ithai and other things

I didn't really write something during the last months. Just that much: I had a great time working as dive master on Koh Phi Phi, Thailand and I'm gonna stay here for a while. It's really too beautiful to leave.

However, the reason why I write this post is to close this blog. I will not publish further posts here because The Don Quixote Project is starting sooner then planned and any future posts can be found on the project blogs.

German Version: Das Don Quixote Projekt

English Version: The Don Quixote Project

I hope that you keep on reading about my travels and keep in mind that I'm always happy to hear something from my friends all over the world.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

Marco

one done, many to come

Exactly one year ago I started my trip. The plan was to go for four weeks holidays to Brazil and then to San Francisco to start my new job. It didn’t really work out that way – and that’s great. First I was traveling without having a real plan. I was just enjoying the freedom of deciding every morning to which place on earth I want to go next. This certainly was a good time but in May this year I started with a big adventure I had in mind for some time.
It will me take about another two years of preparation and three to five year actual execution time. You wonder what I’m talking about? You’ll know it soon enough. Just that much: I call it The Don Quixote Project.

tourists united against singaporean passport blackmailers

What do people generally associate with Singapore? Maybe rigid laws, high tech and blackmailers. Blackmailers? No? Did you think Singapore is a save place? Then read what happened last night.

I’m staying in a cosy hostel in a very nice area of Singapore. In the evening people sit out in the street and talk and have some beers.
It was one of those evenings that looked to be very quiet and relaxed. We were sitting in front of our hostel and enjoyed the warm Singaporean night.

It was already after midnight when Maryan, another Swiss tourist, was missing her wallet. She said that she just had it and that she’s sure where she left it, a few meters away from where we were sitting.
She started looking everywhere for it and became a bit worried since besides some money her passports were in there. I thought for myself that she will never see the wallet again. Then her mobile rung (at this place I want you to know that there were lots of calls and I will summarize them a bit).

The guy who stole her wallet called and said that she can get her wallet back but has to pay money. He told her to be in thirty minutes at a meeting point in another area of the town.
Of course everybody wanted to help her and give some advises, me too, and of course this is not really helpful. In the end Maryan decided to call the police and involve them. They are supposed to be the experts for such things.
When we were waiting for the police suddenly an alarm started to ring and a few minutes later the fire fighters were everywhere around the place. But this turned out to be another issue. False alarm.
The police just arrived when it was time for the exchange. Meanwhile the blackmailer called several times and demanded a payment of 130 USD for the wallet with the passports. In the passport was an amount of about 100 Singapore Dollars and 200 Swiss Francs and we really wondered why he wanted to do a risky thing like blackmailing for just a bit more money.
The police turned out to be pretty ineffective and they said that this is the first case of passport blackmailing they know about. Hence, they did not really know how to proceed.

The time for the exchange was more then over and the guy called her every couple of minutes. Then Maryan and the police agreed to try to arrange a new meeting point close by and so they did. I think this guy never watched Hollywood movies because it’s foolish to agree to an exchange point chosen by the victim after it is not showing up on the first place. But it gave us the possibility to work out a plan to catch the guy. The funny part is the role of us, the tourists, and the police.
Rico, a Philippine hostel guest that stayed in Singapore for a while and knew the area, walked in front to the agreed place. Maryan, the victim, was following him with some distance. My part was to watch her back.
I took a shortcut and hided in the shade at a junction next to the exchange point and watched Rico and Maryan approach. Rico walked passed the meeting point while Maryan there and just a few seconds later a guy got out of a taxi called her to come to him. Rico called the police which was waiting in a car around the block and meanwhile I sneaked to a bus next to the blackmailer and spied around the corner to watch my them and to intervene if necessary. The bus driver looked out of the window and looked awkwardly at me. I signed him to be quiet and that everything is ok - guess he thought I just flew from a mental home.
Then the police car came around the corner and I signed them where the gangster is. The stopped, got out of the car and – started to talk with him. No guns, no hooters, no deads. Too bad.
Of course the guy tried to talk himself out of it. But his story was pretty lame. Afterwards Rico accompanied Maryan to the police station for the report. My job as special agent of the ‘Tourists United against Singaporean Passport Blackmailers’ was over. Mission accomplished.


The fat guy should really watch some Hollywood movies before he's gonna plan the next coup

The best was that some other guests of the hostels followed us some minutes afterwards and took pictures and videos. Soon the story will be in the news all over the world. Guaranteed.

PS: Well, certainly my point of the story is pretty subjective and I left out some parts but I have to tell, it really was fun – at least for me.
Luckily Maryan got back all her belongings except the cash and no one was harmed.