Lost my debit card at a bus station in Bangkok and had to survive 4 days on $20 cash

I was in Bangkok last month waiting for a night bus to Chiang Mai and I think I dropped my card pulling out my ticket. Didnt realize until I got to the hostel at 2 AM and my wallet was half empty. I had exactly $20 in cash on me and no way to get more since my bank app needed SMS verification. I basically lived on 7-Eleven toasties and free water refills for 4 days. The hostel let me pay late after I explained the situation which was a lifesaver. I also found a street stall that sold massive plates of pad see ew for 30 baht so that covered dinner. My buddy back home finally wired me money through Western Union on day 4 and I nearly cried eating a real restaurant meal. Has anyone else dealt with a card situation in a foreign country where you had zero backup plan? What did you do?

2 comments

2 Comments

davis.keith6d ago

Oh man, the sock backup is genius, I wish I'd thought of that. I did something similar in Cambodia where I lost my card at a temple and had to bum around Siem Reap on like $15. I ended up finding this little noodle shop that filled me up for basically nothing and I got real good at just asking for tap water everywhere. It's funny how you suddenly notice every ATM and Western Union spot on the street when you're broke like that. Idk, maybe it's just me but I feel like those scrounging days end up being some of the most memorable parts of the trip, even if they're stressful at the time. Definitely gonna hide a card in my shoe next time though, that's too smart.

kelly_henderson837d ago

lol the 7-Eleven toasties are an actual lifeline out there, I swear." That pad see ew for 30 baht is unreal cheap, I found a lady selling it near Khao San Road for 25 baht once and thought I was dreaming. Its wild how good you get at scrounging when you have no other choice though, like suddenly you know every free water refill spot within a mile. I did the same card thing in Vietnam but luckily had a backup card hidden in my sock, now I always tuck one somewhere dumb like that haha.