Taxi Driver or Potential Kidnapper?
Solo travel has its perks — flexibility, waking up to your own schedule, or even playing a completely different persona without judgement, because heck, nobody knows you. And then there are the cons — not being able to share accommodation costs, looking vulnerable, etc.
It was my second week abroad on my long term solo adventure, I walked in sheepishly to a run down restaurant in the outskirts of Kyrgyzstan recommended by tripadvisor. I’m usually never one for planning my meals off the best places in a touristic app, but when you don’t know their language, you aren’t left with much of a choice.
The restaurant was empty. I had to do a double take at my google maps to ensure that I was at the right place. Maybe it was just off season? Or way past dinner time? Either way, I had spent 30minutes walking here so there was no way I was leaving.
“Are you open?” I asked, gesturing awkwardly at the waitress hoping that she could understand me. I can’t remember if i just sat myself down on one of the tables, or she had brought me to one but i made it, at least, to the table. Upon 2 minutes of trying to figure out the menu with my google translate app, a man looking in his late 20s, sat himself in front of me, trying to introduce himself in broken english.
“Can you recommend me something?” I said, glimmering with hope that a local might save me the trouble of ordering something terrible.
“This! No good! I you, another place! Good!” He exclaimed, but of course not exactly in that sentence but you get the gist of it.
In my mind, i was conflicted. Singaporean me would never go off with a stranger alone, and it’s not because i’m terrified but because I wouldn’t want to put myself in a situation where I would have to make awkward shallow conversations. But i was overseas. I wanted to do something out of the whim, I wanted to say yes to this guy.
He brought me to a bar. I was skeptical initially but he turned out to be a nice guy. Honestly, I couldn’t remember much of the conversation that night cause I’ve probably spent 90% of the time trying to understand what he was telling me while we exchanged conversations through an app. Google translate, you lifesaver.
We had 7 rounds of vodka shots each, and he told me to marry him.
“Don’t be crazy, i barely know you” I laughed. The thing about Central Asia guys or Turkish guys — for that matter, is that they love to propose to you. I’ve been proposed to by a Turkish guy that i met for only 10minutes, another one 2 days after we got together, and one from a friend, though, as a joke. ha ha ha, insane.
He was charming for sure, but I’m pretty sure he was more interested in my passport. Who wouldn’t want Singapore citizenship? laughs in privilege
I staggered home slightly tipsy that night, and my hostel ended up being almost 4km away. 10 minutes into the walk, at the corner of my eye i could see a car moving very slowly, almost behind me.
Call it gut feeling or whatever but I felt like a car was following me.
To make sure, I stopped to look at my phone to see if the car would continue on its way. It didn’t. Whenever I stopped in my tracks, the car would stop with me.
Completely terrified, I video called my friend. If i was going to die, someone had to know, right? Luckily, it was only slightly after midnight and there were still people around. This tailing went on for a good hour. At some point I even stood behind a bus billboard, hoping that the car would just move on. He eventually did. He drove about 50metres ahead, stopped, stepped out of the car and took out a portable taxi sign. What. The. F*(???)
I would probably never know if he was an actual genuine taxi driver, or a potential kidnapper, but boy, was I glad to make it back to my hostel alive that night. A friend of mine told me that he might have used the taxi sign after to get rid of my suspicions because why would he follow me for more than an hour? If I wanted a cab, i would’ve flagged for one. The whole situation just seemed very sus.
As my favourite crime podcast, Crime Junkie would always say —
Be Weird. Be Rude. Stay Alive.
Travel safe! ❤
