Almost caught the little fucker

[Bitte_Kein_Lexus]

I got back to Cambodia two days ago at midnight. I was back in the west visiting family for a few weeks. Anyways, yesterday morning as I hunched down to unpack my suitcases, my back seized up. As in excruciating pain. I couldn't move. Moving my upper body or lower body would hurt. I've had this once before in my life after a ruckmarch. I'd done a million ruck marches before but my back somehow seized up that time. I must have done a wrong move when I dug a trench or marched. Either way, the next day (yesterday) I was bed-ridden and could barely move without sharp pain. This time I hadn't done anything. I leaned down to open a suitcase that was on the ground. Anyways, but I digress. I was

Anyways, we got back home and took a nap. The nap extended from 3-4pm. I had some errands to run so I figured I'd do that with her before dropping her off. However, by this time the pain had increased exponentially. Any movement or attempt to get up was fruitless. She helped me get dressed again but once I go up (always with my arms supporting me somewhere) I couldn't move. It was literally impossible to move at all. So we got me down to my underwear again. I had her get me water (water jug was empty), some food for later, and some codeine, as I knew that was the only thing which would relieve the pain (a buddy had a pill from a prescription when I last had a back issue and it definitely helped). She comes back with all the goods. She got me something like Tylenol 2 (30mg codeine with 300mg of paracetamol). I had her bring me all the essentials to bed (I live in a studio): laptop, external HD, food, water and even a bucket so I could pee. Yes, I'm serious when I say I couldn't move. She then left and asked me how to lock the door. I told her whatever, it's a 4th floor. Now one comes up here. So I spent last night in bed watching a movie and dozed off around 11pm.

I then woke up and saw a figure right above me. The figure had long hair so for a split second I thought it was a girl. I'm not sure what happened first. I hink I said my girlfriend's name with my eyes half closed until I realized it was a thief. Or maybe I opened my eyes and saw the figure, the guy then flinched back a bit and then bolted straight to he door. I then magically got straight up and ran after him yelling JAO as loud as I could. I live on the 4th floor so it was quite the run down. I glanced at the patio door wondering if he was alone and then bolted downstairs in my underwear. By the time I was down he wasn't in sight. I can run fast but with my back shot and barefoot in underwear, it wasn't the best. By the time I got downstairs and turned the corner to the main street, the guy was nowhere to be seen. I then raced back upstairs. Adrenaline pumping through my veins. I then quickly checked my inventory: laptop: check. Brand new external hard drive: check. Brand new Garmin GPS (I was toying with it at night): check. Keys: Check. Wallet:..... FUCK. Everything of visible value besides the TV was on the floor by the bedside or on the nightstand, along with a bucket with pee in it. I looked around the house a bit (in my pant pockets) but realized it must have been right next to the bed. I then called all the banks to cancel the cards and then went downstairs, got on my bike and went to the local ATMs in case the long-haired culprit was there.

I had around 2k at home but I stash that in a "secret" place. Still, had around 75$ in the wallet+two debit cards. Not a huge amount of money but I still feel violated. But now I'm scared shitless because I had a new ATM card in there by Prasac. I cancelled my ANZ card and called ACLEDA until I realized I still had the card (I never use it anymore). The paper with the code for Prasac was on the bedside table so the guy must have grabbed it as well (despite it being dark). What kind of a bank doesn't have a 24/7 hotline?! I've been really happy with them so far but this is just ridiculous. I rode around looking at the nearest ATM (near Ind Monument), but no one was there. I can now only hope he took the cash and threw the rest out, but I see no reason why he would unless he was super stressed. Worst part is that you can take out 2k/day from that account. I used to have quite a bit in there, but now only have around 1000$... It's still 1000$ I don't want to lose as it goes into the final stages of a house build. It means I now have to wait till Monday before I can cancel the card. That's downright stupid. The adrenaline has worn off and my back is seizing up again. Likely the good I did staying still for 16 hours is for naught. Now I'll be stressing out for two days until I can go down to the local branch first thing Monday morning.

What's perhaps just as disturbing is that I'm now scared I might be a target in the future. The guy saw my place (and everything in it). It's not a mansion but he's seen possessions. I'm often out of the city as well. Luckily a lot of stuff is still there and he was obviously aiming for something small and light. I must have woken up at the right moment. My guess is that he looked on the table first (which had a bunch of stuff all over it). However, foreign debit/credit cards and a foreign bill which were left there (as well as passport) are still there. They wear under a piece of paper luckily. Obviously couldn't fall back asleep (my head is in a different timezone anyways).
Before anyone says my girlfriend sent someone... No. That's not it. With the long hair, I'm guessing vagrant/junky or something. It was like LONG hair. I have no one to blame but myself of course. I should have tried crawling to the door to lock it after she left.

Given that this is just a narrative... Any ideas of what I should do? I'm thinking of going to the main branch's location (apparently on 271) and trying to talk to their security guards. Maybe they can get me someone... But probably not. I wish I had caught the fucker. He was less than a meter away from the bed and when we got to the door around 1.5 meters. I wish my hands could wring his little neck. One of my dreams is to catch a thief in the act and hand him over to the cops. Had I been 100% physically, I probably could have jumped down those flights of stairs and got him. But he was fast... At the same time, I'm reminded of what happened to that Dutch woman... I'm a big guy and actually know how to fight, but all it takes is a knife and it can be over... So I suppose I got off ok with less than 100$ gone. I just hope nothing gets taken from the ATM. If it does, then can surely check the cameras but it would be a wild goose hunt. I'm just thinking of what kind of scene I could do in the scenario that the takes the cash out. The card was activated so it's entirely possible. I'll likely be biting my nails till Monday 7am or whenever they open. I've only had stuff stolen from me two other times. First time was a wallet when I left my door open no more than a minute after coming back from work. Probably one of the neighbour's sons saw an opportunity... Broad daylight and no one would randomly go up those stairs as it would look suspect. But I had no proof so what could I do. Only had 50$ in it, but what bothered me were the foreign ID/ATM cards... That's why I no longer keep them in my wallet. I had just emptied them that morning. The other time I had two pairs of shoes stolen from outside my place. Barang neighbour hadn't locked the gate downstairs... Not a bad track record but still...

A rude welcome back to the Kingdom...

[General Mackevili]

Holy shit! That's some scary stuff! !

I think/hope that the thief only attempted this because your door was open, and hopefully all you have to do is keep it locked and you won't have any further trouble.

And that's crazy you couldn't move, LoL! That probably made it a million times scarier!

I caught a thief once. Good fun!

Hopefully you have time to cancel it before he gets the chance to try it.

[General Mackevili]

Oh, and welcome back!

[frank lee bent]

he won't be back.

they don't like being chased.

hope things are settled for you soon.

[Bitte_Kein_Lexus]

Quick update... I called the Prey Veng branch of Prasac and woke some guy up (I figured a provincial branch might actually have a guy sleeping in it. Turns out it worked LOL). He told me to call the PP branch but I told him it was closed. He then said he'd check and call me back. Sure enough a minute later the head office calls me and some girl helps me cancel the card. Apparently they open at 6am. For some reason, despite all the security checks over the phone, she wouldn't tell me how much exactly was in the account, but she "could" tell me that the ballpark figure I told her was correct (~1k). THANK FUCKING GOD. It's "only" 1k, but it's definitely not cash I can afford to lose right now as I'm on a building schedule and have final payments coming up, LOL. Phew what a relief. So all I lost was maybe 50-75$ and two ATM cards (plus maybe one or two of those "buy 10, get one free" cards from a business or two. DAMN! ). That's getting off really lightly when you think of it. My heart sank as I went back up my stairs after running after the guy as I had just bought a bunch of new toys abroad (GPS unit which was on the bedstand, external HD)... All my stuff is backed up on a HD abroad as well, but having a laptop, phone or external HD stolen would really suck. I sleep really lightly and had a bag of kettle chips on the bedstand. I suaully never eat in bed but did this time (and managed to spill the soup the girl brought over). I had no food at home since I've been gone for over two weeks, but the girl went and got a motodop to walk my bike over to the parking lot, then brought me back soup and got a bag of chips out of the :pantry". I'm actually pretty sure that's the noise that woke me up as the wallet was on the bedstand right next to it. The rustling of a half-empty bag of chips... Thanks god for chips! I should lay chips on the floor in front of my doors from now on so I can wake up if someone walks in uninvited. But surely if I had been a deep sleeper, the guy could have taken waaaay more. He must have had a big scare though as this big barang started runnign after him almost naked yelling jao at the top of his lungs. Definitey a bit scary though. Almost felt like a dream for a second. My eyes open after hearing the noise and this dark figure (it's pitch black) with long hair is standing 2 feet away from me. I think it's the girl who came back to check up on me until I notice it's still pitch lack, plus the figure flinches and takes a half-step back.

Feels good to be back, though obviously it's a rough start, lol. My back is bad again. I think I fucked it up again racing down the stairs. Only the adrenaline momentarily erased the pain. I also think you're right. The guy probably didn't target me per se, but just goes up flights of stairs all night looking to see if doors are left unlocked. Fucking stupid of me but given the situation, I was in no position to do it. I should have just given the girl the keys and had her come back in the morning or something. Makes me kind of scared of getting my locks picked though. If I'm gone for a few days, I always double lock the door (two turns)+put a western bought Masterlock on the door. But if I'm in the city, I'll often just turn the lock over once (and no padlock). Might start adding some security. The balcony patio door (glass) actually has an alarm on it, but I never turn it on. I probably should from now on... They always get you in those small lapses. The moment you let your guard down (be it on a moto,, parking a moto, helmet, phone, wallet etc)... Just a reminder for everyone I guess...

[Bitte_Kein_Lexus]

he won't be back.

they don't like being chased.

hope things are settled for you soon.

Yeah I hope not... But I might start leaving my wallet under my bed or something and leaving the HD in a secure place... I do stash bigger amounts of cash and other valuables (passport etc) in secret hiding place which a thief probably wouldn't find. A have a French-made lock on my door, so I figured it must be good. When I lost my keys in the provinces a while back, two locksmiths came over but said they weren't able to open it (the padlock wasn't on it). Finally a guy from Kandal market I'd used years ago came over and he managed to open it within 5 mins, haha. So it can definitely be picked. But I'm guessing the picking noise alone would have woken me up. Still, even if he doesn't come back, some other guy probably will at some point. From now on I'll make sure to turn the tumbler twice for added security. Keep your guards up and don't be stupid...



And fuck...My back is terrible again. I literally have no clue what caused it. I was fine during the 35+ hours I spent on planes and in airports two days ago, was fine that evening and fine the next morning... I just hope it's a pinched nerve or something and not herniated disk, which can be quite serious...

[frank lee bent]

lower back pain can also be frequently caused by excessive horizontal athletics.

[rick_o'shea]

I just flew back yesterday, and felt fine sitting on the aeroplanes, but have a bit of lumbar pain today. Get yourself a good massage! Glad you didn't get cleaned out - I worry about my flat while I'm away, but to have a thief enter while you are asleep..... Scary. I keep a bat behind my bedroom door.

[Bitte_Kein_Lexus]

Hmmmm, well... There was a lot of that going on the night before when I got here as well as that following morning. I'd been gone for close to three weeks after all and I convinced her to lie to her parents and meet me at the airport so she could sleep over... We've been intimate for around a year, but she's only slept over once in that time, so it's fairly exceptional. Parents barely let her out late at night so obviously won't let her sleep out unless she's got an ironclad excuse. She was reluctant at first but made up a story about having a work party and sleeping over a female co-worker's house... So there was a lot of that happening.

But I don't recall feeling any pain either that night or in the morning sessions. But your analysis does make sense. I actually think I'll have call her to pinpoint when the pain first appeared: after the first morning session or the second. My memory is still hazy but you might just be right... Sorry for being all personal and thinking out loud here, but you're definitely onto something. If it's truly the cause, then that's a big embarrassment. I feel like a paralyzed 80-year-old man right now...

[vladimir]

Mobic 7.5 mg, wonder drug for back pain. Get some.

You were very lucky.