22. I just don't want the money to sit idle (should I follow my dreams?).

There was a period when the money in my account was too much to just leave sitting there. I didn't know much about investing, but I just felt like I wanted the large sum of money I had accumulated to be in a place safe from my own hands.

I transferred that lump sum to an investment account that would prevent me from accessing it until October. Nevertheless, the surplus funds I could use after that were still quite liquid, allowing me to use them for various purposes to some extent.

And one day, while I was riding home from work (because a Thai man at home was driving) and looking out the window, I saw a van-like car parked by the side of the road with a "For Sale" sign. I asked the man, who was driving, to turn the car around so we could take a closer look. It was a blue-green Honda Odyssey, which might look quite old to others, but to me, it would look pretty good if it were washed well.

I saved the phone number posted on the car to my phone, took pictures, and checked under the car for oil leaks (because I'd encountered this problem before). Inside the car, there were only two seats: for the driver and the person next to them. The back seats had been completely removed and replaced with a bed, complete with pillows and blankets. There were small curtains that looked homemade. I noticed seashells in the front storage compartment and dangling trinkets, so I guessed the owner was likely a woman. The asking price was 1,500. At that moment, I'll be honest, I really wanted it, but I didn't show it.

This was something I'd wanted to do for a long time: being able to sleep in my own car while traveling. To be honest, I'd seen this a few times while I’d been here, and I'd wondered what it would be like to sleep in a car that looks so cramped.

Without hesitation, when evening came the next day, it was raining and I didn't see the car parked there as usual, so I immediately called to ask. The owner was indeed a woman. She was French. She said she was going back to her country soon, which made her want to sell the car. The reason it was missing was because she had driven it to work. I asked if the car had any engine problems, and she said no. So I asked to see the car the next day.

We met at a shopping mall in the city. I saw the car parked in the parking lot, so I went over to take another look. My head was almost completely filled with desire and I had a very positive attitude toward the car. Finally, I saw her walking toward the car carrying bags. She was tall, thin, wore glasses, and seemed friendly. She told me she had driven this car alone all over the South Island, having bought it from two German friends who had traveled together for 2,000 NZ dollars.

She opened the car trunk for me to see, took out a file full of repair records, tax renewals, and vehicle inspections, and explained how much she had spent on each maintenance visit. I tried to calculate it in my head, and if it was as she said, it seemed she had spent quite a bit on this car. I started to feel sorry for her. She opened the back of the car for me to see the back seat and various equipment that came with the car, including a picnic gas stove, bedding, cooking utensils, and kitchenware, which could be used to cook while traveling. In short, it looked so complete that I felt excited. She also recommended that I check the oil frequently and keep it topped up. She even demonstrated it for me. Nevertheless, I didn't see it as a problem or feel concerned. It seemed that more than half of my mind was already lost in the imagination of adventure with this car. Then I asked her to drive this car to the nearby post office together.

It sounds unbelievable, but it's true: this country has a very simple and convenient car transfer process. You just need to fill out a single form and submit it to a postal worker, without paying any fees. The form only requires you to state the name of the transferor and the date as proof. That's basically it. You might wonder if it's this easy, won't there be concerns about scams? I have to admit, I used to think the same way. But when I looked around the office, I found that it was full of CCTV cameras. Anyone who conducts a transaction here and at any time will be recorded. And if I were a police officer, I would think that this is more than enough to find clues and track down anyone who looks suspicious, if anything untoward were to happen.

While filling out the paperwork at the post office, she asked me why I wanted this car. I told her without any hesitation that beside wanting to travel with it, I also wanted to use it as my first sales skill in life. I might sell it for a slightly higher price when the time comes. I spoke with 100% confidence, without any hesitation, just like a newcomer to the industry.

We went to submit the documents to the employe. I gave her 1,500 dollars, the price stated, without even negotiating a little (see, it sounds like I'm really experienced). And out of pity, I added another hundred dollars for her, making it 1,600 dollars, because I felt she had lost more money than she received when selling this car. I wasn't trying to show off or anything. Maybe it was because my money was flowing freely at that time, so paying an extra 100 dollars to make someone feel better didn't seem like a big deal. Then we parted ways. She gave me all the car keys she had and went back to her backpacker hostel nearby, while I walked to my new car, started the engine, and drove it onto the road.

At this point, I now had two cars in my possession, so parking was becoming increasingly difficult. I drove my new car (which I will now refer to as the "sleeper car," even though it's not a large sleeper car, but you can actually sleep in it, even two people), I drove the sleeper car back to the mall’s car park, then started the first car (which I will call the "black car") and drove it down to the mall's underground parking lot, hoping to leave it there for a while. At least I thought it would be protected from the sun and rain here. Then I walked out and drove the sleeper car back home to begin the cleaning process.

I took everything out of the car, wiped every nook and cranny with a damp cloth, cleaned the windows inside and out until they were sparkling, and organized everything into categories so it would be easy to find and use. Anything that seemed excessive, I gave to the family at home to reduce the car's weight. I also washed the bedsheets one by one until they were all done. I really enjoyed what I was doing because this was the beginning of what I had long hoped for since I first came to this country. I had seen other foreign travelers doing this and wondered what it would be like to sleep in a car.