It was going to happen once while in China. As a first time traveler on my own, I was bound to get ripped off. It was abundantly clear the second I left the train and went through Hong Kong customs that I was back in China. Unlike Shanghai, however, no one spoke much English at all. Also, I had not properly done my research about how to get to the airport and where to maybe grab some food. I was carrying around a large piece of luggage (yes, I overpacked) and I looked confused. Perfect target. A cab driver came running up to me. I figured a cab might be easier than trying to figure out the busses. I had arrived in Shenzhen about five hours before my flight was going to leave. I thought I’d grab dinner somewhere near the airport and then head over there to avoid the fast food trap of the airport.
The cab driver asked a cop to assure me that he was in fact a cab driver. The cop nodded and said it’s okay. This guy agreed to take me to an ATM and then Bao’an where I could get some food, supposedly near the airport. The second we got to his car, I realized it was a “private cab” which means no meter and therefore, they charge you whatever they want and it was a bit nerve-wracking. He already grabbed my luggage and tossed it in the back and I didn’t know how to back out. We stopped about ¼ mile from the train station at an ATM. I asked for my luggage because I needed to grab something from it. I went inside with all my things and when I came back out, I told him I was just going to look around this area. He kept following me until I would give him 50 Yuan (about $8 USD). This is quite a lot. To put it in perspective, the bus that eventually took me to the airport only cost 20 Yuan. To feel safe, I just gave him the money and walked away. I tried to get another legit cab to take me to Bao’An but they had no idea what I was asking. They all spoke Cantonese and I was attempting to communicate in terrible Mandarin.
Finally, as I was almost going to cry, a nice man who spoke a little English asked where I was going, and after 45 minutes of this craziness, I decided to just head to the airport early. So, he walked me back to the train terminal where I could take an airport shuttle. This was not a short walk and I was weary after all this other stuff. He chatted with me as best he could and I tried a little Mandarin with him. He got me on the right bus and was very friendly. I still don’t know what he was doing walking around town but he got me to the right place. I wish I knew his name, I cannot thank him enough. The kindness of this stranger may have prevented me from making other dangerous mistakes.