So Tempted to Call the Cops!

[Ms. Cecilia Lowe]

Hey, ladies, I just arrived in Hangzhou and would like to remind everyone, particularly those travelling alone!

I arrived in Hangzhou yesterday noon, with the entire journey taking approximately seven hours.

• First, I visited Lingyin Temple (one of China's most famous Buddhist temples! It is very spiritually vibrant).
  • In front of the main hall of the temple, there is a large incense burner where many people hold a "eighteen-seed" bracelet (a popular type of prayer beads believed to bring good luck) and pray by circling it around the smoke. The place was crowded, but at first, nothing seemed amiss.
  • ️ The first unpleasant experience:
    • Suddenly, a thirty-ish man with dark skin and medium build deliberately stuck his arm under my chest while standing close to me.
    • His arm tightly against my chest and shoulders, as he slowly played with the incense burner and smiled at me.
    • Although many people urged us to move on to avoid traffic jam, he still lingered and smiled at me.
    • After being urged multiple times, he finally left, but looked back at me before leaving, with an unsettling look.
• Then, I took bus number 1314 to get to Southern Song Imperial Street (an ancient-styled commercial street that attracts many tourists).
  • The bus was packed too. I was standing near the back door, facing the aisle.
  • ️ The second unpleasant experience:
    • A 30-year-old-ish man got off the bus. His right hand held what appeared like his wife, while his left hand reached out and brushed against my inner thigh!
    • Shocked, I stared at him as he showed me a smile similar to that of the man at the incense burner.

Why didn't I make a big fuss about it then?

• Firstly, I hadn’t reacted quickly enough due to the lack of prior experience encountering this kind of incident, leading to confusion and questioning whether I was overthinking things.
• Secondly, without direct evidence, I feared he might turn the blame back on me, claiming that I was accusing him falsely. Any confrontation could possibly turn into nothing in the end yet giving him satisfaction instead of dealing with the wrong.

My emotions truly hit rock bottom that night, tossing and turning unable to sleep.

Hope you will take safety measures when traveling abroad, especially in crowded locations:

• Keep vigilant: Especially watch out for anyone leaning closer or making unnecessary physical contact.
• Create more space: If possible, maintain a certain distance from strangers.
• Immediate reaction: If you feel something is not right, loudly sternly reproach the person or leave the scene; seek help if necessary.

Wish everybody travels safely and never encounters disgusting things like that!