Saturday, November 24, 2007
Something prompt me to write this blog when I went for dinner - fake beggar.
On this walkway to the train station, I saw this young chap sitting on a skate board and decently dressed with a converse star hood and left ear have a stub. In front of him is a cart board with a marker and on it writes "急于无奈需要28RMB回杭州". To translate it means "desperate by circumstance, need 28rmb to get back to Hangzhou". Heard many stories of fake beggar most of time I ignored them.
Now on the opposite direction got one lady who passed by and have a look at the cart board. By then I have past that punk but turned back to see if the lady decides to donate to him. And probably out of sympathy, I saw her taking out 30rmb and pass to the young punk. That youngster took the money and subsequently fold the card board into half and took with him the skate board and begin to walk away.
Now I was curious if this is a case of fake or genuine attempt to borrow money. Thus I decided to slow down my pace and tailed behind him to see what's his next step. He walked from corridor A to corridor B where the ticketing machine is and get into the queue to buy a ticket. Seeing this, I went to top up my card, since my queue is shorter than his and that it looks real enough. On my turn with the counter person, I saw him walking away from his queue which I thought he had bought a ticket and going to get onto the train platform.
Instead of going into the train ticketing gantry, he walk in the main corridor. Seeing this I decided to tail him to observe some more. In my thought, I thought maybe this line isn't the right train line to get home, or maybe he went up to take bus. As the corridor was crowded, I missed him at a turn-about. And so I thought maybe time for me to go for my dinner, but since I am at the cross-way back to the original begging pavement, I decided to take a peek into that pavement.
Alas, it was disappointing. He went back to the same spot, cart board folded out again and sitted there to wait for another kind soul for donation. And so it proved one theory - most beggars in S Shanghai city are likely to be fake. Enough of him thereafter I went for an hour dinner and going back, since I have to walk past that corridor, I take note to see if he is there. This time, I thought of taking a photo of him to put onto my blog, but at that moment decided not. When I begin to leave, I saw him like starting to pack up, I think he probably remembered me as I hover around his spot on the second time for a while. After chatting MSN online with Lorinda, it occurred to me that his scene of buying ticket is an act as likely he has sensed that I am observing him. At the moment when I am busy with the top up counter, he made his sneak away! You might say I maybe having this petty thought but after putting things together, it somehow seems to be the case!
There is one more fake act which I heard from my colleague, think I shall leave it for my future blog such that I have stories to write.
P.I. SY!
Wow u can part-time as detective!
I also had similar experience in here, this India at the interchange asking for money to take bus or cab, I gave - confirm enough for full bus ride even if he travel from one end of SG to the other, he took and immediate when to "attack" another lady. From day onwards, I dun give to these ppl.
This is really sad. Can't we trust anyone these days? Sigh.
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