TRAVELIN

[菲律賓] 馬尼拉驚魂記

晚上11:08

Although I can't be more reluctant to write this and just want to bury myself in shame and self-pity, in order to let more people know about the scam, and let less people get victimized, I will try to be as detailed as I can. Here's how it all happened

寫下這篇文章，心情上是很複雜也很丟臉的，但是為了讓更多人知道、更少人受害，我還是會把詳細的細節都記錄下來供大家參考

3:55pm I arrived at Mall of Asia

4:00pm I was standing in front of Chowking restaurant wondering if I should dine in Chowking, Jolibee next door, or Max restaurant, which I knew where one was, but just not certain if there's another one nearby. In the meantime, a mid-age woman was standing next to me as if she wanted to talk to me, so I took the initiative and asked her "Where is Max Restaurant?"

4:10pm She showed me the way to Max restaurant with her so-called brother(but I think in a lesbian way of speaking). They told me they also wanted to dine at Max so we sat together in the restaurant.

4:30 pm Not only did the two sisters joined me, their allegedly "aunties" also joined for a late lunch. I ordered a Max fried chicken dinner, but all they ordered were some spring rolls and pancit.

4:40pm I offered to take a selfie, but they said they are too shy,which was clearly just a way to avoid showing their faces.

Basically, they said they are from Cebu city and they are here for a week on holiday. They are staying at a friend's house in Manila and they are here to buy some Christmas presents for other family members.

5:03pm They offered to take me to a church somewhere in the city, but I turned them down. I told them I just want to stay here for the sunset. So they gladly joined me and we went across the road to the bayfront.

5:17pm We sat down at a bar called The RoadHouse Manila Bay and started our first drink. At first I just drink from the bottle, but then, they told me to drink from glasses, which is easier for them to drug me. We have been sitting at the table outside out the bar.

6:30pm I think it is too late, so I wanted to leave and go to the Mall of Asia to buy some souvenirs. But there came two other "friends" of them, one girl and one man. The man said he was doing some business with Japanese or something, so we spoke in Japanese for a bit and he had me drink more. I think I've taken out the camera and asked the waiter to take a picture for all of us. I can't remember this part quite well, but I think so because I've also taken some shots of the interior of the bar. By this time, I've begin losing my conscious and judgement, and that's the time when I followed them into a van already set up for this......

Now, from that point on, I have absolutely no memory, which is medically termed"anterograde amnesia". After a urine checkup I've done when I got back to Taiwan, they've found BZD (benzodiazepine) in my urine, which is a kind of sedatives, anti-anxiety drugs, and even more common used for treating insomnia.

To make it even worse, taking BZD with alcohol can increase the BZD's potency and have the risk of an overdose. As listed below, the classic symptoms include impaired balance, ataxia, and slurred speech, which I've all experienced.

7:36pm First ATM withdrawal was made. The ATM number was 05781201 with BANK NET. If my memory serves me right, one of the auntie told me about that I could get a big discount on souvenirs if I withdraw money. SOUNDS REALLY STUPID right? No one IN HIS RIGHT MIND would fall for it. But I'm telling you, with this BZD overdose, basically you would do whatever they tell you to do. I remember I subconsciously covered my code with my other hand, but the auntie told me "ONE FINGER", so that she can see clearly what the code was. But this time, the money withdrawn was only about 20USD. I think it's a strategy to let the bank approve this transaction without noticing that suddenly a big amount of money has been withdrawn, going under the radar.

9:27pm This time with or without me present, they withdrew 9 times at BDO/00202484/BR484, ATM number was 00202484. This time they've cashed out nearly 2000USD.

At the Airport I have no idea how I check in with Airasia, went through security checkup, and even the IMMIGRATION, which I could easily be detained because I can't even speak or act properly, BUT I DID. This is a photo of a present from my friend Sheryl, but apparently I was asked to leave it behind because it's more than the amount of liquid I'm allowed to bring. I must have asked the officer to let me at least take a photo of it, and this was taken at 10:36pm

11:05pm was the scheduled flight time, but all I knew was I once vomited in the restroom, and then fell asleep on the chair. Next time I woke up, I couldn't even figure out which boarding gate to go to. I was totally wasted. I ran hopelessly to the nearest boarding gate with a staff and asked her about my flight, but she replied to me that the door has been shut already and it can't be opened even though the airplane was still there. She also mentioned she'd told me I could board the plane in 3 minutes a while ago, and then she never saw me again.

I panicked. That was the time when I began to sober up. Coincidentally, my father called with LINE to check up on me, asking me if I had withdrew about 2000USD from the ATM. That was the time I knew I'VE GOT FUCKED BIG TIME! I immediately checked my wallet, and all the notes are gone. Checked my secret money pocket in my bag, 200USD, 4000 or so pesos, and 2000NTD are gone, with 300NTD left (probably because they can't exchange 100s in the Philippines). AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, BOTH SD CARDS in my camera are gone, which mean all the photos I've taken on this trip, GONE!!!! If only I knew they would have done this, I wouldn't use my camera to take a picture with them...... SO REGRETFUL!!!

I have to admit, I was way too unexperienced to stay calm and handle this professionally. I will update about how I got back to Taiwan and the rest of the story in another post.

這次學到的教訓

1. 害人之心不可有，防人之心不可無

即便他們看起來都是中年婦女沒什麼殺傷力，但誰知道會做出這種事情。永遠永遠不要放下自己的防備心(let your guard down)!

2. 見微知著

1. 自拍時，大家都刻意避開鏡頭，這點現在想起來就很合理了，是為了消除證據，當然他們是一直說"shy"，當時候也沒多想。
2. 要加臉書時，聲稱不能夠加，因為會讓我的FB登出。這個聽起來就是bull shit，但是當時我想可能是她之前有錯誤經驗，也沒有堅持，但現在想起來就非常合理了。

3. 喝酒千萬千萬要小心

其實不管是喝任何的東西，基本上只要離開了自己的視線(譬如說去上廁所)，就不要再喝了! 我覺得這個道理是知易行難，但希望大家一定要以此為戒啊!

最後很感謝爸媽在大半夜一直關心我的狀況，從晚上十一點通知他我被盜刷昏迷後，我爸擔心我的信用卡不能買機票回來，整晚都沒睡覺要確定我沒事(但藥效太強我後來還是昏睡了)。Couldn't possibly be more greatful to my family for always being there when I need them the most.