Taxi!!

Since being in China I have almost died several times. Literally. I don't like to add drama to my life or exaggerate a situation - my friends can vouch for that. I feel an explanation is needed.

Despite rumors that China is catching up to the west and that its economy will indeed take over that of the USA very soon, I've come to the conclusion that China is a third world country. There have many things that have lead me to this conclusion, but for the purposes of this discussion i'm going to stick to the state of the roads. If you've ever been to a third world country, you'll know that things like lanes and driving on the left are more of a guideline than a rule. With China always wanting to make a good impression, if not one of superiority, I would have thought their roads better. I was quickly [and thoroughly] disabused.

I got a taxi from the airport to my flat, as stated in a previous post. What I did not state [I was saving it up for a big occasion] was my experience within this taxi. First of all I reached for my seatbelt, as one usually does when entering a vehicle. My first hint should have been the fact that said seatbelt was dusty and stiff from disuse. However, I persevered in pulling it out, only to find there was no fastener. The driver certainly did not make a move for his seatbelt.

Now, this state of affairs would have been manageable, if not so comfortable, had my driver not proceeded to drive like a madman. I'm talking, wondering if I remembered to write down my insurance number in my diary scared. Of course, we were driving at top speed, but into the back end of a queue of traffic, narrowly missing cars turning into side roads. Also, just for future reference, lanes are just guidelines. A road with 3 lane dividers on either side (a typical amount) can easily have 6 or 7 lanes of cars. I'm surprised that they even bother sticking to their side of the road. Although having said that,it isn't uncommon to drive at full speed into oncoming traffic for about 500m before swerving harshly back into your own lane, to get a little ahead of a snaking queue of traffic.

And horns are used liberally here, which is nice. They go well with the screeching of tyres and the near death experience of everyday civilians. Well, I suppose there's more than one method of population control... People just ignore the horning, which is unsurprising as people seem to do it for no apparent reason, other than being taken aback at having to share the road with someone else.

People cross the roads just as crazily too - zebra crossings, though well respected landmarks in the British Isles, are more than ignored here by drivers and pedestrians alike. And so, crossing the road is a struggle for survival. One that I pay close attention to now, as I was recently informed that the penalty for running someone over is more than for just killing them. So 'manslaughter' isn't that uncommon then.....

I just thought I'd write this little piece just in case you ever visit china and wonder wtf is going on, or if you find out that I've died in a road accident, so you wont be too shocked. Tbh, in a country where shouting 'taxi' is more to warn someone of impending doom than to hail a cab, I'll be surprised if i last the year.....

Questions & Comments -_- Xx