Archive for the 'Transportation' Category

No Free Parking

Published
by
AnDeLu
on July 26, 2007
in Life in China and Transportation
. 6 Comments

Over the last few weeks I have quickly adapted to driving in the mayhem of Shenzhen’s traffic scene. I think the two best things so far are being able to listen to the music I like and controlling the a/c! Almost got knicked by a bus the other night but Pei Lin’s shout averted twisted metal. Am certain there will be many more close calls, but hoping my excellent driving skills and quick reaction times will continue to keep them just that, close calls.

When I started driving I was a little scared about parking. The same feelings/anxiety I experienced way back when I moved to Shenzhen when taking a taxi and not knowing where I was going started to surface. Most of my driving has been around areas that I know and feel comfortable with and so far haven’t had any bigger issues then parking farther away then necessary because I didn’t look harder for a parking garage. I did get ticked at our apartment complex because they wouldn’t allow me a monthly pass because we are moving so I had to pay every time entering and leaving. That really irritated me and one day when I parked on the street to run up and get something Pei Lin had a talk with them and I haven’t had to pay by they day since. Not sure what he said but they are saluting stronger and have the gate on its way up when I am approaching. Too bad that won’t last but a few more days. Anyway, the parking anxiety I had feared seemed unjustified and quickly disappeared.

Today, I drove downtown to 10,000 elephants city to have lunch with a friend and former coworker. After eating at a nice Thai restaurant, Jude wanted to see my car and I of course didn’t mind showing it to him! I was going to drop him off at his office and then head back to work. When we got down to the parking gate, I put my card in the machine and had my 5RMB ready to pay but the machine spit it back out. The guard walked over and when he saw me he dipped lower to see if I was alone. When he saw Jude he started talking really fast and indicated it was necessary to pay somewhere else. The guard plopped down a cone behind the car and Jude hopped out and ran somewhere to pay and came back with the validated card. At least there was a second lane and we were inside so there weren’t a lot of gawkers. Jude came back with a validated receipt and headed to work while I went back to my office. If I had been alone I wonder if the guard would have just let me go?? Thanks for the help Jude!

I may be able to get somewhere, I just won’t be able to get out!

Bus BO

Published
by
AnDeLu
on July 8, 2007
in Life in China and Transportation
. 1 Comment

During my first few years living in Shenzhen,  I rarely took public transportation unless I was with some Chinese friends who wanted to take the bus. At the time, the main reason (excuse) for not utilizing the buses was my inability to speak or read Chinese. After living here for a few years I began to note the bus numbers and the routes they took and while still not being able to read Chinese would on occasion take the bus somewhere. Usually paying more in fare then I probably needed, because if I didn’t know the name of place I wanted to go I would say a location of somewhere past it. A few years ago, after I moved from the center of town to further out where many more foreigners live, I started taking the buses more often when I wanted to go downtown and had time to spare.  There was a significant cost savings - the bus cost 8 versus 60 or more for a taxi. An added benefit and also major reason I didn’t mind taking the bus on that route was since it was the beginning of the route one was pretty much guaranteed a seat. Over the last couple of years I have moved an equal number of times, all in the same area. Now, taking the bus to Wal-Mart has became a regular routine as has taking the bus to/from the subway station.

The are only two benefits that I see of taking the bus, cost savings and doing my part to be “green” and contribute to reducing pollution. Must admit the money saved was my primary motivator.

On the other hand, there are many more negatives to taking the bus. It almost always takes longer to get somewhere when taking the bus because they obviously have to take a set route, which usually is on the main and busiest streets.  People talking to one another, half the bus yelling on their mobile phones, the automated attendant announcing the next stop and the guy next to you using his mobile phone as a boombox provide a quaint quiet atmosphere where you can reflect on your day and contemplate how the 3 dollar savings will help you reach your savings goal and that trip to restore your sanity. The actual ride could be viewed as a positive by some, perhaps in their desire for a simulation of a F1 race or off-road Baja. Yes, off road Baja on the city streets is possible. I, however, have experienced an off road race and have no desire to share my F1 experience with 100 other people. You ain’t seen crowded until your standing on an already full bus and 10 more people crowd into every nook and cranny. And that happens, again and again, at the next five stations before some people start to get off. With that many people crammed into a confined space you get odors, lots of odors and not all of them of the flowery or the sprayed on kind.

It couldn’t have been the first time, or maybe it was, but last week I was lucky to board a bus through the middle door and was able to squeeze into a stance in the crowded aisle. Just as the door was closing this very tall Chinese guy squeezed in and took up a position next to me. He was dressed nice and looked like any other typical white collar worker. As the Jeff Gordon wannabe bus driver slammed on the gas, this tall guy grabbed the rail above me, which put his exposed underarm right at my nose level. I am at a loss of words on how to describe the stench other then to say it was eye watering and breathtaking, almost to the point of causing sickness. The next stop couldn’t come fast enough, when it did I pushed my way off and gulped fresh air for several minutes until hailing a taxi home.

Taxi Rage

Published
by
AnDeLu
on June 29, 2007
in Life in China and Transportation
. 2 Comments

Somethings are just idiotic. A prime example is 10,000 of the 10,001 taxis in Shenzhen having their shift change at exactly the same time, 7am and 7pm every day. If you aren’t going in the direction the taxi driver wants to go, so that they can switch drivers, they will flat out refuse to take you as a fare starting around 6pm.

Forget about a little quiet now that the taxi companies are rapidly installing little TVs on the back side of the front seat headrests. Loaded with ads, bootleg copies of Mr. Bean, ABC’s Funniest Home Videos and the Tom and Jerry cartoons these user friendly TVs at least can generate a laugh. Highly doubt they are paying in royalties on these noisemakers though. At least the TV’s can be “muted” which lasts all of 30 seconds if you hit the “Mute” button, but if you hit the rewind or fast forward button they are quiet for about 2 minutes while it figures out which way to go. No quality checks peformed before they were installed and I might even guess they were painted with Lead based paint.

Even louder and an instant headache maker for me are the walky talky type radios the drivers love to talk on. A common occurence is to get into a taxi, either one that has been parked waiting for a fare or one that I flagged as they drive around looking for a victim, and as soon as you shut the door and they pull away they call their fellow driver buddy on their walky talky. These things have this ear screeching 3 beep every time they send or receive. And they are talking about nothing…At least if it was the traffic report or conditions to where we were headed I could tolerate it for a minute or two. But they just yap, yap, yap.

Then the driver’s buddy tells him to listen to the radio so they can talk about the last call, radio gets turned on which only seems to come through the speaker right behind my seat. Since I am sitting in the back, and the driver is in the front, he has to turn up the radio so he can hear it over the beeping and yapping of his friend through the walky talky. At least I can understand a little of the radio talk since it is Mandarin versus the Cantonese conversation of the drivers.

I notice the driver is going a little fast and in the wrong lane to make my street so I tell him to turn at the next intersection. Doesn’t even hear me. I try again, not quite yelling “turn at the next street”. He is too engrossed in debating with his buddy over the walky talky about the radio show to hear me so I yell this time “TURN HERE”. He turns around and says “what”? I practically scream “TURN”. He turns down the radios a little and says the name of my garden with what sounds like a question and I just reply softly “yes”.

As I get out of the taxi, he turns off the radio show and signs off with his buddy on the walky talky. Guess he figures he deserves a little quiet since he had to drive out of his way…

Tomorrow I am going to work until 6 and walk home.

Coming soon: Bus BO and Corolla Cash