Traffic: It's interesting, I swear.

 

One of the things I felt really set Beijing apart from Xuchang was the typical street scene.  In the bigger cities in China, as in the picture above, you get actual traffic, the likes of which I'm used to.  Perhaps there's more of it than I usually see back home, but generally speaking, it's the same traffic, just expanded.  It has a flow; a sort of life of its own.  But then you compare with Xuchang, and you don't find the same traffic, only lighter.  Instead, what you find is a completely different animal.  (And, indeed, you may actually find animals.)

 

So while we were there, looking at all of the fancy cars and nice traffic patterns of Beijing, I couldn't help but harken back to some of my favorite scenes of Xuchang traffic...  like the omnipresent "three-wheeled car" (三轮车).  (It's a fancy tricycle.)

Or, another, the sort of scooter-car hybrid that I have aptly, if a bit insensitively, named the "Commie Car".  Go-Go-Gadget: Commie-mobile!

Or, my personal favorite:

And in case that picture doesn't show it clearly, here's another to compare:

Why yes, indeed, that is a six-lane highway, currently being dominated by a man and a donkey, driving a cart that looks to contain potted trees, painting supplies, and spare wheels for the woman in picture #3.  Excellent.

A friend of mine recently made a good observation, which I modified and expanded on slightly, which I think encompasses well the feeling in this rapidly growing city:

"You haven't really seen China until you've seen a brand new BMW swerve to avoid a donkey while driving the wrong way down the bike lane."

Which is, of course, entirely untrue.  But gosh it sure feels that way sometimes.

(PS: If you did not enjoy this blog post, please accept this picture of a cute puppy from the Puppy Market instead.)