Different kind of Bangkok Happy Ending

[paulsf]

A couple of weeks ago I needed to do a visa run. Decided to go to Hanoi for a few days. All packed ready to go. Grab a taxi in front of my condo. No traffic, quick and easy ride. Friendly driver. Arrive at airport, get to check in counter, and then realize, No Wallet. I lost it in taxi. I had no idea as to which company I used. As panic sets in, I sit to try to figure out what I'm going to do. Had $200 US , debit card, one credit card and drivers license. My passport, other credit cards and a little cash in my backpack. It was my 30th day and I need to go. Nothing I could do about wallet.

 

Had a nice weekend in Hanoi. Saved a lot of money I might have spent. Could always do credit card advance. Back to Bangkok hoping I might get lucky and maybe left wallet in Condo. No luck. Cancel cards with banks. My bank got replacement debit card to me in 5 days with UPS,

 

Last night about 5 pm, knock on my door. Condo worker says taxi here. I said, didn't order taxi. Language issues. He pulls out his wallet and says taxi. Hit me, taxi there with my wallet. Went downstairs and sure enough, there is the driver holding my wallet. Wow. Everything still there, including cash. I gave him big reward. Now he was all smiles. Nobody standing around spoke English, so couldn't get story.

 

Today condo worker I know speaks English talked to security guy. Driver found my wallet when he got back to Bangkok. He did know where he picked me up and I was only going for a few days, yesterday he was in my neighborhood.

My drivers license with picture was in wallet, so he asked security guy if he knew me. I'm the only non-Thai living in the building. Knock on door and got it back.

 

Taxi drivers get a lot of bad press in Thailand, so it is really great to have a really good taxi driver story.

He really went above and beyond and has my deepest Thanks.

[jason1975]

Applause! Applause! There is good in the world!

[firecat69]

Makes my day! Instead of threads on scams or dishonesty of Thai people a story that points out what I have always felt about the vast majority of Thais.

 

Years ago I had similar things happen to me and it always made me look for the good in Thais instead of the Bad. There are scammers in every country of the world but when we let people act like that is the norm in Thailand we do a disservice to Thailand and especially to potential visitors.

[a447a]

Great story. Thanks for sharing.

 

There are nice people no matter where you go, and I suspect they are in the vast majority. Thailand is no exception.

[pong]

Thats really extra-ordinary for the effort made.

But stories like this-mostly Japanese/Koreans with a few 10.000s of US$-are in the BKKpost nearly every week. Taxi's also have their own radio-station on which yiou can often hear stories about things lost and drivers arranging colleagues going the direction of holder to pass over the lost&found.

Some countries have official finders fees (in germany 10%) which the finder can even legally claim. DK how that is in TH though.

[ggobkk]

Great news!

[Guest 777ckl]

WOW...that's amazing and glad it all worked out for you

[emailbroken]

A couple of weeks ago I needed to do a visa run. Decided to go to Hanoi for a few days. All packed ready to go. Grab a taxi in front of my condo. No traffic, quick and easy ride. Friendly driver. Arrive at airport, get to check in counter, and then realize, No Wallet. I lost it in taxi. I had no idea as to which company I used. As panic sets in, I sit to try to figure out what I'm going to do. Had $200 US , debit card, one credit card and drivers license. My passport, other credit cards and a little cash in my backpack. It was my 30th day and I need to go. Nothing I could do about wallet.

 

Had a nice weekend in Hanoi. Saved a lot of money I might have spent. Could always do credit card advance. Back to Bangkok hoping I might get lucky and maybe left wallet in Condo. No luck. Cancel cards with banks. My bank got replacement debit card to me in 5 days with UPS,

 

Last night about 5 pm, knock on my door. Condo worker says taxi here. I said, didn't order taxi. Language issues. He pulls out his wallet and says taxi. Hit me, taxi there with my wallet. Went downstairs and sure enough, there is the driver holding my wallet. Wow. Everything still there, including cash. I gave him big reward. Now he was all smiles. Nobody standing around spoke English, so couldn't get story.

 

Today condo worker I know speaks English talked to security guy. Driver found my wallet when he got back to Bangkok. He did know where he picked me up and I was only going for a few days, yesterday he was in my neighborhood.

My drivers license with picture was in wallet, so he asked security guy if he knew me. I'm the only non-Thai living in the building. Knock on door and got it back.

 

Taxi drivers get a lot of bad press in Thailand, so it is really great to have a really good taxi driver story.

He really went above and beyond and has my deepest Thanks.

Really important to hear stories like this one I think.  Thanks for sharing it.

[vinapu]

uplifting turn of events and glad we could hear about it

[ChristianPFC]

Interesting story and congratulations, could have made the trip impossible (if passport had been lost).

 

I was not that lucky. I once forgot my bag in a taxi (Simplified, full story is that I was travelling with a farang friend, and I had umbrella, back pack and tote bag, and gave tote bag to FF and he forgot it when we got out. I never forgot or lost anything of importance.), and noticed minutes later, called their lost and found number, but didn't get the bag back. There was nothing of financial value in it, the most valuable item a 5000 mAh power bank.

 

Opposite story. A Burmese friend who speaks very little English, but good Thai, came to stay with me over night after visiting Babylon sauna. He found a credit card there and gave it to me. I was pondering what to do, my friend was already sleeping, then I had an idea to search for the name on facebook (when I search my name on facebook, dozens come up, that's why it took me so long to get that idea). One name came up, and there were recent pictures from south-east Asia. I messaged him, and got a reply within minutes. He is in Silom Soi 4 and will go to Krabi tomorrow. I sent him my location and shortly later we met and I returned the credit card.

 

On all my data carriers I have a file readme.txt in the root directory that has my contact details. When I fly, I put a paper with my address and travel details in my luggage. For everything else I should do the same, put information that allows to identify and contact me in everything that could get lost.

 

Putting your own picture in your wallet, I read that somewhere on the internet and have been doing it since.

[paulsf]

I always carry directions with the address in Thai in my wallet. I took it out the morning I left as it just took up room in my wallet till I got back. My photo was there which was used to identify me with security guard, though it has my US address on it.

But I do have both my Thai and US addresses in most of my stuff. I am a very routine oriented person. I did something just as I was leaving that threw me off, and that's all it took to put wallet in wrong pocket. Lesson learned.

[Jasper]

There was a small incident happened to me at money changer-

Super Rich Ratchadamri branch today.

I was at a queue and all of sudden the Thai lady behind tapped my shoulder. She was holding an envelope containing over1,000 usd which I was going to change to Baht.

Heat must be really getting to me. I can't afford dropping money all over the place.

She could have easily picked up the envelope and quietly dissapeard so I was very fortunate and grateful.

[firecat69]

I would call that Big not Small.

[vinapu]

you guys better put yourself together instead of throwing wallets and money-thick envelopes all over.

 

Jasper must be right - it must be heat.

 

Great stories  from Paul ,  Jasper and Christian about great people .

 

OP gathered 25 likes and not even mention anything related to male flesh we usually so crave here.

I guess lost of us had our days made reading all that.

[ChristianPFC]

Further on addresses: when I check into a hotel, I get their name card, better two, one to put in my left back pocket and one in my wallet.

 

I did something just as I was leaving that threw me off, and that's all it took to put wallet in wrong pocket. Lesson learned.

 

I once almost locked myself out of my room: changed trousers and left key in old trousers. Subconsciously, when leaving, I touched where the key would be, but it wasn't there. Now I put my key always in right back pocket and touch it with my right hand, before closing the door with my left hand.

[emailbroken]

you guys better put yourself together instead of throwing wallets and money-thick envelopes all over.

 

Jasper must be right - it must be heat.

 

Great stories  from Paul ,  Jasper and Christian about great people .

 

OP gathered 25 likes and not even mention anything related to male flesh we usually so crave here.

I guess lost of us had our days made reading all that.

You're right.  Nice to see we're not one dimensional after all

[vinapu]

  Nice to see we're not one dimensional after all

they don't call us ' fat farangs' for nothing

[GWMinUS]

My Lost and Found story was in the Philippines.

I was taking the Fast Ferry from Cagayan de Oro to Camiguin Island with a Pinoy friend.

We took a taxi to the port. Got to the waiting area and I realized I did not have my camera bag.

Lots of expensive equipment in there. Heart broken.

But as we were waiting for the Ferry, my name was called on the address system.

Went to the desk and there was our taxi driver with my bag. WOW so HAPPY!!!

I tried to give him a 1000PHP tip, about 20USD, but he would not accept it.

So I just had to say "Salamat na salamat po!!"

There are many good people in Asia!!!

[ozmouse]

my lost story was songkran few years back..... my travel wallet with just cash for the night and credit card and photocopy of passport.  

 

lost it? (i thought stolen) within 1 hour of arrival at silom road water fight.  

 

was in bar in soi4 ... just in from corner.... she ran me an account for th evening!!!! came back next day and settle bar bill!

 

3 months later .... i get long distance call from tourism authority of thailand, saying they got my phone number from qantas, and they have my wallet and credit card, can you please confirm your address so we can send it to you! and they did.   Card cancelled within 24 hours of loss.  no cash.  but i still have that wallet!

[Guest myskipper]

I believe majority of mankind are truely kind, but also i understand for a big tourist city like bangkok, it means to be scams everywhere, my several trip there all taxi driver from the airport more or less ask for more than the actual fair, there was a driver i can tell immediatly is a bit nervous when he asked for more, i can see the figure on the meter but he asked for more and claim it was the "service charge" without me asking for the reason,normally i wouldn`t say anything if they are not super greedy see me as a walking ATM machine. most of us is just struggling for a living, i understand that and a few hundreds bhat is not a super big deal to me so i just gave and start to enjoy my days there. and i still remember i got fined for 2000bhat for littering, that`s my first or second trip to bangkok, can not remember exactly, i through one cigarette butt alone the roadside as there was really no trash bin within the area, we all know how difficult to find one in bangkok, but I`m still holding the empty water bottle with me as I`m really not that kind of people littering everywhere (how stupid, i could put the cigarette butt in the bottle), anyway, i was approached by some kind of security dressed guy lead me to a table placed alone the road side, and ask for a fine for 2000bhat....new to bangkok and i indeed littered, they just showed a piece of paper which stated the "law" saying about the penalty, so i paid without even receive the reciept, but the after research made me realized that i was scamed.....lesson learned...

anyway, no matter what, i still prefer to believe most people are good people, first, don`t do anything wrong by yourself at the begining, second, treat people with a sincere heart and respect then you will receive the same as a return at the most of the scenarios.

again, thumbs up for this driver, he indeed went extra miles for you.

[firecat69]

I eliminate all those problems from the airport. I get in and tell him how much I will pay including Highway (tolls)

 

In most cases I am probably 40-50 baht generous but I don't have to look at the meter and if there is a traffic jam I already have my price.

[ChristianPFC]

..and i still remember i got fined for 2000bhat for littering, that`s my first or second trip to bangkok, can not remember exactly, i through one cigarette butt alone the roadside..

 

You got off lightly, if I were in charge people who throw cigarette butts away would be whipped in public.

 

Tourism attracts scammers. In Bangkok (Silom, Sukhumvit, Khao San), Pattaya, Phuket Patong, density of scammers is much higher then rest of the country.

 

So far, I had 5 cases of theft (and one more attempted, and more that I didn't realize?), one successful and one attempted short-change at money exchange, many attempts at scamming, plenty of cases of money lent and not gotten back (here you could argue, at the time of borrowing they might really have intended to pay it back), one forgotten bag in taxi that was not returned. On the plus side, you can count the about 50 hitchhikes I did in 2014-2015.

[firecat69]

And still you keep returning??

[thaiophilus]

myskipper: "he asked for more and claim it was the "service charge"".

 

Just to clarify for anyone who doesn't know the system: there really is a service charge for taxis departing the airport. It's 50B on top of the meter charge. Also, passengers are expected to pay the expressway tolls (various sums 20-50B, shown at the gate). Usually the driver asks for the money as you approach the toll station; if he doesn't, he will expect it at the end of the journey. I can understand the driver appearing nervous about raising the question, if the passenger shows no sign of understanding this and has no common language. On the other hand, anything running to hundreds of baht is a scam.

 

While we're here, here's my honest Bkk taxi story. I was in a taxi from the airport, at night, when the driver received a call. He stopped, turned around and found the bag the previous passenger had left (in the dark) on the floor in the back. We made a slight diversion and he passed the bag over to another  taxi, I assume to be reunited with its owner.

 

And for balance, the dishonest one. This was a clocked meter, obviously running at way over the correct rate. Maybe half way between the airport and central Bkk it was indicating 40km, when the entire journey is less than 25. Luckily there were two of us and my companion was fluent in Thai, so that "meter" ride suddenly became a (reasonable) fixed fare.

[a447a]

Reminiscent of taxis I came across in Vietnam, where the drivers insisted on using the meter.

 

I later discovered they were rigged to turn over more quickly, leading of course to a much higher fare.

 

Scamming taxi drivers are the bane of tourists. I don't find Thai taxi drivers any worse than anywhere else.

 

I remember one time a taxi driver was the beneficiary of a happy ending from me! He was an old guy and he was bemoaning the cost of visiting the local brothel. So as I got out at the airport I gave him some money to cover his next few visits to see his favourite girl.

 

The look on his face was worth every baht!