I fear for my life every time I get in a car in Beijing :) There is some sort of unwritten law about driving survival here that they all know, but doesn't make any sense. Things like turning left in front of oncoming traffic, a LOT of honking, swerving, driving in the wrong lane, passing whenever you feel the person in front of you is going to slow - even if a car is coming in the other direction, NEVER slowing for pedestrians or scooters -- even in crosswalks, my list could go on and on...
This is one of my favorites, because my driver likes to do this - it gets us where we want to go faster. They regularly use the shoulder for an extra lane. Of course you may have to swerve back into traffic when there is a car stalled on the side, so be ready! These people know their cars WELL - how close they are to other cars on the sides, back and front. I'm pretty sure I have seen four cars side-by-side driving on a two-lane road. I may have even been able to roll down my window and tap the car beside me -- while driving :)
This is our driver Kevin. I was slyly trying to take his picture :) Just in-case I ever go missing...
Really, we lucked out getting this guy. He's a cool guy and is very helpful. He is one of the few who speak English, which is helpful for getting where we want to go and also practicing our Chinese with. He used to be security at Hard Rock Cafe here in Beijing -- they gave them English lessons. Hard Rock just closed down last month - so sad! They actually had decent food for when we needed something other than Chinese!
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