I was still thinking about what to do with Amy when I crawled out of what used to be the windshield and looked around. We were at the opposite end of the intersection, on one of the relatively smaller streets. I could see the back of a big rig cargo truck parked around the corner. I do not remember ever seeing that truck before, but something told me it might have been involved. It was upright and appeared undamaged, but I could not see the front from where I was standing. The scooter driver was nowhere. I could not even see his scooter. Traffic resumed through the intersection. I want to assume that people were driving around him rather than over him, but I could only see cars moving in every direction.
Even closer to us, there were no bystanders. People slowed down to have a look or take a picture with their phone, but not a single person stopped to help. I'm sorry to say that I did not expect anyone to offer any assistance. That is simply not the Chinese way. Americans look down on most of the world as lower life forms, but in an accident or disaster, we rush toward the people in distress, not away from them. Amy and I are probably on a few Facebook pages. “Look at this terrible accident. I watched and then just walked away like an asshole. Here's what I had for lunch.”
Based on our position and the lower traffic volume on the smaller street, I left Amy in the car. For some reason, I turned on the car's hazard lights. That would make sense in some countries, but in China, people mostly use their hazard lights when double parked. As far as the car being an obstruction, that should have been obvious. It was lying on its side. But obvious is relative. A few years ago, I saw a car honking at the car in front of it to move out of the way. The engine of the car in front was on fire.
When a police car eventually approached, I waved to get his attention. That might sound stupid. A broken and battered car was resting on its side. Any police should notice that right away. But just like every car and pedestrian that passed the accident, you never know if the police might think it is none of their business and keep moving. When the officer got out of his car, the look on his face was pure astonishment. I don't know if it was his first day on the job, but he was clearly out of his league. When I told him that Amy was injured, he looked into the car and stared at her. His mouth was open the entire time, but I don't remember him ever saying a word.
Monday, November 6, 2017
Sunday, November 5, 2017
The Great Wall of China
8. The Collision
With no police in sight, the scooter driver and I were left to settle the matter on our own. Blocking traffic was not really an issue since this intersection was large enough for everyone to go around us. The scooter was directly in front of the car, so we were only blocking one lane. I was going to get out of the car to make sure the scooter driver was ok, and check out the damage on the front of the rental car. We had compulsory insurance, but I wanted to know if I would have to explain a dent or a scratch to the rental company.
I never saw the truck coming. He hit us at an angle, like he was trying to do a PIT maneuver. The first thing I noticed was my car running over the scooter driver. I grabbed onto the steering wheel, mostly as a reflex, I suppose. I was not in control of anything. Some of the details over the next few days are pretty fuzzy, but I think I will always remember the look on the scooter driver's face just before I killed him.
From my point of view, a bulldozer rammed into us at a million miles per hour. Rather than slow motion, everything happened in quick jump cuts. I somehow transported to the back seat as the Earth quickly rotated around us. The ground folded up and over the car as the sky made its way under us. This happened several times. When the ground finally stopped spinning, the car was resting on its right side. Amy was still strapped into her seat, but in a twisted position, like a child trying to sleep uncomfortably. And she was obviously in a great deal of pain. She and the seat were still in the car, but she was lying on the pavement and a deflated airbag. Her window was gone, as was every other window in the car. There were a few chunks of laminated glass here and there, but the windows were mostly somewhere else.
I was resting on the ground and back door panel. I wanted to get to Amy, but checked to see if everything was in place first. All of my limbs were intact and nothing seemed to be broken or even sprained. There was a little blood on my left shoulder, but when I checked, the skin was not even broken. The blood seemed to come from over my shirt, not under. The impact obviously knocked me from one end of the car to the other, but it looked like I was in good shape. The interior of the car was more narrow than before, but there was enough space to crawl over to Amy.
When I got to her, I wanted to pull her out of the car. Her left arm was visibly broken and it looked like someone sprayed her with blood from a squirt gun. Obviously, pulling an injured person out of a car is a bad idea. I had no way of knowing what condition her neck or spine were in. But I knew that if someone else hit us, it could only make everything worse. I like to think I am a decisive person. Maybe I'm not, but I think I am. In this moment, I did not have the faintest idea what to do.
I never saw the truck coming. He hit us at an angle, like he was trying to do a PIT maneuver. The first thing I noticed was my car running over the scooter driver. I grabbed onto the steering wheel, mostly as a reflex, I suppose. I was not in control of anything. Some of the details over the next few days are pretty fuzzy, but I think I will always remember the look on the scooter driver's face just before I killed him.
From my point of view, a bulldozer rammed into us at a million miles per hour. Rather than slow motion, everything happened in quick jump cuts. I somehow transported to the back seat as the Earth quickly rotated around us. The ground folded up and over the car as the sky made its way under us. This happened several times. When the ground finally stopped spinning, the car was resting on its right side. Amy was still strapped into her seat, but in a twisted position, like a child trying to sleep uncomfortably. And she was obviously in a great deal of pain. She and the seat were still in the car, but she was lying on the pavement and a deflated airbag. Her window was gone, as was every other window in the car. There were a few chunks of laminated glass here and there, but the windows were mostly somewhere else.
I was resting on the ground and back door panel. I wanted to get to Amy, but checked to see if everything was in place first. All of my limbs were intact and nothing seemed to be broken or even sprained. There was a little blood on my left shoulder, but when I checked, the skin was not even broken. The blood seemed to come from over my shirt, not under. The impact obviously knocked me from one end of the car to the other, but it looked like I was in good shape. The interior of the car was more narrow than before, but there was enough space to crawl over to Amy.
When I got to her, I wanted to pull her out of the car. Her left arm was visibly broken and it looked like someone sprayed her with blood from a squirt gun. Obviously, pulling an injured person out of a car is a bad idea. I had no way of knowing what condition her neck or spine were in. But I knew that if someone else hit us, it could only make everything worse. I like to think I am a decisive person. Maybe I'm not, but I think I am. In this moment, I did not have the faintest idea what to do.
Friday, November 3, 2017
The Great Wall of China
7. The Scooter
I was not driving too fast during the accident. In fact, we were stationary. Before we even left Beijing, we came up to one of those large Chinese intersections with 16 lanes moving in 6 different directions. We had a green light, but I have enough experience with Chinese driving to know how irrelevant light color is. I slowed down, as I always do at intersections, and hit a scooter that was racing out from one of the cross streets.
As soon as I saw the scooter, I slammed on the brakes. I pressed the brake and clutch so hard into the floor, I'm surprised nothing broke. Scooters running red lights are nothing special in China. It's like a fight at a hockey game. It happens all the time. You know it's going to happen. Don't go if you are not ready for it. That is why I slow down at intersections.
Had I been Chinese, I would have killed the scooter driver instantly. Since I was going slower than usual, I had enough time to slow down just enough to knock him off his scooter. He was upset, but uninjured. It's kind of funny how Chinese scooter drivers break as many laws as possible while driving and then get mad at anyone who follows the rules. While he was yelling at me for hitting him because he ran a red light, I unbuckled my seat belt to get out of the car.
When you have a collision in China, you are supposed to keep your car where it is. That might block traffic, but the police, if they ever get involved, want to see everything in whatever position it landed. If everyone moved to the side of the road to let traffic pass, the police would never know how much people are lying to them. Even with cameras in almost every car, lying is still the default reaction. If two cars are on the side of the road and he says she did it and she says he did it, the police would never know who to blame. If the cars are in their original positions, it is easier to make an assumption about what happened. Safety is never the primary concern. Assigning blame is what matters most. Chinese traffic laws are not designed to avoid collisions. They are about how much you pay the other person if it is your fault.
Had the police arrived at this point, the scooter driver would have insisted that he was driving slowly and legally and that I barrelled out of nowhere and broadsided him. He most likely would have said disparaging things about female drivers in Chinese, assuming that I would not understand or be able to speak to the police officer myself. Then I would have told the police what really happened and tried not to smile smugly while showing him the camera. Victory would be mine. The scooter driver would have paid a small fine and that would have been the end of it.
Unfortunately, the police did not arrive at this point. There are surveillance cameras everywhere in China, but not much of a police presence on the roads. That is one reason traffic laws are mostly ignored. No one will ever pull you over to issue a ticket.
The Great Wall of China part 1
As soon as I saw the scooter, I slammed on the brakes. I pressed the brake and clutch so hard into the floor, I'm surprised nothing broke. Scooters running red lights are nothing special in China. It's like a fight at a hockey game. It happens all the time. You know it's going to happen. Don't go if you are not ready for it. That is why I slow down at intersections.
Had I been Chinese, I would have killed the scooter driver instantly. Since I was going slower than usual, I had enough time to slow down just enough to knock him off his scooter. He was upset, but uninjured. It's kind of funny how Chinese scooter drivers break as many laws as possible while driving and then get mad at anyone who follows the rules. While he was yelling at me for hitting him because he ran a red light, I unbuckled my seat belt to get out of the car.
When you have a collision in China, you are supposed to keep your car where it is. That might block traffic, but the police, if they ever get involved, want to see everything in whatever position it landed. If everyone moved to the side of the road to let traffic pass, the police would never know how much people are lying to them. Even with cameras in almost every car, lying is still the default reaction. If two cars are on the side of the road and he says she did it and she says he did it, the police would never know who to blame. If the cars are in their original positions, it is easier to make an assumption about what happened. Safety is never the primary concern. Assigning blame is what matters most. Chinese traffic laws are not designed to avoid collisions. They are about how much you pay the other person if it is your fault.
Had the police arrived at this point, the scooter driver would have insisted that he was driving slowly and legally and that I barrelled out of nowhere and broadsided him. He most likely would have said disparaging things about female drivers in Chinese, assuming that I would not understand or be able to speak to the police officer myself. Then I would have told the police what really happened and tried not to smile smugly while showing him the camera. Victory would be mine. The scooter driver would have paid a small fine and that would have been the end of it.
Unfortunately, the police did not arrive at this point. There are surveillance cameras everywhere in China, but not much of a police presence on the roads. That is one reason traffic laws are mostly ignored. No one will ever pull you over to issue a ticket.
The Great Wall of China part 1
Thursday, November 2, 2017
The Great Wall of China
6. The Rental Car
On a busy Thursday morning in the middle of September, Amy and I woke up early, had an uneventful breakfast and headed off to the Great Wall of China. We were both looking forward to hiking on the wall all day, but I was also looking forward to driving the rental car. I don't get a lot of opportunity to drive in Hong Kong, and Hong Kong is not the kind of city where you want to drive. Neither is Beijing, but as soon as we got out of the city, it was going to be wide open roads and countryside for most of the drive.
We rented a 2017 Peugeot 3008. We originally booked a basic compact, but when we got there, our only options were the Peugeot and some older Czech cars. Not having the car you reserved seems to be the international mandate of rental companies. Call me prejudiced, but I will take a Peugeot over a Czech car any day.
The car was a little too futuristic for me, with a smart phone dashboard display with touchscreen menus, sub-menus and tiny icons that I did not like. I'm driving a car, not looking at videos of cats. The less time you spend looking at the dashboard, the better. The good part about all this new technology was that it had cameras all over the place. You can parallel park into the tightest of spaces without hitting anything. That is especially useful when trying to park in a place like China. Where I come from, parking spaces are larger than the cars. China does things differently.
Front and rear cameras are standard in China because traffic laws are enforced rarely and followed even less. In the past, every collision was everyone else's fault. Insurance companies had to believe the police, who believed whichever party had the better job or paid the higher bribe. With today's cameras, it is harder to lie about hitting someone. People still lie, but if the police ever see the footage, they can figure it out.
Our rental car was a 6 speed manual transmission, and I was looking forward to getting it up to sixth gear. The night before, there was too much traffic from the airport to the hotel to ever get fast enough. I like to drive fast, but only when it is safe to do so and there are not a billion other cars in front of me. I'm not a speed junkie who recklessly does anything to go fast. I'm a speed fan who takes the opportunity when practical.
We rented a 2017 Peugeot 3008. We originally booked a basic compact, but when we got there, our only options were the Peugeot and some older Czech cars. Not having the car you reserved seems to be the international mandate of rental companies. Call me prejudiced, but I will take a Peugeot over a Czech car any day.
The car was a little too futuristic for me, with a smart phone dashboard display with touchscreen menus, sub-menus and tiny icons that I did not like. I'm driving a car, not looking at videos of cats. The less time you spend looking at the dashboard, the better. The good part about all this new technology was that it had cameras all over the place. You can parallel park into the tightest of spaces without hitting anything. That is especially useful when trying to park in a place like China. Where I come from, parking spaces are larger than the cars. China does things differently.
Front and rear cameras are standard in China because traffic laws are enforced rarely and followed even less. In the past, every collision was everyone else's fault. Insurance companies had to believe the police, who believed whichever party had the better job or paid the higher bribe. With today's cameras, it is harder to lie about hitting someone. People still lie, but if the police ever see the footage, they can figure it out.
Our rental car was a 6 speed manual transmission, and I was looking forward to getting it up to sixth gear. The night before, there was too much traffic from the airport to the hotel to ever get fast enough. I like to drive fast, but only when it is safe to do so and there are not a billion other cars in front of me. I'm not a speed junkie who recklessly does anything to go fast. I'm a speed fan who takes the opportunity when practical.
Tuesday, October 31, 2017
The Great Wall of China
5. The Wall
The Great Wall of China is actually a lot of different walls that stretch out thousands of miles. You get to different walls from different cities. Beijing is probably the most popular starting point because it is the easiest, and also since Beijing is a destination on its own.
The easiest entrance from Beijing is Badaling. Buses and taxis from Beijing go there every day, and it only takes an hour. It is also the most crowded. The only reason we rented a car was so we could get to a less crowded, more scenic section.
Mutianyu is supposed to be far more authentic than Badaling and far less crowded. Fewer people go there because it is harder to get to by bus and far more expensive by taxi. In China, taxi drivers are generally honest, but when it comes to the biggest tourist attractions with the most foreigners that are out in the middle of nowhere, getting ripped off is not rare.
With our own car, we could drive to whichever entrance we wanted. We would also not have to worry about missing the last bus back to Beijing. Some of the buses stop running surprisingly early. With a car, we could set our own schedule, go where we wanted and not deal with scams. That was the plan, at least.
The easiest entrance from Beijing is Badaling. Buses and taxis from Beijing go there every day, and it only takes an hour. It is also the most crowded. The only reason we rented a car was so we could get to a less crowded, more scenic section.
Mutianyu is supposed to be far more authentic than Badaling and far less crowded. Fewer people go there because it is harder to get to by bus and far more expensive by taxi. In China, taxi drivers are generally honest, but when it comes to the biggest tourist attractions with the most foreigners that are out in the middle of nowhere, getting ripped off is not rare.
With our own car, we could drive to whichever entrance we wanted. We would also not have to worry about missing the last bus back to Beijing. Some of the buses stop running surprisingly early. With a car, we could set our own schedule, go where we wanted and not deal with scams. That was the plan, at least.
Sunday, October 29, 2017
The Great Wall of China
4. The Hotel
We stayed at the Hotel Cote Cour, a romantic boutique hotel on what was supposed to be a tiny, isolated hutong. Maybe I have adapted to China too much, but it seemed like one large hutong to me. Amy chose a romantic boutique hotel because she was planning on taking a romantic trip with her boyfriend. I could not help her there, but we both appreciated the distinct decorations in our room and throughout the hotel. It did not look anything like every chain business hotel. Boutique hotels are always better for me, but sometimes it is easier to stay at a business hotel when you go to a new city. The rooftop garden was especially beautiful. I'm sure we would have spent more time there.
Not only was the hotel romantic and quiet, but it was surprisingly close to all the action. It was about a mile from the Forbidden City/Palace Museum and Tiananmen Square and maybe two miles to the Temple of Heaven. Even if it was too humid and/or polluted to walk, the hotel was close to the purple subway line, which goes straight to the Temple of Heaven and connects to the rings that go around the city. The point of our trip was the Great Wall, but after visiting that, we were supposed to have a full day to explore Beijing as much as we could before our flight home. That never happened.
The Great Wall of China part 1
Not only was the hotel romantic and quiet, but it was surprisingly close to all the action. It was about a mile from the Forbidden City/Palace Museum and Tiananmen Square and maybe two miles to the Temple of Heaven. Even if it was too humid and/or polluted to walk, the hotel was close to the purple subway line, which goes straight to the Temple of Heaven and connects to the rings that go around the city. The point of our trip was the Great Wall, but after visiting that, we were supposed to have a full day to explore Beijing as much as we could before our flight home. That never happened.
The Great Wall of China part 1
Thursday, October 26, 2017
The Great Wall of China
3. The Arrival
People have been praising Beijing's new airport terminal since they remodeled for the Olympics. But that is terminal 3, the international terminal. We arrived at terminal 2, which is for domestic flights and not at all impressive. Not that it mattered. Airports all start to look the same after a while. I saw an online quiz that showed interior pictures of various international airports. I have been to half of them, but I could only identify a few.
We rented a car to go to the Great Wall. Ordinarily, you do not want to rent a car in China. It's just a bad idea all around. In most of the larger cities, like Beijing, it is so much easier to get around without a car. The subway seems to go everywhere. In addition to too much traffic and tiny roads that wind in every direction, Beijing also has a system where you can only drive in the city on certain days, depending on your license plate number. As a way to reduce traffic, the system makes sense, but I'm sure it is a royal pain if you actually live there.
Getting from the airport to our hotel was easier than I expected. It was mostly one freeway that went straight from the airport to downtown. The closer we got to the hotel, the more we had to twist and turn, but that is always easier at the end of your drive. Our flight landed at night and we had a lot of plans for the next day, so the rental car mostly sat parked. Driving around the city would have been ridiculous anyway. We saw a tiny part of the neighborhood around our hotel, but we did not want to stay out too late.
We rented a car to go to the Great Wall. Ordinarily, you do not want to rent a car in China. It's just a bad idea all around. In most of the larger cities, like Beijing, it is so much easier to get around without a car. The subway seems to go everywhere. In addition to too much traffic and tiny roads that wind in every direction, Beijing also has a system where you can only drive in the city on certain days, depending on your license plate number. As a way to reduce traffic, the system makes sense, but I'm sure it is a royal pain if you actually live there.
Getting from the airport to our hotel was easier than I expected. It was mostly one freeway that went straight from the airport to downtown. The closer we got to the hotel, the more we had to twist and turn, but that is always easier at the end of your drive. Our flight landed at night and we had a lot of plans for the next day, so the rental car mostly sat parked. Driving around the city would have been ridiculous anyway. We saw a tiny part of the neighborhood around our hotel, but we did not want to stay out too late.
Wednesday, October 25, 2017
The Great Wall of China
2. The Trip
When I first moved to Hong Kong, I assumed I would see the Great Wall of China. It's not that far away. From the United States, a trip to China is a major undertaking. The long flight is almost as painful as the visa application process. From Hong Kong, it is a 3 hour flight to Beijing, and I already have a visa. For whatever reason, I just never went. I have been to the Mainland many times, but I never went any farther north than Shanghai.
Since this was a last minute trip, for me at least, I did absolutely no planning. All I had to do was help Amy change one of the plane tickets to my name, which is harder than it needs to be, and pack my bags. I could probably write a book about what you have to do to change plane tickets in China, but I will not. It would be even more tedious to write than it would be to read. The good news was that she booked and paid for the tickets. Had her ex done it, we would have had to start from scratch, which would have been so much easier.
Since this was a last minute trip, for me at least, I did absolutely no planning. All I had to do was help Amy change one of the plane tickets to my name, which is harder than it needs to be, and pack my bags. I could probably write a book about what you have to do to change plane tickets in China, but I will not. It would be even more tedious to write than it would be to read. The good news was that she booked and paid for the tickets. Had her ex done it, we would have had to start from scratch, which would have been so much easier.
Monday, October 23, 2017
The Great Wall of China
1. The Substitute
A friend of mine planned a weekend trip with her boyfriend to the Great Wall of China last month. She booked a hotel in Beijing, bought the plane tickets and was ready to go. Then her boyfriend dumped her. At that point, it was too late to cancel the hotel without paying, and plane tickets are always a pain to refund, even when it is possible. She was upset about ending the relationship, of course, but if she did not take the trip, all that money would be flushed away. I was recruited to take his place.
I can't provide the type of companionship a boyfriend can, but I think I'm a pretty good travel partner. I do not have any list of demands and never come home with a list of complaints. Generally speaking, I like to go with the flow. With new places especially, you never really know what you're going to get. There is no list of chocolates on that box.
I can't provide the type of companionship a boyfriend can, but I think I'm a pretty good travel partner. I do not have any list of demands and never come home with a list of complaints. Generally speaking, I like to go with the flow. With new places especially, you never really know what you're going to get. There is no list of chocolates on that box.
Thursday, October 19, 2017
What I Did On My Summer Vacation
I was in a car accident last month. It was pretty bad, but I got the lucky end of the stick. The passenger in the car I was driving broke bones in her leg and both arms. The driver of the truck that hit us broke his hand. The driver of the scooter I hit died. It was pretty horrifying to watch, but at least he went quickly.
My doctors tell me everything is progressing as it should. I'm sure they are right. My biggest complaint right now is that I can't sit in front of the computer for more than a few minutes. I will probably write more about the accident later. I want to, while it's still fresh in my mind. But it will have to be in short bursts or after I can last longer.
My doctors tell me everything is progressing as it should. I'm sure they are right. My biggest complaint right now is that I can't sit in front of the computer for more than a few minutes. I will probably write more about the accident later. I want to, while it's still fresh in my mind. But it will have to be in short bursts or after I can last longer.
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