Travel Journalist Ghost Story 3 / Six-Star Bangkok Hotel Room, Desk Lamp Suddenly Turned On

The work of a "travel journalist" is rich and diverse, often offering opportunities to travel around the world, filled with all kinds of challenges. However, the job of a travel journalist, which may seem full of fun, actually requires strong independence, a willingness to try new things, and frequent experiences of staying in various hotels alone and visiting bizarre locations—naturally encountering many XXXX incidents. This "Ghost Month when the Gates of Hell Open,"ETtoday E Travel Cloud specially gathered multiple online travel journalists to unveil the ghostly encounters that readers never see before and after reporting—belonging to travel journalists' supernatural experiences!

Text and Photos / Miss Bra

It was a business trip lasting about a week in total. I went to Bangkok, Thailand, for interviews during the transition from spring to summer, and I stayed at a six-star luxury hotel. Just how luxurious was the hotel? It had an infinity pool that wrapped around the building, and every room had a window overlooking the winding poolside garden courtyard. In Bangkok, a city full of high-rises, it was truly a treat.

I remember the hotel was fully booked at the time. The organizers coordinated with the hotel to arrange single rooms for the journalists, but each room was quite far apart. I was assigned the cheapest corner suite in the hotel. Unlike the other rooms, it didn’t have a balcony or an openable window—but none of that mattered, because being able to stay alone in a luxury hotel while on a business trip was an extra perk of the journey.


▲ Bangkok hotel room, illustrative image. (Photo / File photo)

After finishing a full day of interviews and returning to the room, it was already around 10 p.m. After unpacking, washing up, and reviewing the next day’s schedule, it was about 1 a.m. I remember I specifically walked over to the desk by the window, turned off the only reading lamp on the desk, half-lay back on the bed, turned on the TV, and prepared to rest. That’s when something inexplicable happened—the desk lamp suddenly turned on...

Generally speaking, a lamp suddenly turning on isn’t really scary or even particularly noticeable. But this time, not only did the lamp turn on, it flickered at a strange speed—flashing about five to ten times per second—which made me glance at the reading lamp while watching TV, then glance again, and suddenly a chill ran down my spine...

Strangely enough, I usually wouldn’t think of “that kind of thing,” especially since I often have to stay alone while on business trips. Knowing the hotel was fully booked and the other journalists were staying far away, there was no way I would scare myself. But for some reason, I instinctively sat up in bed, looked at the light, and said loudly in Chinese: “Hello, sorry to bother you, I’m just staying here for two nights and will leave soon. Please don’t scare me—I definitely mean no offense.”

Amazingly, the moment I finished speaking, the desk lamp suddenly went out—right on the dot, not even a second later. I immediately walked over to the desk and unplugged the lamp’s power cord. At the time, I kept telling myself not to be afraid. I’m pretty thick-skinned, so I took a Buddha statue out of my backpack, placed it beside the bed, and then went to sleep. Of course, I didn’t encounter the same situation the next day. But when I told the other travelers about this “seemingly ghostly” incident, they just said I was “thinking too much” and laughed it off without further discussion.

After returning to Taiwan, I also discussed it with a friend who “can see things.” Although to this day I’m still not sure whether I really encountered something or if it was just some random electrical short circuit, the advice my friend gave me has always stayed with me: “In that very first moment, follow your gut feeling—you’ll know whether it’s a spirit or not.” If you really do encounter something, don’t be afraid, face it honestly and frankly—that’s the only way I managed to overcome my fear during that business trip.