Fantastic Reflections

Although I’ve been to China quite a few times now, I still can’t quite get used to a lot of things there. The driving for example is something I’m definitely not used to. While sitting in a taxicab I encountered this scene which made me wonder if we were actually a school of fish packing ourselves into a funnel. I understand everyone needed to make a left up ahead, but this is just ridiculous. Stay in your own lane!

For instance, lane markers are largely ignored, serving no real purpose in keeping cars apart. When drivers want to get a good look down the road but the view is blocked by cars in front, drivers don’t think twice about sliding halfway into the next lane and then straddling two lanes for as long as seems comfortable.

It’s also not uncommon for drivers who have missed their exits to simply put the car in reverse and back up into traffic.

(Read more @ Reuters.com)

I did actually experience the cab driver putting the car in reverse on a freeway to go back for a missed exit. That reminds me of a joke I saw on my iGoogle.

A cab driver reaches the Pearly Gates and announces his presence to St. Peter, who looks him up in his Big Book. Upon reading the entry for the cabbie, St. Peter invites him to pick up a silk robe and a golden staff and to proceed into Heaven.

A preacher is next in line behind the cabby and has been watching these proceedings with interest. He announces himself to St. Peter. Upon scanning the preacher’s entry in the Big Book, St. Peter furrows his brow and says, "Okay, we’ll let you in, but take that cloth robe and wooden staff."
The preacher is astonished and replies, "But I am a man of the cloth. You gave that cab driver a gold staff and a silk robe. Surely I rate higher than a cabbie."
St. Peter responded matter-of-factly: "This is heaven and up here, we are interested in results. When you preached, people slept. When the cabbie drove his taxi, people prayed."

When and if you reach your destinations in one piece, you can find beautiful scenery all over the place. This picture was taken at the World Museum in Beijing back in December. The bell is actually about 30 feet tall. I didn’t actually walk down there to see it up close because my ears were frozen solid and I had to walk down a long flight of stairs and then walk all the way around the museum to reach that bell. I thought about it for a few seconds and gave up–need that childhood spunk back.