Taxi Tips and Terror Tales

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Vegemite

Re: Taxi Tips and Terror Tales
« Reply #30 on: May 13, 2007, 05:12:40 PM »
Tourists from cities with subway's would be more willing to try.

I'd also add that many tourists from countries with no subways at all, jump at the chance to use them.

As for walking down stairs rather than using an elevator - I do that. I got stuck in one once...for a very long time, and then in another one saw someone die. I've been leery of them ever since. I also saw a woman get eaten by an escalator once, it was on the escalator going down to the Barcelona underground so I'm also a bit phobic of escalators!

But never had a problem on an underground...yet.

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Lotus Eater

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Re: Taxi Tips and Terror Tales
« Reply #31 on: August 24, 2007, 08:29:53 PM »
Xi'an is building it's 1st subway - which basically won't go anywhere I want to go often.  I used the subway in Shanghai - after I got through the scrum of buying a ticket and it was good. I loved the Japanese train/subway system.

I use buses in Xi'an about 30% of the time (apart from the uni bus), but prefer the taxis. Cheap, convenient, air-conditioned and I always get a seat.  Can't say the same for the buses.  Although I have had Chinese people get up to give me a seat - even way older men and women.  I love sitting in the top floor front seat of the double decker buses and watching how close the driver comes to every other vehicle on the road - very cool driving.

My favourite form of transport though is the motorbike taxi.  They forget the road rules, drive on footpaths,flash across red lights etc.  Always enlivening. Cheaper than normal taxis - negotiable so you can bargain.  Getting one of these at 3:00am after dancing all night is very cooling and fun. The 3-wheeler motorbike taxis are also fun - handy for carrying groceries home.

Re: Taxi Tips and Terror Tales
« Reply #32 on: August 27, 2007, 10:29:15 PM »
Students and teachers are locals.  Tourists - people from other countries here for a few days will opt for the taxi's.  I may be wrong but I can remember when I was in China a few years ago there was a lady afraid to go on the elevator without her husband. (I came to China alone as a tourist) He wanted to walk down - so she got off the elevator and walked down with him.  Tourists from smaller cities or from countries without subway's will be leery to try. Tourists from cities with subway's would be more willing to try.

I dunno.  I'm a student/teacher and often a tourist.  That makes me a poor tourist, and I'll stick to the subways and buses wherever possible.

When I first got to Beijing (about 2 months ago) I took cabs frequently, but now it's probably been a few weeks since I've been in one.  Beyond their being a luxury, my stomach isn't quite strong enough for the ride.  Roller coasters, rock climbing, rappelling, etc., I can all do, but Beijing taxis are something out of this world.  One driver I had actually hit a girl while we were racing through Sanlitun.  He'd mostly slammed on the brakes in time, and she was only a bit shaken, but that was far from a thrilling experience.  Another driver I had asked about Chinese public alcohol consumption laws assured me that I could drink on the street without a problem, explaining to me that he often stopped along the road to drink with some buddies when he took his breaks.  aoaoaoaoao

I've switched to a bike.  I have a helmet and lights (look at the funny laowai!), and biking has its own thrilling set of dangers, but I'm psychologically better suited to being in relative control of my fate, I think.

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George

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Re: Taxi Tips and Terror Tales
« Reply #33 on: August 27, 2007, 11:18:29 PM »
I used to ride a bike in North Jinan, but now, being in the city, it's safer to take taxis. I don't bother with busses anymore, too slow and too full, at the times I would need one.
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Mr Nobody

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Re: Taxi Tips and Terror Tales
« Reply #34 on: September 16, 2007, 05:02:07 AM »
The only subway I have used a lot in Asia is in HK, which is obviously good. I have used them otherwise in every city I have been to that has one, except Shanghai because I wasn't there long enough. I think the HK one is better than London's underground which is the supposed to be the best. Oh, yeah, used the one in Guangzhou a few times, but I was guided by people who knew their way around. Seemed fine to me.

Many of the signs were in English as well as Chinese, albeit a bit confusing. Perhaps the Beijing one is also like that. I haven't been there.
Just another roadkill on the information superhighway.

Re: Taxi Tips and Terror Tales
« Reply #35 on: September 19, 2007, 05:16:16 PM »
HK has the most incredible public transportation system ever.
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Lotus Eater

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Re: Taxi Tips and Terror Tales
« Reply #36 on: September 19, 2007, 06:33:33 PM »
I like the Japanese system - amazingly organised and convenient.

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Raoul F. Duke

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Re: Taxi Tips and Terror Tales
« Reply #37 on: September 19, 2007, 08:19:38 PM »
This is an on-topic area. Please stay on the topic: taxis in China.
Thank you.
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Mr Nobody

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Re: Taxi Tips and Terror Tales
« Reply #38 on: September 19, 2007, 11:06:04 PM »
It kind of is, Raoul. If there is an underground, use it because it is more efficient than taxis and cheaper too, and less chance that you will be taken some weird way the long way round.
Just another roadkill on the information superhighway.

Re: Taxi Tips and Terror Tales
« Reply #39 on: November 29, 2007, 11:36:03 PM »
Taxis in Beijing are pretty good on the whole.

Ive only had one bad experience. Taxi driver thought I was going to do a runner. I had to step out of the cab to get to my money. He got his tazer gun out and pointed it at me. Didnt actually use it on me but I did get pretty scared.

Apart from that, I have been pretty satisfied with the service.
Of course they will try and rip you off if they see that your lost and dont speak Mandarin. But thats the same the world over isnt it, if you cant speak the local language?

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Lotus Eater

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Re: Taxi Tips and Terror Tales
« Reply #40 on: November 29, 2007, 11:57:00 PM »
Even if you can speak the language and are a local - if they figure you don't know the way, the the scenic route it is.   ahahahahah

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Acjade

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Re: Taxi Tips and Terror Tales
« Reply #41 on: November 30, 2007, 12:07:30 AM »
Xi'an taxi drivers are the best. 99% of the time, anyways.

Last week I flagged down a taxi to go to my business class over in the East of the city. The driver asked me how old I was and I told him. He said I looked ten tears younger. As if I haven't heard that ten thousand times. He said I was beautiful and wanted to pick me up after class. Something about this didn't sit well. I told him the company drove me home. End of story.

Going to uni this week I had a new guy. From another province I'd say by the look of his aquiline nose and his dialect. He took me on a route that made sense but didn't have the edge of the old hands. When we arrived I took out my map and showed him the way the other drivers take. He was so happy that he got out of the car and carried my school bag up to the gate.

I always sit up in the front with the driver. Sometimes we chat but mostly what they're doing is teaching me Zhong guo hua. I take about six taxi's a day just to and from work so usually they are the first and last people I speak to on week days. My conversational skills are still limited but I can swear like a trooper and have begun to learn the road rules.

The hours I spend in the taxis every week are my language classes and for the most part the people driving them have been the salt of the earth. I've come to love traffic jams.


Re: Taxi Tips and Terror Tales
« Reply #42 on: December 02, 2007, 03:25:02 PM »
I'm a bit TOO nervous about getting taxis where I am now....1 driver (who I had rather often) started getting a little TOO friendly aoaoaoaoao...

Thankfully I've now finally been able to figure out the busses FROM the shop as well as to. I'm totally useless with busses, even back home!
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Mr Nobody

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Re: Taxi Tips and Terror Tales
« Reply #43 on: December 17, 2007, 05:24:36 AM »
Xi'an taxi drivers are the best. 99% of the time, anyways.

Last week I flagged down a taxi to go to my business class over in the East of the city. The driver asked me how old I was and I told him. He said I looked ten tears younger. As if I haven't heard that ten thousand times. He said I was beautiful and wanted to pick me up after class. Something about this didn't sit well. I told him the company drove me home. End of story.

Going to uni this week I had a new guy. From another province I'd say by the look of his aquiline nose and his dialect. He took me on a route that made sense but didn't have the edge of the old hands. When we arrived I took out my map and showed him the way the other drivers take. He was so happy that he got out of the car and carried my school bag up to the gate.

I always sit up in the front with the driver. Sometimes we chat but mostly what they're doing is teaching me Zhong guo hua. I take about six taxi's a day just to and from work so usually they are the first and last people I speak to on week days. My conversational skills are still limited but I can swear like a trooper and have begun to learn the road rules.

The hours I spend in the taxis every week are my language classes and for the most part the people driving them have been the salt of the earth. I've come to love traffic jams.



I agree. I don't catch enough cabs, I reckon, which is why my Chinese sucks. But when I do, it's my language class too.

Ten points for the swearing and road rules. I keep my eyes shut. I recognize which words are swearing (who doesn't - my baby swears and she is 15 months old and knows no swearwords at all. She could swear before she knew ANY words. I dunno if this is normal, or just my bad temper she inherited.) but I don't recognize what they mean. Wife won't explain, either. She knows more English ones because I use them, and in fact has a soft spot for 'bloody'.
Just another roadkill on the information superhighway.