The Driver

If you ever go to China don't even think about renting a car (I'm not sure if it is even possible to rent a car). But what you do need to think about, assuming you don't want to rely totally on public transportation, is finding a Driver. This is our driver in Changsha. His name is Mr. Jong. He drives the Toyota van-looking thing you see here. It is decked out with blue fabric teddy bear, lace-trimmed seat covers. He has been a driver for 20 yrs. He wears his suit, drives us where the guide tells him, waits for us - for any length of time - and then drives us somewhere else.

The amazing thing about drivers, this one and the driver who took us around in Beijing, is that they have an uncanny ability to judge precisely how much space they need to get around or through various obstacles. I tend to avoid parallel parking and I have trouble pulling into my garage at times because I'm never quite sure if I'm going to bump something when I get really close. These guys are able to judge how much space they need to change lanes in the middle of tons of traffic, maneuver through motorscooters, bikers, other cars, and pedestrians, and to park in places that surely aren't meant for parking. Just yesterday a pedestrian was walking in the middle of bumper-to-bumper traffic - not even at the corner, mind you - and she just kept crossing - one lane at a time. She approached our lane and Mr Jong kept inching forward and she kept walking in front of the car. She barely missed the bumper and as she passed by his window he reached out and popped her on the head! She snapped some unknown comment back at him in Chinese and we just sat there in amazement.

Each time I see a bike or pedestrian barging out into the street I gasp, thinking for sure this is the time I witness a horrible accident. And each time they make it through without incident. One guy was so close walking next to our car that the umbrella he was holding over his head scraped the car.

This is a whole new experience in traffic. Shawn said if we would eliminate a few simple rules our traffic would be just like theirs.

First - no such thing as jaywalking. Cross anywhere, anytime.

Second - no right of way for pedestrians in crosswalks, or anywhere else except red lights.

Third - turn right or left, anytime, except on a red light.

I think there are others but literally it is amazing that we haven't seen more accidents. Just one little fender bender and I've gasped out loud several times we've been so close. And here we are carrying our little tiny baby because there are no car seats or seat belts. We make sure we pray for safety every morning.