2025 - WTF, World?
2025 should have been pretty easy, but turned out to be one of the hardest years of my life. There were plenty of good times, but also some really unpleasant experiences.
2025 started much like 2024, with me going back and forth to Asia, although Marta was now completely out of the picture and Kham and I were largely disconnected romantically due to persistent conflicts and my intentions to be with Marta. find someone else, or be alone.
As I write this in November 2025, I already have hazy memories and cannot remember the exact chronology. Some of this may have actually happened in 2024.
At the end of May, while I was still experiencing a psychotic break but it was softening, I needed to get away from Kham. I was still concerned about getting through immigration in the USA. Belle and I met in Phuket, and we stayed in one of the finished units in the complex that contained the condominium that I had purchased there. We rented a motorbike not from a vendor, but from an employee that worked on the property.
This was actually a pretty nice place and a pleasant vacation, but it turned out that the entire project had been a scam. Real estate scams are apparently quite uncommon in Thailand and there seems to be little legal recource; I advise against investing there without significant caution and legal protection.
I had always felt that Belle was taking advantage of me, but it started to be more concrete. I would say what I wanted to do, but we would do what she wanted to do. We would go to restaurants that didn't interest me and she would eat large expensive meals.
Patong is somewhat of a party town, but Belle does not party as hard as I do. We went to clubs where I wanted to dance but she didn't dance. I drank a lot. Once, while Belle waited for me in a club. I met a girl outside, went back to her place, and started to have vaginal sex. At this age, I don't finish easily and I suggested anal. We had not discussed money previously, but she responded that I could basically do whatever I wanted if I paid her enough. I left whatever cash I had there and walked out.
Another night, I stayed out while Belle went back to the condo. I didn't understand why at the time, but Belle took my passport, driving license, wallet, and most of my cash with her, leaving me with just enough for some drinks.
I think it was that night that I met Sirina, who owned a bar on one of the main streets not far from the beach. We were friends and a little bit physical, but in a relatively friendly way, not intending to have sex. I think I switched to water some time after midnight, but it's possible that I just kept drinking beer.
I think I headed home around 3:00 in the morning. At a major intersection, there was a checkpoint. These are not uncommon in Thailand. Usually, if you have an international driving license with motorbike endorsement, they simply let you go. Otherwise, you pay a small fine and you can ride again for a few days without having to pay the fine again. This was the first time I had ever seen a DUI checkpoint. They waved me over.
I pulled up in front of a young male cop. Almost instantly, another cop walked up, stuck some kind of my device in my mouth, and made it clear that I was to blow. I did so, and the thing immediately beeped. There was no indication of an alcohol level; it was basically a true or false, pass or fail, alcohol or not test. The second cop walked away, likely headed towards his next customer.
The first cop informed me that the fine for drunk driving was 20,000 Thai baht - a little over $600USD. I explained that I didn't have my driving license, passport, credit cards, ATM card, or cash. I was more than willing for a police car to collect me for transport to a Thai jail, but somehow I knew that this would not happen.
He then said that we could negotiate - the cost would now be 5,000 baht. I explained again that I had nothing on me, that everything was at my rental condo. He suggested that I get on the motorbike, go to the condo and get my things, go to an ATM, come back to give him the money, and then return to the condo.
This did not seem like an effective plan for keeping a drunk rider off the street, but I agreed. He took my name and let me go without writing anything down. Knowing that he had no way to identify me, prove anything, or follow up, I returned to the hotel room and went to sleep. I thought about this occurence while riding the the next day, but really had no worries. There don't seem to be license plate readers or any kind of systems for monitoring such occurences in Thaialnd.
//TODO: real estate scam //TODO: susan takes me back to divorce court //TODO: decide to live in Asia //TODO: Belle //TODO: rent condo //TODO: bought into bar //TODO: motorbike DUI