A Nomad Santa Reflection
Bangkok. Hot, loud, alive. The kind of city that hums under your skin.
I was only there a few short hours — layover before returning home, I decided to explore the city the way most tourists do: with wide eyes and one foot always just a little off the beaten path.
That’s when I heard about it.
“This week only — the Premier Sapphire Factory Export Center is open to the public!”
Sounded exclusive. Government-sanctioned. Rare. And the guy who told me? He seemed credible enough. Polite. Clean shirt. The kind of English that’s just good enough to win your trust.
An inexpensive tuk-tuk ride later, I was standing outside a hastily assembled showroom — marble floors, suited attendants, lighting that made everything shimmer just a little too brightly.
Inside, rows of glass cases full of sapphires. Salespeople swarmed like bees to honey. “Sir, special price today only.”
“Export discount, don’t declare it, just wear it through American customs.”
“Buy now, value increase guaranteed, sapphires are about to become rare as the mines are exhausted.”And for a moment, I thought if I had the money I probably would have bought it. Not the sapphire — the story.
But something tugged at me. Maybe it was the way the “certificate of authenticity” looked like it had been photocopied one too many times. Or how every “rare” stone seemed to be the same price. Or maybe it was just instinct — the old Santa sense tingling.
I smiled, backed away politely, and thanked them for their time.
Then I walked out and bought myself a street-side bookmark, instead.Back at the hotel, a quick Google search told me everything I needed to know:
“The Premier Sapphire Factory Export Center scam: A well-known Bangkok tourist trap. You’re promised rare gems at duty-free prices. What you get is overpaying for polished glass.”
I didn’t lose money that day — just a little bit of ego. And I gained a good story.
We all want to believe in something special, something sparkly. But sometimes the real gem is knowing when to walk away.
It’s a small world—and we’re all neighbors. Some just shine a little too hard.