After a nice sleep, we took advantage of the free porridge and bread at the resort, then got going at a decent hour.  Temperatures were cooler, traffic was light, and it seemed this would be the day to cross over into Cambodia.  I had everything ready:  US dollars for the visa, passport photos, and all the documents were nicely tucked away in my carrying case that was zipped up.  We set off for the final 50km to the border with the aim of pushing a little bit harder to get into Sisophon (total distance 110km), then Siem Reap the following day (95km).  I felt that James was up to it and he seemed to be getting his strength back.

It didn't take long before we made all sorts of stops again, this time it was the bag that wasn't staying on his rack despite all the extra bungee straps.  Unfortunately a small bump would send the pack off balance and then crashing onto the ground where we'd have to re-strap it, and this continued again and again.  I helped out at first, but eventually he got good enough so I just sat there waiting and texting and then he would catch up.

At one such stop in the middle of the road, I turned around a little too sharply and my bike fell over and the carrying case hit the road.  I picked it up and the case was totally zipped up, as far as I can tell.

The next stop was the longest stretch yet we cycled without a break, about 8km.  The stop happened to be at a gas station just before the border town of Aran.  As I stopped in, I took the carrying case with me, got some drinks and snacks, then sat there chilling on the bike beside an ATM machine and texting on my phone while waiting for my buddy to show up.  

Thai friends later warned me this area in particular is not safe and has plenty of thieves who are poor and likely crossed illegally from Cambodia.  I wish I had known this at the time and could be more careful.  In all my years cycling in Thailand I let my guard down as theft happens very rarely, especially out here in the countryside where the vibe is very peaceful and you don't get a sense that you need to be careful.  But you should, as I would soon learn the hard way.

After chatting I looked down and noticed the carrying case bag was open.  That seemed odd, as I'm pretty sure it was always zipped up.  The only reason it would be open is if I wanted quick access to my main phone, but I was using a backup phone.  I looked into the bag and was horrified.  I couldn't find that phone anywhere!   We agreed it was nicked and later I said, "Well at least I still have my passport."

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As soon as I said that, I looked again and my face went white as a ghost.  No way, the unthinkable had happened.  The passport wasn't there.  It just wasn't possible.   I said, "Oh my God, no way.  They took my passport as well!"  

Sure enough, after scoring the bag at least 10 times there was no sign of it.  The thieves had managed to steal my phone, hard drive with all my teaching resources on it, and the passport.  Why they would want a passport was beyond me, but this was going to be the ultimate disaster to the trip.  You see, there was this thing inside the passport called a Chinese visa and I needed that to get back and finish another year of work.

I said to James, "You know what man, I can't get back to China now."

At this point I was so glad that despite our touring difficulties, he was a true friend and willing to stick by me during a disaster like this one. 

Even though I was 95% sure the case was zipped up all along, you never know.  I had to at least check back there when it fell off the bike.  I scoured the ground the entire time for a passport, but then realized who was I kidding:  this was like looking for a needle in a haystack.  A bunch of road workers were in the approximate place where the passport MIGHT have fallen out, and I gave them my facebook and explained the situation just in case.  But it didn't amount to anything.

Coming back to the gas station, I was completely gutted and realized the gravity of the situation.   I slowly cycled off in the direction of Aran and the border.  James came alongside and put his hand on my shoulder.  He said, "Yes this totally sucks, it's a day of piss.  But think of this as a sign.  Everything happens for a reason you know.  You've always wanted to leave China, this is now your chance.  You're a math teacher, you're the most employable guy I know, you can find a job anywhere in the world.  Why not take this chance to sell the condo, finance a long trip around the world like you've always wanted to do, and do that year off?"

[Update November 2022]:  The was one of the key turning points when I could have made a break from China.  There were more after this.  Why I didn't follow up on this, we'll never know.  I don't even know myself.

He was quite right overall.  It's just that I didn't feel ready to do this.  I made up a million excuses:  there's not enough money to finance such a trip, my fiance, my stuff in the apartment, the job with the employer, the contract, blah blah blah blah blah blah blah. 

I told him, "Damnit, you're right.  I want to do this but I'm just not ready yet.  I have no money to finance an extended tour.  And I signed a contract for next school year."

James said, "Forget about the contract.  They'll have no choice but to find another teacher now.  We all know it's going to be impossible for you to get back into China after this.  Let's keep going and do a victory lap around Ubon Ratchatani and then we'll figure this shit all out as we go."

I didn't know what to think and just kept on riding.  The main highway #33 dead-ended at Aran and required some detours to get to the actual border another 6km away but I just kept going straight and riding aimlessly through the town.  There was no destination anymore.

James thought it wise to stop and eat a massive lunch at some random burger place but I had no appetite.  The only thing I could think of was how to manage this emergency.  We had earlier tried contacting the nearest police and reasoned the gas station cameras could get some evidence.  That mission was a total failure because of the language barrier and the general useless attitude of the police.  

I reasoned, "Why are the police even here if they can't do anything?  It really feels lawless."  

James said "Aha!  That is exactly right, they only exist for appearance purposes"

We learned through some locals that the tourist police at the Cambodian border might be able do something if I reported the theft to them and so I did that.  That was a mistake.  It took a bit of effort to find the police office that was simply a ramshackle trailer beside the border checkpoint on the Thai side.  The police first detained me then actually went searching the rest of my stuff!  They couldn't believe why a thief would only steal my passport and not these other items, in particular my tambien baan to show I owned property in Pattaya.  They were astonished I even had one.  Those are technically illegal.  To this day I have no idea where it is, which leads me to think that the police might have confiscated it.  

Their first task was to ascertain whether or not I was overstaying my Thai visa.  They went next door to immigration to find out on their computer.  Once I was in the clear they were all smiles and put my bike in the truck to an actual police station about 200 meters away.  The report was filed there for stolen passport and at least it was done in a pleasant, quick, and painless manner.  If this had happened in China it would be been far worse to do this stage.

James had booked the best hotel in town and we had a massive dinner afterwards.  We tried to look on the bright side.  Research shows that the Canadian Embassy has jurisdiction over all of SE Asia not just Thailand.  In other words, if my documents were stolen on the Cambodia side it would have been a worse disaster.   We were thankful to realize this happened on the Thai side of the border and I could still get a bus back to Bangkok.

We hung out near the border area later at night to see if there was anything going on.  There wasn't.  The casinos were visible across the border and all lit up.  It would have been super easy to sneak across and back which probably happens all the time anyway.   

James said it best:  "We got so close, yet so far away,  only to have to turn back." Despite how being careless had caused this, I was grateful to have a buddy who was willing to stick around during the worst of times.