None of this is to harp on you, Fisto - I'd never bust out criticism on a recently wounded soldier. But here are some tips for guys that are in BKK as this is a common problem out there, and everyone will actually be taking it seriously after reading your post. If it's going to make you bitter or annoyed, don't read this right now. I know how it can feel to get lectured after a smack in the face of bad luck, and that's not my intent here.
Anyhow, to the rest of you, this is shit you should always be thinking of in Thailand or any other place remotely like it. Shit, I think like this in America, but then you don't want to be like me.
Doesn't sound like Fisto had an issue with cash, but if you have any decent amount of cash in your room, and I'm a strictly cash kind of cat, so I always do, be sure to hide it. I'm sure I don't need to tell the seasoned vets here to avoid the obvious places like in a sock drawer or under a mattress, right?
One of the very first things I EVER do when checking into a new room is look for creative spots to hide my money. I keep an eye out for potential spots when surveying the room before handing over the passport and it qualifies as criteria when choosing a good spot. For a long-term dwelling, it's paramount.
In a lampshade is a good spot, but only with certain types of lampshades. Inside a hollow lamp is much better.
In the back of a toilet (put in plastic bag and set on top of the “machinery”).
Underneath the trash bag that sits in the trash can (just be sure to take it out before ever letting someone clean the room!).
On the very top (and pushed to the very back, against the wall, to require reaching) of a tall armoire – remembering that Thais are short and probably won't even think to look there. Or on anything else high up and seemingly discrete.
Stuffed in the bottom of a fast food bag that looks like trash. I hide stuff in my trash a lot, but you have to be Nazi about remembering what's in there and where and be sure you're the only one who'll have access to throw it out!
Inside a book with pages cut out.
Inside a ceiling panel that lifts up.
In a pair of socks.
Here's one my faves – wrap it up in underwear and put it somewhere in your laundry pile – good for cell phones when bitches are over. Make sure it's off though. LOL Keep in mind that it's very taboo for a Thai person to touch another person's underwear, especially when they're a woman and you're a man. If they think them shits is dirty, they won't touch them to save their life. And they probably would never think to in the first place.
In the toe of a pair of shoes is a good place. Shoes are taboo for Thais as well, as you know. Insert money, stuff socks in after money, toss clothes over shoes as if a random dirty pile.
In the pocket of clothes hung up to dry.
Take clothes to a local tailor and have them a sew in hidden pockets. I'd imagine any decent seamstress should be able to manage, though this is an idea I've yet to follow through on.
If you buy toilet paper rolls in bulk, you can stash money and other thing inside the rolls. Just peel a small piece of plastic back on the the bottom and stuff it up in there. Put package back in place. Any kind of boxes in the bathroom are good for this too – as long as it's not something that gets handled on a regular basis by visitors, so make sure the t.p. stays stocked.
Inside a couch is another solid one. Not just stuffed in the cushions – flip that bitch up on it's back and you'll often find some great places to hide money and other valuables. This is very true for hide-a-bed style couches, though they're a bit heavier to flip around. If you rarely acces the funds (or whatever), pull out the hide-a-bed, lay it on the mattress, and then fold it all back up with the shit inside. No proper panicked thief is going pull it out while scouring the place. They want easy cash - or more importantly, fast. Grab and go is their forte.
If the cushions are the kind with zip-on covers, that can work – not as obvious as under the bed mattress at least.
Inside any food containers, especially in boxes with a bag inside, as you can slip it inside and insert the bag, still holding food, back in over it. Put it in something Thai girls don't eat if possible.
If you have a balcony, this is priceless!
No thief ever expects you to stash valuables outside! Of course, you'll probably need some patio furniture, potted plants, a standing ashtray, or a small waste basket out there to make it work, but again, outside hiding spots are the bees fucking knees.
Hell, I've even hidden cash, which is fairly hard to damage, inside refrigerators and freezers for short periods of time – always inside something in case hoes get hungry.
I almost make it a game to find cool new hiding places. I'm weird. But no one ever gets my money.
Another great idea with phones is to stash the expensive one at home when out drinking and have a cheap little prepaid phone for drunken nights. For many, aware that Thais see great value in stupid shit like pricey-looking cellular telephones, this won't do at all. but it's a thought.
Here's my personal favorite though – noting, meanwhile, that it's not very handy when taking your clothes off to shag a bitch. http://www.amazon.com/Travel-Money-Belt-...money+belt
It's a money belt that goes around your calf. I always keep half of my cash in there. I keep the other half somewhere else for the off-chance someone gets this stash; that way I'm not left empty-handed.
I keep my credit cards and passport in this too, and it Velcros tightly around my calf so I always feel it there.
No one ever sees this. My khakis and jeans alike hang right over it. And thieves never expect a money belt on your calf.
Even if I got robbed, the chances of them finding it are slim to none. If they aren't outnumbering me or packing some serious steel, they're going to get my foot through their teeth before they ever get that close to my calf and I'll be halfway across town while they're picking up the pieces.
Be careful with the those though because the Velcro does wear out after a while. Fortunately, you'll feel it slipping down your calf inside your pants if it ever does. Best to check it for wear from time to time, safety pin it for additional security, or create your own straps.
As far as the "help" goes, I always keep a Do Not Disturb sign on my door, and if there's an outer padlock, I hang a lock on it. When I'm ready to get my room cleaned, I pack all my portable shit that's worth anything up in my daypack and head to a nearby restaurant to work while the bitches scrub the pooh stains off my toilet lid.
Sometimes I don't feel like leaving though and I just stay out of the way, sitting on the couch and working on my computer. Often with my valuables hidden right beneath me.
If a girl stumbles across your hiding spot some time, she'll probably just laugh (if you're there watching lol). Thais are often astounded by how surprisingly "clever" the average think-outside-the-box farang can be - she may very well even use that exact word, "clever." You can then cut her loose or find a new spot and try to be more creative next time. If you hang out with the right type of girls (and this often also includes hookers – many bar girls will not rip you off even if given a perfect chance), you won't ever have to worry.
I know what you guys are thinking. What the fuck am I supposed to do when some slut creeps in the door with me at 4 a.m. With my cock already planted halfway inside her mouth?
Indeed, the hardest part is when you got random bitches over, like Fisto did, and especially when coming in with your lids half-closed and your mind still back on Soi Cowboy.
Preparation is the first key here. Make sure all your shit is secure before you go out so it's not an issue later. Take only enough cash to make it through the night and maybe stash an extra thousand baht or two in your shoe or somewhere else on your person in case you get caught out with no cash for a ride home, etc.
If you bring a bitch home and still have a decent amount of control of your frontal lobe, either wait for her to go in the bathroom and stash your phone (turn it off first) and other shit real quick, or, if you've got a dope hiding spot (not to be confused with a dope-hiding spot) in the bathroom, like in the toilet paper rolls or back of the toilet, go take a piss and do your stashing while in there.
You can often get away with this even if your pantelones come off as soon as you step in the house. Because chances are she won't get sticky fingers with you standing right in front of her (well, unless she's torquing your meat around with an eager velocity), so just crumple your threads up and toss them well away from the bed (and thus well away from her grubby fingers).
She'll most likely go piss after you get back from pound town, so you can then stand up, jog your naked ass across the room, and secure your valuables at that point.
Have a motorbike? If it's got a proper chain and isn't likely to get stolen, you can leave stuff inside the seat on many models. Those seats that you unlock with a key to refuel often have a cubby that's perfect for cell phones and other things.
This is achieved by walking her halfway to the door, "remembering" that you "forgot" something in the bike, and jogging back while she stands and waits for you. Dig around uner the seat, stashing your shit, and maybe even grab something to take with you as a support for the story. I've planted shit in there just to keep this excuse on hand for weird situations.
Don't let anyone see you do it, and be sure the actual motorbike itself is not at a high risk of getting stolen, as your shit will obviously be going for a ride with it if it does. Chained up and sandwiched in a sea of other bikes means safety levels have probably been achieved.
I wouldn't leave it in there too long but it'll do in a pinch.
Of course, when you're fucked up, a lot of these last minute efforts go out the window. Controlling the drinking and choosing company wisely go a long way – not that I'm one to talk with all my escapades of mayhem in the Land of Sloppy Smiles.
It is what it is, I suppose - control what you can control and the rest is just the sauce of life...
Oh, and I've even been drugged a couple times in Thailand too, so watch your drinks, my friends!
Just a few things we should all be thinking about...