I just got screwed.

I made the classic first-time-to-China-and-I-have-no-idea-where-my-hotel-is-so-I’ll-believe-the-taxi-driver mistake. Since I wasn’t sure where my hotel was, how to get there, or what to pay to get there, I trusted the taxi mob (even though I felt like I was about to get screwed). And sure enough, I way overpaid. Leaving me pretty miffed.

But consider the transaction from the point of view of the taxi drivers. White guy, clearly American, and looking rather dazed from 20 hours of traveling. Chances are, this is a rare trip for me to China. And they are right. I’ll probably never come back to Guangzhou, China after this trip. So why not get every penny they can from me in this one transaction? It’s not as if they are building a brand or relationship. They are a one time service provider.