A lot of shit has happened to me in my life, but nothing has made me angier than tonight.
There is a guy in Bangkok from America this week. I met him and took him out tonight.
We went to Soi Cowboy for some drinks, then went to the Resort, which is a members club in Ratchada.
At Resort I had a lot of whiskey, on top of several beers that I had at Soi Cowboy.
When I left at 2 a.m. I was very drunk — much more than ‘usual’ for me.
I should have gotten a taxi home, but I started walking. Then I got tired. I — stupidly — laid down on the side of the road. I was tired — drunk — and I went to sleep.
I woke up when someone tappped me on the arm. I lifted my arm and he pulled my watch off my arm.
The thief was on a motorcycle, and he took off quickly. In spite of being drunk, I knew right away what had happened. But he was on a motorcycle and I was a drunk, passed out on the side of the road. I never stood a chance of catching him. I ran after him, but it was over before it started.
I realized later that he had stolen my mobile phone as well.
I could give a shit about the mobile… I’ve gone through 5 of them this year — each lost or stolen. But the watch was a different matter.
Yes. It was my fault for getting drunk and passing out, but does that really excuse a thief?
You see,the watch was a gift from my last real girlfriend. A girl I knew in Australia in 2004-05. I think she loved me. I definitely loved her. It was the only thing I had left of our time together.
Our love ended badly, but the one thing I had was the Omega watch she’d given me.
Last year the gold-plated circle around the watch face had come off and been lost or stolen; I’m not sure which. But I wore the watch anyway; a reminder of my lost love.
The bastard on the motorcycle tonight — some Thai guy — took, not only my mobile phone, which he was welcome to steal, but my injured Omega watch, which was more full of regrets and memories than anything I’ve ever owned.
In stealing it, he stole more of me than I have left.
I gave chase, but it was never a contest really. I was on foot. I am old, fat and slow. He was on a motorcycle. He was gone before I really knew what happened.
No doubt he will be disappointed when he tries to pawn it, to find tha it has little value, in spite of the brand name.
Well. Fuck him.
For my part. I cried.
Not for the Omega watch, but for the lost girl. For the bastard who stole it. For the memory that was taken from me. For the ’sentimental value’ that can never be replaced.
Thailand took something away from me that can never be replaced. The country will always be the less for having taken it from me.
I hope the asshole rots in hell.
12 responses so far ↓
swampthing // Wednesday, 22 October 2008 at 5:47 am |
Sorry about your watch. Your hurt is palpable.
Everyone goes on and on about what delightful people the Thai are compared to us uncouth western bogans. But here’s the thing…the chances of anything so blatently below the belt happening in Sydney are far less. Sure, stuff gets swiped. And sure, a drunk guy on a pavement would be tempting anywhere in the world. But that kind of out-of-bounds incident isn’t cricket..and symptomatic of a sick society. Yes, yes, I know I’m generalising, and this one incident isn’t enough to tar and feather the entire nation, etc…etc. But it’s more the raw nature of the incident that illustrates my point.
I commented not so long ago on your remarkable lack of bitterness after a freelancer gapped it with your camera. Will be interesting how many of these incidents it takes before you become another disenchanted farang?
On another note, that’s quite a relationship you’re developing there with Bangkok’s pavements!
Riodon // Wednesday, 22 October 2008 at 8:28 am |
ST, I think that a drunk lying on the pavement showing a gold watch is going to get robbed in any city in the world. IMO Thailand / Bangkok remains one of the safest places in the world.
Warewolf, feel for you man, saw you last night going into country roads about 11 pm you looked in good shape was going to come over for a beer but my lap was full at the time.
JustinCider // Wednesday, 22 October 2008 at 10:34 am |
WW- always love reading your entertaining and honest posts and I am one of your biggest fans. Losing 5 phones (or is it 6 now?) and all the other terrible things happening to you when you are drunk is very indicative of a problem with alcohol. I have friends and relatives who have problems with alcohol and must say that the story is usually the same. The continuous stream of bad things happening almost never surprisingly include the fact that they were drunk when they did.
I am not here to preach in any way and I am sorry about your lost with the watch (I was thinking Pulp Fiction while I was reading your story). However it seems that a bit of inward reflection into these continual occurrences may be in order.
// Wednesday, 22 October 2008 at 10:46 am |
JC: I realize that stupid shit happens when I’m drunk and not a lot stupid happens when I’m not.
People read the blog and frequently comment about my problem with alcohol, either in the comments or via email to me.
The fact is that I don’t often drink. For example, I have had alcohol less than 5 times in the past month, but occasionally I drink a lot on a night out. I got seriously bashed twice this month.
Yeah, it’s fucked up to get so drunk and tired that you just lay down on a bench. I get that drunk and tired sometimes. But its hardly my normal condition… I have a job and lead a normal life 90% of the time.
My phones tend to go when I’m drinking. Lost or stolen, it’s a fact of life. I can’t expect much different anywhere in the world.
The watch pissed me off though, because it meant a lot to me. It was old and in bad shape. I’d worn it long past its use-by date because of who gave it to me. A thief took a lot away from me by taking it.
I’m not blaming Thailand. Fuck, I was a tempting target. I’m angry mostly with myself, but I’m very frustrated by what I lost, because it was important to me.
I pretty much shrugged my shoulders and thought how stupid I was when I realized he’d gotten my phone too.
Ah well. Mea Culpa.
I’ll continue to drink sometimes. stupid shit will continue to happen. I’ll continue to write about it.
// Wednesday, 22 October 2008 at 11:08 am |
Riodon: Yeah, I was pretty good until I downed 8 tequila shots with a little beauty at Resort! Glad to hear you were well occupied last night. I didn’t go inside Country Road, just up to the doorway to show the inside to my US buddy.
We had a pretty good tour last night… Rawhide, Tilac, Bacarra, a peek in the door of Country Road, a drop-in look at Poseidon, then Resort.
When I left to go home, my pal was in close consultation with a delightful little hostess he’d been entertaining for two hours. He looked like he might not be going home alone.
I’d tell you the end of that story, but it’ll probably go via SMS to the phone I no longer have!
// Wednesday, 22 October 2008 at 4:45 pm |
WW, I want to be the guy who sells you your mobile phones.
Seriously though, sorry to hear about the loss of the watch. I have a few items like that where it would kill me if they were lost or stolen. I could replace the item but not the memories.
There seems to be some debate amongst the commentors as to whether this sort of thing would have happened in other parts of the world. My guess is it would not. In most other places they would have beat you and taken your cash, wallet, and anything else you had on you to boot.
I’ve always that I feel like BKK is one of the safest big cities I’ve ever visited in terms of violent crime. Sure, people will rip you off right and left but I have never worried about physical violence unless I were dumb enough to bring it upon myself.
Stay safe!
BTW, looks like I’ll be out your way next month.
dreampipe // Wednesday, 22 October 2008 at 6:12 pm |
I used to live in sactown for many a year.
If I had fallen asleep on the pavement and had been passed out – meaning tough to wake up.
I would have lost my shoes, pants, wallet, watch, phone and anything else.
If I had woken up while it was going on and tried to do anything about it I would have gotten the shit kicked out of me.
I will take bkk any day.
WW – bummer dude. Sorry about the watch!
TeenageFC // Friday, 24 October 2008 at 8:54 pm |
Got about 3 para’s into this story and I thought…hold on….this watched wasn’t smuggled out of some country shoved up someones arse ala’ the tasty little story from Pulp Fiction.
So your long lost love is from Australia? that’s where I am brother…which city? maybe I can find her for you and bring her over to BKK with me when I head that way in November
KJame // Saturday, 25 October 2008 at 12:11 am |
WW, in all honesty, the problem is your drinking. Very, very, very few people–no matter their condition–just pass out on a city sidewalk. People do a lot of dumb things when they drink. But, you shouldn’t even try to justify putting yourself in such danger as, oh well, something that happens when you drink. Dumb things that happen when people drink are things like going home with a ladyboy when you wanted a cute BG; paying 1000 baht for a 300 baht bar bill; eating that bbq squid crap because it smelled good to you at the time. Passing out drunk on a city sidewalk is simply dangerous no matter where you are in the world.
A basic fact is that just because you only drink a few times a month doesn’t mean there isn’t a problem. Look at what happens to you when you drink. I’d feel like a total ass if my cell phone got lifted even once because of being drunk. How many times did you say it’s happened to you? Just this year?
You may feel like lashing out against me because of what I’ve just said. That’s fine. Let it out.
Seriously, I can tell (as I’m sure most of us out here) that you’re a good guy. There’s a reason we all come here to read what you write: we see a lot of the good parts of ourselves in you and it makes us feel better about choosing to live in Thailand. Take care of yourself and take a close look at why these things happen when you drink.
Jame
// Saturday, 25 October 2008 at 5:54 am |
Not another cell phone?
(Sorry about the watch.)
Still have wallet?
crocodilexp // Sunday, 26 October 2008 at 2:57 am |
I feel for you, man, it sucks to lose a precious memory like that…
Showing off a gold watch apparently worth at least 3x the good local salary whenever you go out is… tacky at least (yes, I know Hi-So Thais do it to, but they’re hardly a model to emulate). Passing out on a city sidewalk (in a nightlife area no less, which is what Rachada is), you can pretty much expect it to be gone. In most places you wouldn’t even need to be drunk in such an area to lose it (would be taken at knifepoint).
> I have a job and lead a normal life 90% of the time.
Does this mean that you’re “mao salop salai” 10% of the time? That’s be 2+ hours each day… sounds like a problem.
// Monday, 27 October 2008 at 7:59 pm |
It would take a delicate balancing act to be drunk 2 hours per day. I’d suggest that I was thinking 2 to 3 days per month. No problem.