Wednesday, March 02, 2005

"it's a sledgehammer"

i bought a bicycle today. it's pretty sweet. with a basket and everything. now i can tool around the city with impunity, saving valuable time and money since i don't have to ride the bus much anymore (the bus costs about 25 cents). of course, that also means i can end up far away from school when it starts raining, and not have any choice but to ride back in the rain. like today. my bike has this really cool lock that is permenently attached right over the rear wheel. it's hard to explain, but it's awesome and i'm gonna buy one just to bring back to the states. chinese mass bicycle transist technology is far better than in the states, and as far as i'm concerned is a direct threat to our national security. we must close the bicycle gap!

perhaps the most bizaare thing i've seen in china so far, or at least in hangzhou, are the street watering trucks. perhaps they're purpose is to clean the street, maybe to perserve the asphalt, i really don't know, i don't work here. all they seem to do is make the street wet. these big tanker trucks come barrelling down the center of the road, spraying water out the bottom all along the sides. but that's not the strangest part yet: they play ice-cream truck music. so just remember, if you're ever in hangzhou and hear tingling bells on the street, don't come out expecting a cool, creamy summer treat. instead, run away, because like everything else on the road in china, these merry sounding trucks will run you down with a vengence. or at least get you really wet.

p.s. special thanks to duc, cc, and michael for the e-mails.

1 comment:

a said...

Sweet bike, man. However, with six bikes per person, Davis has already closed the bicycle gap.

My guess about the water trucks is seeing that kids shit in the street, the trucks are probably for sanitation to prevent the spread of cholera and other such diseases.