room, and I felt great. I’d slept like a rock, not waking a single time between 2:30 and 8:30, and I knew in my bones that I was over my jet lag. I’ve (almost) always been lucky that way. Dave, on the other hand, was getting his butt firmly kicked by my friend, jet lag, so after venturing out for some food to fuel his hibernation, Dave retired to the bedroom and I resolved to cut my backpack down by 25%.
It was then, as I was sitting surrounded by far too much clothing, dividing my money into multiple locations like the good, little traveler I try to be, that I realize - I’m missing a lot of money.
After methodically searching through all my belongings in disbelief, checking the apartment with Paul, and finally texting Lewis in desperation, I accepted that 3000 baht was gone. All of my Canadian money (a far more significant amount) remained, so I imagined that the thief must have been a Thai person who was unfamiliar with foreign currency ($20 CAN looks like 20 baht). Deduction also told me that it must have been stolen between the time Lewis and Paul and then Dave and I got home. I was certain that I hadn’t taken any 1000 baht bills since arriving just yesterday, and this short time frame was the only period where the door had been left unlocked. I had stupidly and naively left my money belt out on the table in plain sight, and Lewis hadn’t locked the door before going to bed, consciously or subconsciously for the benefit of Dave and me.
Not quite sure what to do, I tasked Lewis with asking the Thai staff at work for their advice, and I tried to move on with my day.
Later that afternoon, I was on my way out when I decided, on a whim, to ask whether anyone at the front desk had seen someone enter our room between 23:00 and 2:00 last night. To my surprise, the receptionist and security guard immediately invited me into the office and set up the monitors for our floor for me to view. Each time someone arrived on our floor, the office staff flocked around the screen. We saw a couple people enter other apartments. At around 23:30, Lewis and Paul arrived home. Then, just after midnight, a lone figure appeared, walking leisurely in from the stairs.
“That’s security,” said the receptionist.
We watched as “security” walked to the corner suite, pausing at our window for 1-2 minutes before turning the corner and appearing in the other camera’s view, walking down that hall. He turns around at the end and loops back, again pausing at our window. After a few seconds, he disappears from the frame at 00:12, returning only at 00:14. Where has he been for two minutes?
In our living room stealing my money, that’s what!
At 00:14, he comes back into view and walks off quickly, hands in his pockets.
The entire office is glued to the screen. At this point, there’s a security guard, two receptionists, and three cleaning ladies gathered around the desk, exclaiming allai wa! (translation: what the f?) and insisting we print stills for evidence. I’m in disbelief that this is happening, and when I finally ask what I should do, I come to learn, they’ve already sprung to action. The security company and police have been called and they’re on their way.
I’m appalled. I had been imagining an awkward confrontation with the security guard, where I’d show him the images and he’d admit to taking the money and returning it. To me, this was clearly a crime of opportunity. It’s not malicious or violent, but it’s still a great invasion of privacy.
3000 baht is a lot to a Thai person. It’s nearly half a Thai teacher’s monthly salary, and they’re considered well paid by Thai standards. For me, though, it’s $100 - still a considerable sum, but being labeled a thief meant that this security guard would lose his job. What if he has family? Children?
At the same time, I was impressed. Clearly, the office staff were taking this seriously, and the transgression bothered them enough that they felt the need to immediately call the security company and the police. I’m sure that they were appalled with the guard’s behaviour, and they didn’t relish having him on staff tonight, securing the building.
So, I let things unfurl as they would. A police officer came, snapped photos of the “crime scene,” reviewed the video footage and printed stills, and took down a statement. The security guard on duty in the afternoon (and all the Kornkarn staff) were a little excited, I think, to be part of this CSI-like endeavour. The officer asked me to make an official statement at the police station, so the guard took me on the back of his motorcy (without a helmet! eek!) to the nearest station. The entire time we were on the road, whether it was slowing down for speed bumps, weaving through traffic, or crossing over ditches on long concrete slabs, I kept thinking to myself, Today is not the day I am supposed to die. When we finally reached the police station, we demurely recounted the story to an officer in an impressive uniform, and then I fumbled my way through an official statement with my bit of Thai and the officer’s bit of English.
I’m home again. Who knows if they’ll recover the 3000 baht? But, my bag’s are down 25% and I’ve learned my lesson.
Thank you, Kornkarn staff.
