transpotation

How one moves about in China is a treat and a challenge. Before we left the States I applied for an international drivers license. All the countries that it was valid in were listed on the back of the license, China was not on the list. After just a few hours of being on Chinese streets I thought that the reason China was not on the list is because no one in China has a drivers license. I'm sure that is not true but it seems like it.
On the streets the order of the day is "flowing chaos". The first thing one learns is the hierarchy of the streets (this includes sidewalks), and pedestrians are at the bottom of this hierarchy. Big buses are at the top of the pecking order, followed by smaller buses, three-wheeled trucks (pick-up style), taxis and private autos are next with motorized three-wheeled tuk-tuks and motor scooters next. Bicycle and pedestrians must yield to all. Traffic rules do not apply. As a general rule you move foreword on the right side of the road but this is only generally followed. If the street should become too crowded and your horn does not get traffic in front of you moving you can always drive up onto the sidewalk. Right and left turns are done when there is space and you never wait for anyone or anything, if there is a space in front of you you fill it.Honking lets people in front of you know you are about to pass them or move out of the way. A trip down the street goes something like this...rabbit start, weave, horn, hard brake, repeat to destination.
The city we mostly have used as our base is a walled city. Within the walls I have never seen a large truck (like a semi or bobtail). It seems like the large trucks bring commerce into a distribution center on the edge of town then small vehicles like small pick-ups and especially three-wheeled bicycles load up (I've seen 6 t.v.'s on the back of a bicycle) and come into town to deliver their goods.
I have not seen a gas station inside the city wall either. Motor-scooters make up about 20% of the vehicles in the city and a higher percentage in the countryside. Most of these scooters are electric powered. Quiet and less polluting. Private cars make up only about 10% of the vehicles that I see. Most rich people have chosen to drive black cars I've seen several Buick's, no chevy or fords.
We just bought our first train ticket today, a 10 hour trip to the city of Tia Shan 124 yuan (about 16$). The bus trip the other day was 79km, two people, 10$. It was air conditioned and had a t.v. on that showed a music video of hundreds of Chinese people doing their version of a Bollywood dance. Hmmmmmmm you had to be there.

more later
boomboom