Something Happened On The Way Home From The U Center

Their are two things that you can be sure of in Beijing. Traffic and shopping malls. The shopping malls are pretty cool and so is the traffic. (at least I think it is, but Melody doesn't) The malls have almost everything you could want or need and the traffic .... well it's just cool! It's really cool if your on a bike. I mean I can get on my bike and ride from home to work and beat the bus and I love it. About the only thing you can't beat is the taxis. Those guys are awesome ..... and absolutely crazy! We had a driver the other day that was the best one we've had since we've been here. It was raining so we couldn't ride the bikes and the traffic was backed way up because no one else could ride their bikes either. He drove down the bike lane, made a right turn drove the bike again got to the place where we needed to make a left but the intersection was all jammed up with ... well ... traffic. He slowly pushed, wiggled and maneuvered his way across the intersection then did a 180 degree turn to the right and started to go back across the other way. He then did a 90 degree turn to the left and ended up on another bike lane going the wrong way. Lets just say I was sitting in front and was loving every minute of it, Melody was in the back not saying a word and he got us to work in record time. Oh Yeah!!!

   Well today Melody and I spent the day riding the subway, doing a little shopping, and seeing parts Beijing that we hadn't seen yet. When all was said and done we stopped at the U Center in Wudaokuo right near where we work because we were a little tired and needed something to keep us going. This was  about four o'clock and today was a work day. When we came out of the U Center it was about 6:30pm and rush hour. The intersection out in front of the mall (U Center) was jammed up with ....  you guessed it ... traffic. We had all our stuff from the shopping and it was pretty heavy so we needed to get a taxi. At this point I learned that its really easy to get a taxi in the middle of a traffic jam. There were at least three of them stuck in the traffic jam just waiting for us to jump in it doesn't matter if they want to take you or not because ... well ...  where are they going to go.
 
   So I found a taxi and we jumped in. Then I realized something else. Where were we going to go? We wanted to go home and knew how to get there, but we were still in the middle of a traffic jam. We spoke to taxi driver and told him where we wanted to go and he just looked at us. I think he knew where we wanted to go, but ... we were in the middle of a traffic jam. Where were we going to go?
 
   So we sat there. After a while the traffic would move a little and then we just sat. After a little while longer we had moved up enough into the intersection so that we could see the middle of it. And what to my wondering eyes would appear, but a one lonely cop standing in the middle using all the leadership he could muster to direct the traffic with all the fiber of his being . And he looked good doing it. He was waving his arms, yelling at people when they needed it, he was the man with the badge and he was doing his job well. Just not well enough.
 
Nobody was paying the slightest attention to him. He would hold his hand up and tell people to stop and they stopped. But, when he turned around to wave others on, the ones whom he told to stop just maneuvered around him and then .... well .... Where were they going to go? They were stuck in the middle of a traffic jam.  It was utter hysterical.

    The good thing is the taxi driver was a good guy and he really tried to get us home as soon as he could.
 

   Well, the last thing I need to say is Happy birthday Ayden. Grammy and I miss you so much it hurts lots.
We hope you had a great birthday party and that you love your presents. I hope you thanked everyone for all the goods things you got. We love you Buddy boy!! Be good!

Lost In Translation .... At Wal-Mart

Beijing is eastern. Beijing is western. It's old. It's new. It's past. It's present. It has old street vendors, fruit carts, bicycles, hutongs (alleyways), temples and small out of the way shops and restaurants. It's new high-rises, railroads and subways, buses and cabs, large expressways, malls and other superstores.

Yes, it's true, Wal-Mart has made it to Beijing, China.

The Wal-Mart here has a very strange feel to it. After all it's a Wal-Mart in the middle of Beijing, China. When you get off the subway there is a sign that tells you which way to go to get to the Wal-Mart. There's the big traditional Wal-Mart sign on the store itself and the same old carts with the Wal-Mart logo. However, its the inside that really is weird. It's not American, or Chinese, or European, or anything. It's kind of all these wrap up in one. There are American products, Chinese products, European products, etc... Well, wait minute. Maybe, in that regard, it really is American. But the layout is definitely not what one would expect for a Wal-Mart. It's actually 3 floors. Groceries are on the bottom floor, clothes and health and beauty products, household items, cleaners, etc... are on the 2nd floor and electronics are on the 3rd floor. Everything is not spread out like in the U.S.. It's more compact. The isles are not as wide and every time I've been in there, they're restocking shelves so everything is in the already cramped isles. Add to this the mass of people that come through the doors every day (in many cases pushing and shoving) and you begin to get a picture of what I'm talking about.

Yesterday I decided to go to Wal-Mart. We needed some things so I got on my bike, fought the traffic, and within about 45mins I was off my bike and heading into the store.

Before I go any further I guess I should mention a little about the traffic here. Any kind of traffic sign or light, whether it is on the road, on a sign post or just simply hanging from the sky, is merely a suggestion. Drivers see the stop light and say to themselves,

"Let's see. I know the light is telling me to stop, BBUUTTT ..... If I cut across these 10 lanes of traffic, nearly sideswiping 30 or 40 cars and 2 buses in the process, run over these 10 pedestrians and 50 bicyclists, and smash through the 50 billion fruit cart vendors over there .... I won't have to stop! Sounds like a plan!!"

This seems all pretty fun while riding in a taxi, but not when your one of the pedestrians or bicyclists that is going to get run over.

Well let's just say that I was nearly run off the road by a guy who was getting a little frustrated by the traffic jam he was in. In order get around the traffic he pulled into the bike lane that I was in. At first this was not a problem because he was in front of me. As I was going around on the passenger side, however,  the guy started to pull even more into the bike lane where I was riding. He was basically cutting me off. I know I could have stopped and moved my bike up onto the sidewalk and I most likely would have if had had the time to think about it. But, I didn't. I just raised my left hand and pounded on his passenger window. This scared the crap out of the guy. (well, that and the fact that I yelled at him) I then just rode off in the direction that I needed to go. The guy, on the other hand, drove by me and just swerved into me a little bit, I think just to save some face.

I told you that so that you would understand my mind set when I got to Wal-Mart.

I walked in and it was packed and they were stocking shelves. I first went to the health and beauty department and tried to find Melody's kind of shampoo. You have no idea what it's like looking for something like this when everything is in Chinese. The best you can do is make an educated guess based on the bottle and the color of the lettering (or characters as the case may be). Melody thinks I got the right thing. (kuddo's for me) After that I had to go through the household items and go around to the escalator to go down to the grocery store part. This is where my stress level started to go through the roof!!

I got off the escalator was immediately assaulted by all the noise. All the employees working in the vegetable and fruit sections, as well meat butchers, were all yelling and screaming out the specials of the day. (I think. They were screaming something and it wasn't the same thing. ) In the dairy section it was like one big infomercial!! Employees with headsets and microphones with little amps and speakers all broadcasting very loudly trying to get customers to try out the new yogurt, or cheese, or whatever other product they wanted. I guess it was kind of like pavilion at the NYS fair.

So, to summarize,

Almost run off the road.
Lots of noise,
People everywhere,
Lots more noise,
Lots more people everywhere.

As I was standing in the middle of Wal-Mart, in Beijing, China I came to a startling conclusion. I could see and hear everyone but did not understand them and they could hear and see me, but didn't understand me either. I could not communicate with them and they could not communicate with me. At that moment in time, I was alone, an island unto myself. I was frustrated and angry and sad all at the same time. It's just like the movie "Lost in Translation". I'm in a city of 17.5 million people and 95% of them I can't talk to.

Well, needless to say, I quickly got what I came for, went back up the escalator to the check out area, paid for my stuff and practically ran out of the store ..... and then I started to breathe again. I got home as quick as I could and after going to the little store here in our apartment complex to get some ice cream, I spent some time at home just being quiet. (or just talking with Melody for a while. I can understand her and she can understand me. I also had some ice cream. It cures all things. Trust me!!)

Don't get me wrong. This place has a lot of good things to offer. The people really are good and kind. Beijing is a place of culture and history and beauty and art. And the people  here are very proud of their heritage. I guess I'm just not over the culture shock yet.

I not sure when or if I will ever will be.

What Year Is It?

There is one question that I simply do not have a simple answer for. I have actually found that when I'm asked this question I just seem to open my mouth and nothing comes out. So now I will try to answer it. Oh yeah. The question is

"So, What it like in Beijing?"

Well if you have some time I'll try to tell you.

My grandmother was born in 1900 and passed away in 1986. She had quite a large family and lived a full life. As I've read, and heard stories about her, I have realized that she was alive during a time when change was the norm in the U.S.A.. If you think about it, when she was born, the automobile was just invented, indoor plumbing was a luxury, the electric washing machine was not invented yet , the telephone was only 23 years old and was not an everyday household item, and most people had not heard of the word "movie." When she past away, phones were everywhere, airplanes were common, horse and buggies were a thing of the past, a washing machine was found in almost every home, and Imax movies were becoming the big thing to see.
Since her death the cell phone has become common and normal, "land lines" are becoming a thing of the past, the PC has gone from a very large piece of equipment that was great for doing term papers to this thing that weighs maybe 3lbs that you can "surf the net" with. Actually the lap top is even becoming obsolete. With the 3g and 4g phones out there. you can call your friend, listen to whatever music you want and surf the net. It's just amazing!

All this and much more has happened in just 110 years.

Now how about we take all of the last 110 years and squeeze them into about ten years.

In my last blog I mentioned about all the first time drivers in China. Well those first time drivers are also first time cell phone users, computer users, washing machine users, indoor plumbing users, as well as anything else that was invented over the last century. Beijing, as well as China, is the land of "first-timers". The interesting thing is that with all of the modern things and ideas that are seen and heard in Beijing, the culture and people just can't seem to keep up. Here you will see places of wealth and prosperity, high rises and huge office buildings, mega malls and large supermarkets. Yet you will also see old style street vendors selling everything from fruit, to clothes, to cell phones, to meat on a stick, to pets chipmunks. You will see people dressed in nice clothes walking by vendors with horse-drawn wagons on streets filled with litter because the "street sweeper" (actual person with a pedal-powered cart and a big broom) hasn't come down that way yet to clean it up. In some cases you will see automobile stores opening up on dirt roads. You can walk down the street and see places of luxury and people hacking and spitting and even urinating.
Many of the buildings here are not always as good as they seem. In our apartment I had to go around and fix all of the drains so that sewer gas would not keep leaking into the place where we eat and sleep. These are just a few things that I have noticed. I haven't even mentioned the pollution from the cement factories and coal mines around here that cause all the pollution.
I guess that I could say that Beijing is kind of caught in this time warp thing. There are many things here that are 2010 and many things that are 1910. So Beijing is like a mixture of old, new, and the everything in between.
Well I hope that this anwsers the question to some degree of satisfaction.

Why All The Traffic!!!

I recently put on my fb page something about the major traffic jam that's reported here in China just south of Beijing. Some people have asked me how this sort of thing could happen. Well, I think that is a very good question. First of all, China's economy is booming. Construction is going on everywhere in Beijing and Shanghi as well as many other cities around the country. Factories and other types of industry are either starting up or growing and expanding. This means that employees are needed both to build the new facilities and also to man them when they open. Many of the people come from the countryside to the city to find work and a new life for themselves and their family. (much like the US during the Industrial Revolution.)
In order to keep the economy rolling the Government has been working to build a better infrastructure (ie roads, highways, bridges, etc...) to provide a better way for the people to get to their new jobs and to give businesses better means of receiving raw materials and shipping goods to market.
Sounds simple right? Well not so much.
You see, in the US if their is going to be any road construction done on any highway or road, usually their is a survey done to measure the amount of traffic that flows through that area at a given time. This way, the Contractor and local authorities can come up with a plan to help divert traffic if needed. This usually works very well because in the US traffic flow is generally the same from year to year. In China, however, it is a little different.
Remember all those people moving in from the country to the city for a better way of life. Well, they move to the city on a bicycle. (or something similar.) After they get to the city and start their new jobs, they realize that they now can afford things that they might not have been able to before. Some may buy a scooter to get around the city, others buy a car. In China this past month almost 1 million cars were sold. Add this to the 1 millioin cars sold during each of the first 2 or 3 months of the year and the over 5 hundred thousand vehicles sold in each of the remainder months and maybe you can begin to see the problem. But if you can't, allow me to enlighten you.
Much of the population in China are "first timers." They are first time internet surfers, computer users, cell phone users, mp3 player users, CD player users, washing machine users, indoor plumbing users and, yes, DRIVERS. So most of the car buyers this year are first time drivers/buyers. Granted, not all the buyers are first timers, but it's safe to say that most of them are.
Therefore, that means that there are most likely close to 1 million more cars on the road today in China than there were last month. And Most likely close to 7 million more cars on the road today than at the beginning of the year. Couple this with the fact that much of the construction is happening around the major cities in China and most of the car buying is happening in the major cities in China. Well, now do you get the picture?
Now add to this the fact that these are NEW drivers and also, the road ways here are not currently designed to handle this amount of traffic (hence the construction) and well now you should understand the problem.
On the lighter side of this issue you can figure that for every available parking space in China, there are at least three drivers trying to use it. About a month and a half ago I observed a funny scene. I was riding my bike by the Post Office near Wudaoko (Subdistrict of Haidien) where Melody and I work, when I saw three vehicles jockeying for the right position to grab this one parking space and they seemed to be at a stand still. If one moved the other two would counter move. This went on for quite some time, however, I'm not sure how long because I had to get to work. (I watched for about 4or5 minutes.) The funny thing is the space was not vacant. There was still a car parked in it!! Add to this the fact that this was all happening in the middle of the designated BIKE LANE and ..... Well that's Beijing for ya!
Well , I hope I have educated, and enlightened you.