Getting Around Town

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xwarrior

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Re: Getting Around Town
« Reply #15 on: July 26, 2013, 08:11:08 PM »
One form of urban transport common in Chinese cities when I was working there were the little private buses-unmarked-that ran either obscure routes or picked up the extras from the municipal buses.

A good way of exploring a city is to stand at a bus stop and jump on the first bus to come along. With a standard RMB1 or RMB2 charge not a lot of mental effort is required.

I was standing at a bus stop in Zhanjiang when the first bus along turned out to be one of those small and unmarked local buses. I jumped on and away we went. The 'conductress' came up to me and it went something like:

C: Money, please.
Me: (with panic starting to set in at this unexpected development) How  much?
C:  Where are you going?
Me: (after a lengthy consideration of possible answers and then racking my brain for some Chinese words) I don't know.
C:  (rolling her eyes as she communicated to the other passengers that she was dealing with a retarded foreigner) You don't know?
OP: (Other Passengers roar with laughter)
Me: No.
OP: (Other Passengers scream with laughter)
(I stand lost in thought for a moment ... a very long moment)
Me: Where are you going?
C: Chikan.
Me: Very good, Then I want to go to Chikan
OP  (Other Passengers applaud)
  
I have my standards. They may be low, but I have them.
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