My OperaFlying from Hong King to Zhengzhou
Sunday, June 1, 2008 5:41:38 PM
The next morning, we trudged the 10 minutes back through the morning mist to the bus stop. Here and there, old people practiced Tai Chi or walked for their morning exercise.
Around the bus stop, there were the prettiest birds finding crumbs. They were much like our magpies, but bright cobalt blue. Very handsome birds!
The trip back to the airport was hosted by a much more sane driver and we made it back without incident, but we had great joy seeing more of the Pacific Ocean from the opposite side as we drove along. I was reminded of the verse I had read in Psalm 139:9-10 several years ago that says, "If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there...Your hand will guide me." How did the Psalmist David know that such a thing was possible?
Our new friends, Clay and Pam Williams, who live and work in Zhengzhou, Henan Province, kindly met us at the Zhengzhou airport. It was about 4:30 or so in the evening and they had to take a taxi and a bus to get to the airport. We were amazed at their kindness and we appreciated it greatly since we didn't know what we were doing and didn't know where we were headed.
The trip from the airport was absolutely fascinating! Traffic was so chaotic that it was nearly laughable. By the time we got to the city, it was about 5:30 in the evening and everyone was commuting home from work.
Literally hundreds of bicycles and motor scooters were on the road. Motor scooters are the "yuppie" mode of transportation in China. Much to our great surprise, we saw young fathers driving the scooters, with a toddler standing between his legs and his wife sitting side-saddle on the back, not holding onto the bike or him, but clutching a small baby in her arms! We were amazed! We saw this kind of thing over and over…mothers holding tiny babies on the backs of the scooters. They would weave in and out of traffic, missing collisions by inches, stopping and starting again, and Mama would sit on the back with that baby, not even flustered!
Traffic was indescribable! Americans would think that the Chinese don't seem to know the meaning of yellow lines down the middle of the road, although they have them. Two lanes actually mean three and if there is no one within a block of the next lane going the other direction, then that means four! Intersections are utterly jammed with people criss-crossing in every direction! A red light doesn't mean stop unless it is accompanied with a policeman using a whistle and a baton. Even then, creeping cars stretch his patience. Crossing a street on foot is literally a dance with death! (By the end of the week, we were pros!) Traffic was about the only culture-shock we experienced on the entire trip.
Amazingly, there are almost no accidents! We saw only one fender-bender in Zhengzhou that was so minor it didn't even need to be discussed. And on the train trip I took with Pam to an orphanage a few days later, I saw a man on a bicycle who had been hit by a truck. He was lying in the middle of an intersection with what looked like a gallon of blood flowing out of his head. I was afraid that he was dying, but we couldn't stop to find out.
After taking a taxi and a bus into the city, Clay and Pam showed us to our hotel, which looked beautiful with its neon lights at night.
Pam and Clay interpreted for us at the front desk as we got our room assignment and rates settled, and then, they helped us carry our bags to our room. Pam had made the reservation for us when she found out we wanted to stay in a non-tourist type hotel and she couldn't have pleased us more.
After getting us settled, Pam and Clay took us to their favorite neighborhood noodle restaurant a few blocks from our hotel, but the 80 degree heat, the unaccostomed walking, and 100% humidity had taken my appetite away, so I only ate a few mouthfuls of noodles. Zhengzhou is noted for its wonderful noodles and I think I would become addicted to them if I were there for any length of time.
After dinner, they bade us a kind goodnight, assuring us that Pam would go with us to the airport the next day to locate our lost luggage. Thank Heavens for good friends!
The hotel boasted a western style toilet for which I was thankful, although I had used a squatty potty in the Zhengzhou airport without too much trouble. Looking at the beds with their spreads on, it looked like any other mid-range hotel room, but the beds had the softness of a box-spring.
A cool bath was restful, though, and with the air conditioner going all night, we slept fairly well on the rock-firm beds. They were probably very good for our backs.
Around the bus stop, there were the prettiest birds finding crumbs. They were much like our magpies, but bright cobalt blue. Very handsome birds!
The trip back to the airport was hosted by a much more sane driver and we made it back without incident, but we had great joy seeing more of the Pacific Ocean from the opposite side as we drove along. I was reminded of the verse I had read in Psalm 139:9-10 several years ago that says, "If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there...Your hand will guide me." How did the Psalmist David know that such a thing was possible?
Our new friends, Clay and Pam Williams, who live and work in Zhengzhou, Henan Province, kindly met us at the Zhengzhou airport. It was about 4:30 or so in the evening and they had to take a taxi and a bus to get to the airport. We were amazed at their kindness and we appreciated it greatly since we didn't know what we were doing and didn't know where we were headed.
The trip from the airport was absolutely fascinating! Traffic was so chaotic that it was nearly laughable. By the time we got to the city, it was about 5:30 in the evening and everyone was commuting home from work.
Literally hundreds of bicycles and motor scooters were on the road. Motor scooters are the "yuppie" mode of transportation in China. Much to our great surprise, we saw young fathers driving the scooters, with a toddler standing between his legs and his wife sitting side-saddle on the back, not holding onto the bike or him, but clutching a small baby in her arms! We were amazed! We saw this kind of thing over and over…mothers holding tiny babies on the backs of the scooters. They would weave in and out of traffic, missing collisions by inches, stopping and starting again, and Mama would sit on the back with that baby, not even flustered!
Traffic was indescribable! Americans would think that the Chinese don't seem to know the meaning of yellow lines down the middle of the road, although they have them. Two lanes actually mean three and if there is no one within a block of the next lane going the other direction, then that means four! Intersections are utterly jammed with people criss-crossing in every direction! A red light doesn't mean stop unless it is accompanied with a policeman using a whistle and a baton. Even then, creeping cars stretch his patience. Crossing a street on foot is literally a dance with death! (By the end of the week, we were pros!) Traffic was about the only culture-shock we experienced on the entire trip.
Amazingly, there are almost no accidents! We saw only one fender-bender in Zhengzhou that was so minor it didn't even need to be discussed. And on the train trip I took with Pam to an orphanage a few days later, I saw a man on a bicycle who had been hit by a truck. He was lying in the middle of an intersection with what looked like a gallon of blood flowing out of his head. I was afraid that he was dying, but we couldn't stop to find out.
After taking a taxi and a bus into the city, Clay and Pam showed us to our hotel, which looked beautiful with its neon lights at night.
Pam and Clay interpreted for us at the front desk as we got our room assignment and rates settled, and then, they helped us carry our bags to our room. Pam had made the reservation for us when she found out we wanted to stay in a non-tourist type hotel and she couldn't have pleased us more.
After getting us settled, Pam and Clay took us to their favorite neighborhood noodle restaurant a few blocks from our hotel, but the 80 degree heat, the unaccostomed walking, and 100% humidity had taken my appetite away, so I only ate a few mouthfuls of noodles. Zhengzhou is noted for its wonderful noodles and I think I would become addicted to them if I were there for any length of time.
After dinner, they bade us a kind goodnight, assuring us that Pam would go with us to the airport the next day to locate our lost luggage. Thank Heavens for good friends!
The hotel boasted a western style toilet for which I was thankful, although I had used a squatty potty in the Zhengzhou airport without too much trouble. Looking at the beds with their spreads on, it looked like any other mid-range hotel room, but the beds had the softness of a box-spring.
A cool bath was restful, though, and with the air conditioner going all night, we slept fairly well on the rock-firm beds. They were probably very good for our backs.
