Transportation

Basically we had our driver from 9 - 5 on Wednesday and Thursday.

We walked to most places when we didn't have the driver and normally caught a taxi home.

On our last night we caught a taxi from dinner back to the hotel. The hotel was on the inbound side and we were coming from outbound. The hotel was on a 4 lane road with a traffic island in the middle. I was sitting in the front of the taxi when the taxi driver decided instead of going around the block that he would drive into incoming traffic. All I could see where headlights coming at me. I thought we were going to die!

We had decided we would leave the apartments at 9 am on Saturday morning. We would catch a taxi up to the long distance bus station. Although this is a short distance from the apartments it appears that the others would rather catch a cab up with their luggage.

At the bus station we bought our tickets and were escorted to our bus. The bus cost Y22 and takes 1.5 hours and leaves every 30 minutes.

The bus is really a coach. It is quite comfortable with lots of leg room and air conditioned. On the way to Jinan the trip was pleasant enough except for the man who sat in front of us snoring all the way there. When we arrived I woke him up.

The bus trip home was rather boisterous. Some Chinese men got on the bus who had been on the soup all day, from the smell of them. They wanted to sit next to us. We moved them on. They wanted to take photos of us. Which we avoided. They had to ask the driver for a toilet stop.

One of the most frustrating things is there is little information in English to guide travellers. It alarms me even with the Olympic Games about to start in a little over 5 weeks.

Even asking a local they cannot give you directions. The response would be something like this, "I think you go and catch no 2 bus and then a no 4 Bus." If you ask where to get off or on they can't tell you!

You really need to experience the traffic to believe it. Today I walked to the gym which is a 20 minute walk. After the gym I went to the supermarket and because I had cold stuff I caught a taxi home.

Taxi's are very easy to find and catch. You simply walk out onto the main road and look for a taxi with a red light on the windscreen and stick your hand out.

In the taxi I get with a friendly, "Ni hao" and tell the driver where I want to go in Chinese. After 4 attempts I hand over the school business card. He repeats exactly what I said. Well I thought it sounded the same anyway.

I have caught many a taxi in China. Today's driver I think would have been in his early 20's and started talking Chinese to me and I start talking back to him in English. I think this made him nervous. A foreigner in the front seat speaking English.

He took me on the fast route home! Beeping his horn as we swerved in and out of cars, buses, pedestrians, cyclists, donkeys you name it is was on the road. We get to this roundabout that I don't particular like at any time as you have all forms of transport coming at you from all different directions and he decides to take on a bus. I hold my breath and close my eyes!

OK so the bus didn't hit us, however as we got to the middle of the roundabout there were 4 men on a Sunday stroll. I thought we were going to take them out. Fortunately they are still alive and unaware of my heart palpation's!

We are now on the main stretch home and he drove like a maniac onto the wrong side of the road over the double lines with his hand on the horn into oncoming traffic. As we approached the school he swung across two lanes of traffic in to the school gate.

I wasn't sure if my legs were shaking from the ride or whether it was lactic acid build up from the gym. I walked up to my apartment and had a lie down. Thinking to myself I was lucky to be alive!

But after all this is China!

Trains
We caught the fast train from Taishan to Sifang at the cost of Y142 ($23 AUD). The train is clean, comfortable and non smoking. Train tickets can be purchased ten days in advance from the departure city and five days on any stops in between.
We could have taken the all stops train which costs Y34 ($5 AUD) but this train takes 5 hours and is not as clean and comfortable as the fast train.

Taxis
Are very convenient and we used them to go anywhere we couldn't walk to. The flag fall is a little more expensive than Tai'an at Y7 for the first 3KM and then Y1.50 per kilometer after that. You also need to add an extra Y1 to the meter at your destination. Luxury taxis charge a minimum of Y10 within 3 Km and Y1.7/km after that. An extra Y0.4 /km is charged after 10 pm until 5 am.
Taxis are easy to get. Just walk out on to a main street and flag one down. They are impossible to catch during peak hour or on a public holiday. If they don't want to take you to your destination they will just tell you to get out.
The day of my birthday we flagged down a taxi to take us to the spa. At the same time a bus was stopping. The taxi driver was female and had attitude. She's upped the bus driver. I figure the bus is bigger it can go first. We get into the taxi and I show her were we want to go. She puts the metal to the floor and takes off. She squeezes the taxi between two buses. At this stage I decide it is much safer for me to look out the window instead of the windscreen.

Bus
Bus travel is also convenient and most needs can be catered for by the bus 6 Route, however expect to stand because the buses are crowded. Over crowded in fact. Y1 is charged for non-air conditioned bused and Y2 for air conditioned ones.
On May 1 we couldn't get a taxi, Barbara & I were happy to walk, however we had Kwin and Lupy with us and they don't like walking. In fact Chinese find westerners decadent with catching taxi's but are not prepared to walk anywhere! Anyway we caught a bus. Talk about overcrowded. Kwin asked me what buses were like in Australia. I advised buses around the world are all the same but there is no way we would jam this many people on the bus. There was nothing to hold on to. You were packed upright and that was the only thing that stopped you from falling. I think I would rather be in the scary taxi then on the bus.