Times like these, I knew I wasn’t home…
Losing a ATM card in Bhutan
What happens when the airport ATM eats your bank card in a foreign country? Panic sets in. But then, maybe this happens to you in Bhutan.
At the Paro airport, the cash machine for the Bank of Bhutan decided to keep my card and become “out of service”. We had three different cards between us, but this is still a worrisome experience. We exited the secured area and met our guide, explaining the problem.
No problem! We go to the local BoB branch at the airport, where the helpful employee calls his manager. It will be about a 15 minute wait, so our guide insists we go across the street and enjoy some tea and Bhutanese hospitality. Before the time has passed, the bank employee comes to the restaurant to find us; the guide leaves us to relax and heads back to the branch office. Five minutes later, he returns and hands me the ATM card. (We went to a branch in town later to retrieve cash.)