Leaving things in taxis

I have 2 stories now of leaving things behind in taxis. You'll have to read more to discover what happens, but both are fun stories.

Story #1

The first time I left something behind was in Beijing, China. I was headed back to Beijing just for one night to catch my flight to Japan, after having already been to Beijing for a week before. I got in a taxi to go to my hostel from the airport, and there was a little TV screen on the headrest of the seat in front of me, bright and in my face. I couldn't turn it off or turn the brightness down so I took my bag and lodged it over the screen so it wasn't blinding me. Anyway, I just got out of the cab without it since it wasn't on the seat where my stuff usually is, and walked up to my hostel. After knocking and waiting for answer, I looked at my stuff and realized my lapse. I looked at David, the owner of the hostel, as he answered the door and told him I left my bag in the taxi as I covered my face in disbelief. He logically asked if it was still there.

Then the gears started turning and I realized that we were in a hutong (alleyway) in Beijing and the taxi couldn't go that fast through it. Even though it had been maybe 2 minutes or so, it might still be in the Hutong! I left everything the care of David and took off running. I round the first corner and see a car far off in the distance. I can't tell if it's a taxi or not, but I continue running. This is a longer alleyway that you might think, so I was running for a good minute or so. I see the car in the distance now waiting at a light for the main street. As I get closer I realize it is a taxi...and probably my taxi! I get closer and closer, and I hope that the light stays red as long as possible, but right before I get there it turns green.

Noooooo!!

The taxi starts moving and I go to a full sprint to catch up with him in the middle of the intersection as he turns left. I banged on the window and got him to pull over so I could take my bag out as I panted. Whew, that was close. I walked back to find David patiently waiting and checked in while I panted the whole time from doing such a long sprint.

There was nothing even that important in the bag except for a camera battery and some earbuds, but it just wouldn't been inconvenient to lose those and the bag.

Story #2

So I'm in Sydney, Australia and I have to catch a 6:15am bus to a surf camp called MojoSurf at Arrawarra Beach, a place they dub Spot X. I take a cab at 6 or so to the central station, and while in the cab I handed my phone to the driver so he could look at the text the bus driver sent me. I must've just put it down on the seat and forgotten about it. It was still raining at 6:10am when we stopped at the station, so I jumped out, grabbed my two backpacks and ran for the covered area on the sidewalk. The taxi drove away pretty quickly, and I realized too late that I didn't have my phone. I ran after it for a few moments, but the cab was going way too fast for that. After searching my bags quickly, I was sure I had left it in the taxi.

Now I'm freaking out, because not only is this phone expensive, it is my only link to the bus I have to catch in 2 minutes and all the other people I've just met and all the other notes I've just written. Even though the taxi is definitely gone, I have a few ideas before I give up. First off, this was a taxi I had the hostel call for me, which means that the taxi company probably knows who they dispatched out to me and I can call them.

Fortunately, I have my iPhone from America, and even though at the time I had no roaming data for it, I had no choice. I pulled that out, got the hostel number, called them. No answer. Then I realized I could just call my phone...of course. But wait, I didn't know my new Aussie number! I had taken a picture of it when I first got my phone, but I switched memory cards a few days back and no longer had that quickly available on my camera. Still rushing as I can imagine the taxi driving farther and farther away, I frantically find the other memory card, pop it in my camera and get my phone number. I call it...it rings...no answer. I'm pretty sure it wasn't on silent. I call again...nothing. I call the hostel back...nothing.

Now that I've exhausted all of my options, I really start to freak out. I think by this time it's after 6:15am, and I haven't really moved from the place where the taxi left me and I have no idea where the bus is supposed to be because all I have is a text (on my lost phone) that says central station.

I now start to try and get ahold of the bus so I can find out where it is and maybe hold them off a bit. I pull out my voucher and call the numbers listed on there...no answer. The guy who's awake and on the bus doesn't have his cell listed on the voucher!

After standing there wondering what I'm to do for a few seconds, I see a bus that says OzExperience on the front, and MojoSurf along the side. Well hot damn that's my bus! I run over to it waving my arms, bang on it a few times, but it passes me by without anyone noticing. Another few seconds of failure pass over me, and I look the other way to see my taxi driver behind the bus with my phone in his hand! I run over and take my phone and give him a hug. That takes a huge weight off my shoulders. He tells me that's my bus. I agree, get my stuff, jump into the cab, and shout what I've always wanted to say after running into a cab, "Follow that bus!" Really I probably want to say follow that car but it's close enough.

Now that I have my phone I realize I've had some missed calls and texts, obviously from the guy on the bus. I call him back.

Me: Hi, it's Dylan.

Ross: Yeaah. You missed the bus.

Me: No, I'm in a taxi following you. All you have to do is stop for a minute and I can jump on. I see you turning left that's you right?

Ross: Yeah, that's us. 

*talking to bus driver or something*

Ok, we'll stop in a few minutes. See you soon.

Almost immediately the bus pulled over in an extra lane, and I jump out of the cab and onto the bus. By the way it's been pouring rain this entire time. I'm soaked, stressed, and I have so many different things in my hands from looking for my phone in the first place still that I'm worried I'm going to lose something else. But finally, I'm on the bus with everything I own (except for a charger I later realized I left at my hostel dorm, recovered later by a friend bringing it to Spot X), and I made it to Spot X that evening with no other problems. Whew.