Fun On Two Wheels

Sorry for the delay, but I have come to discover that Chinese censorship also includes a block on this website. My brother seemed to have no issue with this two years ago, but I guess that times have changed, so we'll just have to adapt. So, from now on Papa Trescott will be uploading my entries from back in the US.

So after 53 hours in transit we finally arrived in Beijing! I could spend a long time blabbering about my current disapproval of the airline industry, but it's really not worth it at this point. However, I must share just how in awe I was when checking in at JFK to be issued a boarding pass with my fellow traveler's name on it (he had already checked in and received his own boarding pass with the same name). How is this possible?! I suppose it was good that the TSA lady denied me for having the wrong name, forcing me to wait another 45 minutes in her line after correcting the issue, but come on!!!! Okay, I know I'm boring you at this point, we've all heard enough about the TSA with their full body scanners and whatnot. Time to move on to the fun stuff!

Today I did many things involving vehicles with two wheels that might make my mother cringe, but they would certainly have made her father proud! While in these situations when I briefly stop to think, "What on earth am I doing?!" I like to consider the second part of that statement, rather than the voices of my mother. (Sorry, Mom!)

1) I rode a bike without a helmet.
2) I rode a bike without a helmet through the busy streets of Beijing. Although the university I'm working at is not in central Beijing where I'm sure the traffic is much worse, this is still as good as any Boston traffic plus bikers, more pedestrians, rickshaws, motorbikes, etc.
3) Not only did I ride this bike on the busy streets, but when we came to an intersection (I was following one of our host grad students), his directions were to cross directly through the intersection, one corner to the other. I looked at him in absolute awe. You want me to do what!? But as the light changed, it was like the parting of the Red Sea, allowing us to go right through!
4) I rode on the back of a motorbike driven by a stranger. Well he wasn't quite a stranger, I've known him for a little over an hour, and the second I hopped on he informed me of his recent accident. Nice!
5) I rode on the back of a bicycle driven by my fellow American student. (We're not strangers so really there's no cause for alarm). But oh wait, with one bike, two people, two backpacks, and very little experience in Beijing biking, this made for quite the adventure, and we're already excited for our ride back to campus in the morning!

So there you have it, Mom. Bikes, motorbikes, no helmets, lack of experience, and busy traffic -- the perfect combination! But I have yet to get hit by a bus, so I'd say we're starting off pretty well. We'll just have to see what the future holds!

Betty