Leaving China

We took a sleeper train from Hainan and ended up in Shenzhen. This had been designated our shopping day! So first we went to the biggest mall in Asia! We had all of our stuff with us and didn't want to carry it around, so we took turns rotating who hung out at KFC with all the stuff while everyone else went shopping. I don't think anyone bought anything, so we journeyed on to another mall--this one selling only knock-offs. There were HiPhones and fake designer bags--and very pushy employees! A woman followed me out of the store bugging me about buying this bag, and I started just talking to Bethany and Matt and she still wouldn't leave me alone. I am not one for buying knock offs, so I didn't buy a thing.

The tragedy of China occured en route to this second mall. We were on a train enjoying listening to our respective iPods. We get off the train and it is super crowded as we try to make our way through the turnstyles to get out of the station. Matt somehow made his way through and Bethany and I are stuck behind these people who don't know how to use the turnstyles. I look down and see a guy standing behind Bethany holding iPod headphones. I immediately ask Bethany if her iPod is still in her bag, and by the time she realizes it is gone, the thief is gone, too. He ran out of there and somehow made it out while we were still stuck. We started yelling at Matt, but there were hundreds of people around and it was a lost cause. I was super annoyed because my inclination was to just grab the headphones and tackle the guy or something, but I thought perhaps I should check with Bethany and make sure it really was her iPod.

Here are Bethany and Matt hours before Bethany's iPhone was stolen. It was so sad!!! A little damper to the end of our China trip. But sadly it just got worse from here...and more expensive...