An encounter with a taxi in Hurghada by the Red Sea in Egypt

Staying at a resort by the Red Sea in Egypt, it was about 15 kilometers away from the HURGHADA city center. We left the hotel to take a taxi to the city center, wanting to eat some seafood. As we walked to the roadside outside the hotel, we saw a taxi. Just as we greeted the driver, we were stopped by local strongmen who wouldn't let us take the taxi and wanted us to negotiate a price with their unlicensed car. We ignored them completely and kept walking forward. After walking for about half a station, the taxi finally caught up with us, but also refused to use the meter and asked for 200 Egyptian pounds, which is about forty to fifty yuan. We had looked at the travel tips beforehand; taking an Uber to Hurghada would only cost 100 Egyptian pounds, but after much hassle, we realized we had forgotten our foreign Uber account details (we must retrieve it when we get back). The driver seemed amiable enough, always smiling, so we just accepted being gently ripped off. The driver took out his phone to translate into Chinese, saying he was willing to wait for us at the same place at eight o'clock in the evening to take us back to the resort. Not wanting to look for another driver to bargain with and considering the safety at night, we agreed. On the way back, I smiled and told him that his fare was actually quite expensive, to which the driver just smiled without a word. Hurghada, Red Sea Governorate