Alex's Asian Adventure

Beijing is really polluted. The whole place reeks of smog. It's disgusting and filthy. It's now April, there's no beaming sunshine and stifling heat to make the smog worse. It's just bad already. I was wondering "is that smell me??" but realized it's just the air.

Ugh. No wonder people wear face masks.

The other thing is that the driving is outrageous. If you thought Toronto drivers were aggressive, then you'd find London scary. If you think London is bad enough, Beijing will make you defecate a piece of construction equipment. It's awful.

Today (Friday the 21st), I spent some time in taxis. I think my cabbies nearly killed a dozen or more cyclists, but failed to actually close a deal with any of them. So close... but so far. We also nearly sideswiped, or were sideswiped by, another three dozen or so vehicles. If you don't like something, honk. If the person doesn't react (and they never seem to) flash your lights & keep honking. Whatever happens, just keep driving as you were before. "Buzzing" pedestrians is allowed (although it was scarier in London since it'd happen faster). Cutting off other cars is encouraged. Cutting off a bus merits extra points for style.

On the receiving end of this, it's scary. If you want to cross a road, think twice and try to be in a crowd. If you're in a rickshaw, hold on for dear life. If you're a taxi passenger not used to this madness, you should remember that the guy to your left holds your life in his hands.

The good news is that taxis are very cheap here, and I have zero incentive to learn how to use the Beijing public transit system.