Please note that this was written several weeks ago and I am just now getting the chance to post it. I have since changed apartments and no longer have the wonderful sights I am about to describe. But I do have similar sights, to fill later posts.
People watching is fun. A cheap form of entertainment, unless of course you are watching at Disneyland. Then it becomes an expensive form of entertainment. I have discovered the perfect spot for people watching. My bedroom window at the apartment I am currently staying at overlooks the street below. And since it is on the second floor, I am high up enough that I can see a good bit and low enough that I can still see the people.
My street is by no means a busy street, but there is a steady stream of traffic. What do I see?
Cars and more cars. Many are taxis, but more and more are private owned. Most cars are Asian makes, with a few Russians thrown in since we are so close to the border. I have also seen some really nice looking Mercedes and Volkswagons go by. To date, there has also been one Ford and one Chevy. Seeing those brought a smile to my face.
Motorcycles. Most of these two wheeled motorized contraptions would probably not be called motorcycles by enthusiasts in the States. Mopeds are probably the technical term. The few real motorcycles I have seen makes me want to intoduce the Harley to the streets of Hailar. I can just see a Hog rolling down these streets. The part I would love to see the most would be the pedestrian reaction. Unfortunately, the speed of traffic here (considerably slower than America) would probably annoy any true Hog and they would just roar through and leave the entire city wondering if the alien invaders had passed them by.
Bicycles. China is the land of bikes. Unlike India which seems to be in a competition of who can put the most people and/or stuff on one vehicle, China has sensibly adopted the one rule. One bicycler can have one passenger. This passenger does not perch precariously on the handlebars like we did as children. Instead, all bikes have a short little seat over the rear wheel on which to perch precariously on the back. Most people ride sidesaddle, as it were, but I have seen a few adventurous and younger souls hanging on astride the narrow seat, most of which are padded with a thin foam. Children like to play the balance game, but girlfriends will use the opportunity to hold their boyfriends. No one falls off though, at least that I have seen. I did see a mom yesterday attempting to teach her son how to balance. He looked to be about two, almost past the size for the little children’s baskets that take the place of the rear seat on some bikes in America. He didn’t seem to thrilled at the idea.
Bikeshaws. I am not sure what the official name for these contraptions is but it is as if someone chopped off the handlbars and front wheel of a bicycle and attached replaced it with a front loaded, two-wheeled cart. It is sort of like a backwards rickshaw, though never for people, at least not that I have seen. They carry everything from garbage to vegetables. Some wander slowly through the neighborhoods, calling Ping-no at various intervals. No, that is probably not what they are saying, but that is what it sounds like. I asked what they were saying. The answer was “I think they are selling ice cream.” When I commented that it didn’t look like there was ice cream in the cart, the only answer was a shrug. So I don’t feel to bad about not knowing what they do.
Pedestrians. Many people walk everywhere. And in a smaller town like here, that is perfectly possible. Most women wear heels of some kind. The practical part of me wonders how they do not trip and fall on the bumpy tile-like sidewalks.
For a side note on all traffic, I have noticed that umbrellas and facemasks are in vogue. Umbrellas to keep the sun off. Lighter skin is considered more beautiful. (If this is truly the case, my legs should have about the same value as Helen of Troy’s face, not that I am eager to start any sort of violence. Besides, Paris was an idiot.) I am not really certain what the facemasks are for, but I think they are to keep the wearer from breathing in pollution. Most of the facemasks are made of cloth and some have eyelet lace designs. Women ridding bikes also wear these, although a standard variation is a gauze scarf drapped or tied over the face. My American mind is much confused on this one.
The rest of the traffic is made of a various buses for public transportation, a donkey cart or two (they assist with the sewage and garbage disposal process) and a couple of kids on rollerblades. Navigating traffic is a lifesized game of rock, paper, scissors. Bus beats car beats motorcycle beats bike beats ped, with the ped not beating anyone. Anyone higher up on the vehicle food chain isnt going to move out of the way. Not the mad house or cacophany of sounds that Indian traffic is, but all in all it makes for an entertaining scene.
My new apartment is on the sixth floor and does not have a street below. I am excited to move in, but will have to locate a new form of entertainment. Perhaps I will go downstairs and outside and talk to my neighbors. They probably won’t understand me, but that hasn’t stopped me yet. Don’t worry, I still only say good things about you.
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