Stuck In Thailand

By Jabo
@jaboUK (64354)
United Kingdom
April 12, 2021 7:07am CST
My son and his wife were in Thailand when the pandemic really started to get going and all flights were cancelled so they were unable to get home. They were worried about their apartment as they top up their electricity with a special card and they knew there wasn't enough on the card to last more than a month. My son said he would send me the key so that I could go in and empty the freezer - the key got lost in transit and never arrived. It was 3 months before they eventually arrived home and obviously everything in the freezer was rotten. The smell wasn't too bad until they opened the lid but then the obnoxious odour permeated the whole apartment. - it took them weeks to fully be rid of that awful smell. Lesson learned - whenever they go away in the future they will leave a key with me.
45 people like this
44 responses
@LadyDuck (471497)
• Switzerland
12 Apr 21
What a horrible experience. I used to empty refrigerator and freezer when we traveled, just because an electricity problem may happen and I know how bad the smell of rotten food is. I had the keys of my Mom's apartment, that was my house in the past, but my Mom never had my keys. Not very useful as we lived 4 hours away from her.
9 people like this
@LadyDuck (471497)
• Switzerland
12 Apr 21
@jaboUK Both my brother and I had the keys of our mother's apartment and this proved to be a necessity, when she did not reply to the phone, my brother could go there and check. Even if we pay the electricity the refrigerator/freezer may break. Our broke one day while we were visiting my mother in Milan, at least we were away only a few days, but a few things smelled bad.
5 people like this
@jaboUK (64354)
• United Kingdom
12 Apr 21
@LadyDuck Fortunately for me my children both live close by so they visit me frequently.
3 people like this
@jaboUK (64354)
• United Kingdom
12 Apr 21
My children both have a key to my house - that's important especially now that I'm old. They need to be able to get in just in case of emergency. Anyway, they are welcome to come and go as they please without me having to open the door for them. That's a good idea to empty the fridge and freezer when you travel.
7 people like this
@just4him (317041)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
12 Apr 21
I'm sorry they were stuck in Thailand for so long. I'm sorry the food in the freezer was rotten when they arrived home. Good idea leaving the key with you before they leave next time.
7 people like this
@jaboUK (64354)
• United Kingdom
12 Apr 21
Actually they didn't mind being in Thailand - there are worse places to be
5 people like this
@just4him (317041)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
12 Apr 21
@jaboUK I'm sure there are. I'm glad they enjoyed it.
3 people like this
• China
12 Apr 21
That did mess the room up.Who had known that the key got lost in transit unexpectedly.Once bitten twice shy.
5 people like this
• China
13 Apr 21
@jaboUK He should give you a spare key with hindsight.Good thing ! This kind of thing wouldn't happen to him again.
2 people like this
@jaboUK (64354)
• United Kingdom
13 Apr 21
@changjiangzhibin89 Yes, he'll leave a spare key with me from now on.
2 people like this
@jaboUK (64354)
• United Kingdom
12 Apr 21
My son should have sent the key recorded delivery, but that's easy to say in hindsight. He has an app now that allows him to load electricity from anywhere.
3 people like this
@Juliaacv (51190)
• Canada
12 Apr 21
My brother was over there in the very same country when the pandemic hit. It did not seem to bother him when all of the flights were cancelled, another brother has a key to his place and watched it, and the brother that went was there for 4 or 5 months anyways. Our son has a spare key to our place and we do to his.
5 people like this
@jaboUK (64354)
• United Kingdom
12 Apr 21
My son was perfectly happy to be in Thailand in the sunshine rather than be in lockdown with us in cold England Your brother must have felt the same. The freezer was my son's only worry and he has an app now so that he can upload the electricity from wherever he is.
3 people like this
@Juliaacv (51190)
• Canada
12 Apr 21
@jaboUK Yes, my brother farms for a living, and as soon as he finishes the farming for the season he is on a plane out of Canada. He used to go to the Dominican Republic, but the past few years he has been going to Thailand and the Philipines.
3 people like this
@jaboUK (64354)
• United Kingdom
12 Apr 21
@Juliaacv My son has a Thai wife so they go to Thailand a lot.
2 people like this
@xFiacre (13011)
• Ireland
12 Apr 21
@jabouk I’ve just emptied someone’s fridge (not my own) that had stew sitting in it for 12 months. The smell of decay had me retching and it’s hanging in the air and will do for a while.
5 people like this
@jaboUK (64354)
• United Kingdom
12 Apr 21
Good of you to do that awful job, it must be one of the worst smells in the world.
3 people like this
@jaboUK (64354)
• United Kingdom
12 Apr 21
@xFiacre Smells do linger about a person - I could always tell if my husband had been in the company of a smoker, even though he never smoked himself.
1 person likes this
@xFiacre (13011)
• Ireland
12 Apr 21
@jaboUK My wife is sure to smell it off me. Not much gets past a wife’s nose, ears or eyes!
3 people like this
@JudyEv (339930)
• Rockingham, Australia
12 Apr 21
It's amazing how such a smell really penetrates a large area. We would quite like to visit our son in Melbourne but I'm scared we'll get stuck over there and not be able to get home.
6 people like this
@jaboUK (64354)
• United Kingdom
12 Apr 21
I agree - I'm not going out of this country until next year at the earliest.
3 people like this
@jaboUK (64354)
• United Kingdom
13 Apr 21
@JudyEv That would be sad if you didn't get to see your son, I hope it doesn't come to that.
2 people like this
@JudyEv (339930)
• Rockingham, Australia
13 Apr 21
@jaboUK We'd like to visit the other son in Ireland but that is even less on the cards at the moment. Sometimes I wonder if we'll ever get there again.
2 people like this
@jobelbojel (35574)
• Philippines
12 Apr 21
Lesson learned indeed. I hope they leave the key with you. Sorry about what happened. Glad they are back but Thailand is not that affected with COVID.
5 people like this
@jaboUK (64354)
• United Kingdom
12 Apr 21
When they were in Thailand it was one of the best places in the world to be. The Thais acted quickly and closed their borders, consequently there were very few covid cases. I think it's still pretty well Covid-free there.
2 people like this
@LeaPea2417 (37351)
• Toccoa, Georgia
13 Apr 21
Wow that's crazy!
4 people like this
@LeaPea2417 (37351)
• Toccoa, Georgia
14 Apr 21
2 people like this
@jaboUK (64354)
• United Kingdom
13 Apr 21
It certainly was at the time but all is well now.
2 people like this
@rakski (122884)
• Philippines
12 Apr 21
oh my. what did they do to get rid or the odor? yes, they should leave a key to you
5 people like this
@jaboUK (64354)
• United Kingdom
12 Apr 21
Lots of anti-septics, airsprays and fans. It disappeared eventually.
3 people like this
@rakski (122884)
• Philippines
13 Apr 21
@jaboUK goodness, at least we all learn a lesson from that
2 people like this
• Midland, Michigan
12 Apr 21
I'm glad they weren't stuck longer than they were. It's unfortunate to lose food but I guess there are worse things. That reminds me someone here lost power to their freezer in FLA I wonder if they've checked that out yet or not.
4 people like this
@jaboUK (64354)
• United Kingdom
12 Apr 21
Oh yes, there are a lot worse things than losing the food - the smell was horrendous. That was Belle Starr who lost power - it was her post that reminded me of my son's dilemma.
2 people like this
• Midland, Michigan
12 Apr 21
@jaboUK I'm sure the smell would be awful.
2 people like this
@DianneN (247186)
• United States
12 Apr 21
They were lucky to get home within 3 months. So sorry for that mess. Our kids have keys to our home and we have keys to theirs and alarm codes.
5 people like this
@jaboUK (64354)
• United Kingdom
12 Apr 21
That's good that you have each other's keys - my kids have always had my key as this was their childhood home and I would never expect them to knock on the door
3 people like this
@DianneN (247186)
• United States
13 Apr 21
@jaboUK My younger son just walks into the house. lol The grandkids love to ring the doorbell over and over again.
2 people like this
@Dena91 (16636)
• United States
12 Apr 21
I am glad they finally got home. I am sorry the key got lost in transit, seems with the pandemic that has increased. Mike's mom has had trouble with a couple of her bills not being received by the companies causing her stress. We helped her straighten it out with them.
5 people like this
@thelme55 (77061)
• Germany
12 Apr 21
That was a horrible experience. I hope the smell is gone now. My son has a key to our flat that we don’t have to worry when we stay in our Philippines home for months. We empty our freezer every time we are on a long vacation. This time, we were lucky that we came home to Germany before the pandemic lockdown came.
4 people like this
@jaboUK (64354)
• United Kingdom
12 Apr 21
Yes, it's as well to empty the freezer if you're going away for a long time. It's good that you have a son nearby to keep an eye on your property while you are away.
3 people like this
@jaboUK (64354)
• United Kingdom
12 Apr 21
@thelme55 My son is about a mile away, my daughter 7 miles.
2 people like this
@thelme55 (77061)
• Germany
12 Apr 21
@jaboUK That’s right. He only lives 2 blocks away. Have a nice evening.
2 people like this
@oahuwriter (26777)
• United States
13 Apr 21
But they tried, at least. The surprise pandemic sure took a toll on us all.
4 people like this
@jaboUK (64354)
• United Kingdom
13 Apr 21
The pandemic has certainly affected us all.
2 people like this
@oahuwriter (26777)
• United States
14 Apr 21
@jaboUK Now all is safe at home.
2 people like this
@snowy22315 (180663)
• United States
13 Apr 21
Oh no...leaving a key with you would certainly be wise.
4 people like this
@jaboUK (64354)
• United Kingdom
13 Apr 21
Yes, that's what will happen in the future.
2 people like this
@sjvg1976 (41281)
• Delhi, India
13 Apr 21
That was terrible. I always leave the key to my brother's family whenever my family is out of the town for 2-3 days or more.
4 people like this
@jaboUK (64354)
• United Kingdom
13 Apr 21
That's a wise thing to do.
1 person likes this
@ARIES1973 (11426)
• Legaspi, Philippines
13 Apr 21
It's okay. What is important is that they were able to get home. They should be careful next time especially with the current situation. Stay safe!
4 people like this
@jaboUK (64354)
• United Kingdom
13 Apr 21
They actually quite enjoyed themselves while waiting to get home - sunning themselves on the beach
1 person likes this
• United States
13 Apr 21
I guess that's a good lesson to learn about leaving a key with you but who would have thought a pandemic would occur and the world would go on lockdown. I don't even want to imagine how awful that rotten food smelled
4 people like this
@jaboUK (64354)
• United Kingdom
13 Apr 21
As you say - the situation the whole world is in now would have been unimaginable to us. No-one could have predicted it. Fortunately I didn't have to smell that food myself, I just took my son's word for how horrible it was
1 person likes this
@CarolDM (203422)
• Nashville, Tennessee
12 Apr 21
Oh my goodness. What a bad experience for them. Glad they are safe and back home.
4 people like this
@jaboUK (64354)
• United Kingdom
12 Apr 21
At least they enjoyed themselves in Thailand
2 people like this
@CarolDM (203422)
• Nashville, Tennessee
12 Apr 21
@jaboUK That is great. A mini vacation.
2 people like this
@ARaizada (15)
• India
13 Apr 21
this is really an irritating situation when something is in front of you but you cant open.... and much irritating when keys got lost by someone else....
4 people like this
@jaboUK (64354)
• United Kingdom
13 Apr 21
In hindsight my son should have sent the key by special delivery but he just put it in the ordinary post.
1 person likes this