Around The Sun: The Lost Money Belt
Steve Harrison tells if a man who paid a heavy price for being foolish.
They say a fool and his money are soon parted. This is true, and it happens at lightning speed in Cambodia.
Sitting in our bar one morning was a desperate and forlorn looking Japanese fellow. "Are you the manager?'' he asked me.
It turned out that he was due to fly to Thailand in a few hours, and he had lost his money belt.
He told me he had been to a business address on on 63rd street. On leaving the address he discovered that the money belt was missing.
63rd Street was notorious in Phnom Penh for its brothels. I asked the obvious question. I got the reply I expected.
"How much was in the belt?'' I asked.
I expected to hear something like a couple of hundred dollars. But no. There was something like $12,000 in the belt.
I almost fell over backwards.
He realised how stupid he had been.
"Should I report it to the police?'' he asked.
"Mister,'' I told him "the police are going to think that if you can carry $12,000 in a money belt you can afford to give them $3,000 to start their inquiries. They will think that you are a fool, and they will treat you as such.
"Go to the airport, get on your plane, and tell nobody how silly you have been.''
So the guy lost a large amount of money. Served him right and taught him a lesson.
And a Cambodian came into an unexpected fortune.
