Yesterday Josh and I went to Liaoning Institute of Technology to have lunch with a teacher there. LIT is not far from the medical school, so we decided to take a tuk-tuk. A tuk-tuk is like a pedicab, but it is built on a three-wheeled motor-bike instead of a bicycle. To be honest, they have a different name in Chinese, but I can’t remember what it is. They are called “tuk-tuks” in Thailand. We negotiated with the driver before-hand, and we agreed to pay four-kwai (US $0.50) for the trip.

On the way to LIT, I mentioned to Josh how much I love to travel by tuk-tuk. Some people think they are dangerous, but I think they are a blast!

When we got out of the cab at LIT I handed the driver a ten-kwai bill and held out my hand for change. He mumbled something, and then he ran onto his bike and sped away! I chased him for a couple of meters, but then I realized it was hopeless. This was the first time anything like that had happened to us in China, and I was pretty disappointed. He had stolen more than the value of the whole trip.

We waited around at the gates of LIT for our friend to meet us there. Luckily, she was late. Ten minutes later, the tuk-tuk was back. “Is that the same guy?” asked Josh. I wasn’t sure. Then we saw him looking around for us. I walked over to him, and he pulled six-kwai out of his pocket and gave it to me. The reason he had sped off was to get change! He must have told me so in the beginning, but I couldn’t understand him!

It was really wonderful. My faith in humanity, and especially in tuk-tuk drivers, was restored.