transportation

I thought it was just beijing, but I'm told my views apply to .. just about all of China.

China is a country of suggestions. If you haggled hard enough, you could probably bargain down your groceries at at the supermarket. Nothing is set in stone. I believe traffic laws were enacted in other parts of the world because of what transpires in here. Honking is gratuitous. Lane lines are rarely stayed within. And forget about seating capacity 'limits' on buses and trains. The other day, I was crushed up against the windshield of a passenger bus -- if one thing is certain, any vehicular accident in China will lead to fatality.

Also, on highway roads, people constantly pass over the double-yellow. This is common everywhere. However, it is done WHENEVER possible and often on a whim. If a car is stopped or going too slow, they will switch into the opposing traffic lane. Problems arise when there is a legitimate reason why a car is stopped or going too slow -- eventually there is complete gridlock where cars have NO WHERE to go because they are facing every direction with no outlet for movement.

I think China is the place to fulfill every illicit dream you've ever had. Everything is very stream of conscious, there is an interesting flow about daily life here that probably wouldn't work anywhere else. I should point out that although the traffic is very scary and any car you get into is sure to leave you clinging to the edge of your seat, accidents aren't too common. I believe people here are more in-tune with one another than they are in-to themselves. People seem to have acutely heightened senses, so .. it just works.