Transportation

Barbara and I had decided to take a trip to Zibo to check out the sights. We went to the train station and booked our tickets. We were so proud of ourselves because we got the tickets without to much drama. Later that night Barbara was studying the ticket and rang me to tell me that she thinks that we don't have seats.

The next day we went to see the Chinese teachers who confirmed Barbara's suspicion. Apparently in China once the train is full they still sell tickets but these are standing. This was going to be a long journey. A little over 2 hours standing. Not much we could do about it. Explains why the ticket was only Y29.

So off we headed to the train station on Tuesday. Train left at 2.31 pm. We left our apartments at 1.30 pm. Better to be early than miss the opportunity to stand for 2+ hours!

The train arrived we boarded. We really didn't know where we were supposed to stand. We decided we would stand between two carriages. A couple of moments after the train departed we got a whiff of the bathroom. Barbara said that if she had to stay here any longer she would be sick. I was already covering my nose.

We moved into one of the carriages. There was a seat that no one was sitting on. I told Barbara to sit down. With her best Marcel impersonation she asked if anyone was sitting there. There was really no confirmed answer so she sat. This Chinese boy on the other side of the aisle with English as clear as day said, "Someone is sitting there." Barbara said, "That's OK when they come back I will get up." The Chinese boy started a conversation with us. Before you knew it I had a seat. So basically the whole trip we had seats. We scored well.

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!