Bladerunner
Trip Start
Jun 26, 2005
1
43
Trip End
Sep 14, 2005
Dongguan,
China
Friday, July 1, 2005
I was sitting on a bus, intermittently distracted by sending and receiving farewell text messages. People came and went and not a hint of a problem crossed my mind. I'd heard the stories about gangs of pickpockets and bag slashers, and thought I knew what to look for. I was keeping a careful eye on my big backpack which the conductor had insisted I leave in the luggage area near the door whilst ushering me towards a seat.
Later in the journey, I felt a cool draught on my leg. The strange thing was that this draught was roughly at the top of my hamstring. I put my hand in my trouser pocket to rub my leg and the pocket came out of the trousers. I couldn't understand it, until I realised the side of the thigh of my trousers was torn. Sitting on public transport with your underwear hanging out is a bit embarrassing so I untucked my t-shirt and waited to get a look at what had happened. When I got to the hotel I found 5 cuts in my cotton combat trousers: One 8 cm long running along my thigh, 2 short ones at either end of this one, one along the bottom seam of my inside back pocket, and a 1 cm nick in the top of my wallet to allow for the few notes that were in it to be removed. I'd had my wallet picked whilst it was in an inside pocket and I'd been sitting on it.
Whatever it was had been very sharp and would have made an almighty mess of my hand had I inadvertently moved it in that direction. The blade work was a thing of great accuracy, precision, and skill. Almost admirable. I've kept the still usable wallet as a reminder.
I feel a bit stupid to be honest. The thing I'm most irritated at is that other passengers sitting behind me must have seen what was happening, and also the suspicion that the bus conductor was involved when she insisted I sit down. The lesson is, be careful, but most of us are. The more crucial thing is that you can't trust the people who aren't the criminals and that's sad.
Comments
Dongguan
Robert:
I almost can not believe that you have experience at Dongguan. Though that Dongguan is not safe is a well-known commonplace. But, I have never experienced.
But many of my friends and colleagues have such encounters.
The key point is you do have to be careful.
And I give the sympathy to you as a foreigner and how can that affected the impression of China at your eyes.
Meanwhile, you are good at observe and have a good sense to see that sad side of it.