Mark Hickey wrote:
> dgk <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> >It must be amazing biking around China. Someday I hope to do the same.
> >Enjoy that bike.
>
> You haven't "really" bike commuted until you've done it with a few
> million others. It's a lot like swimming in those big schools of fish
> - the ones that zig and zag all over the place for no discernable
> reason (at least not discernable from any perspective but "inside the
> school"). I really, really enjoyed riding in China as well (though I
> suspect Marian has a lot better riding terrain than I did in the NE
> corner of Beijing).
In Shijiazhuang (three hours south southwest of Beijing) I did the bike
herd. I remember one time on Zhongshan Road waiting through two cycles
of the light because there were so many bicycles.
I kind of like being in the herd. Don't do much herd in Haikou. The
bike lanes are poorly maintained, sporadic, and narrow.
So, I've decided that I'm not a bicycle. I'm a very small
human-powered motorcycle who doesn't accelerate very well, can't go as
far as quickly, can't carry as much cargo, and is frequently prone to
accidental dehydration. I have my excuses in Chinese thoroughly
memorized waiting for the day that one of the traffic cops stops me for
riding in the no-bikes lanes on main arterials or for using overpasses.
One of these days I just know that I'll be sitting at a light and some
guy will walk over and tap me on the shoulder the same way they do
motorcyclists without a helmet or with the wrong license plates. Then
will come the request for ID, the arguments, and the ticket.
-M
