i like to ride my bicycle, i like to ride my bike

at 9:30 this morning, i was crammed in with a 100 or so chinese people on a double decker bus. towards the back of the first level, the floor is raised to make room for the engine. when i boarded the bus, the woman in charge of tickets kept screaming, "go to the back! move to the back!" at each progressive stop, i moved closer and closer to the back of the bus, and eventually, there i was standing with my neck at a delightful 80 degree angle, feeling like a giant. i took this as a sign that the universe approved of my course.

i got off on renmin zhong lu (the people's center road) and began to browse. one of the great things about chengdu, is that the stores are all placed together. if you want a sign made, you go to a certain street, and there are about 20 sign shops all in a row, doing the exact same thing. if you want commercial cooking appliances, head north, and you'll find a whole line of them on the third ring road. here, at renmin zhong lu, they sold bikes and scooters.

ever since i lost my bike (i think using the word stolen might be going a bit too far...i left it unlocked in front of a restaurant. oops.) i've been thinking of getting a new one. to be honest while i had my old bike i was thinking of getting a new one. we were provided with shiny new one speeders. beach cruisers, basically. i needed more power. arargharghargharrr. (i've decided all posts from now on will have some type of home improvement reference.) just cruising is not my style. i need to be passing people. moving quickly. on the old bike i topped out at like 5 miles an hour, and that was with me standing on the pedals. so my subconscious made me let my bike get stolen, so i could get a new one.

and a new one i did get. a nice orange one, 18 gears, rack above the back tire, bell and lock included. not too bad for 600 kuai (75 bucks). i took her out on the street and began to put her through the paces. chengdu is a great bicycle town. there are no hills, just flat roads. i started moving out towards the suburbs in high gear. i was surprised as i began to pass electric scooters. i was the fastest thing by far in the bike lane inside the city. it was great, weaving in and out of bikes, pedicabs, scooters, and the occasional (and illegal) car, passing them all. once i passed the third ring road, which is where the city stops and the sprawl begins, motorscooters began to appear, and i couldn't keep up. to be honest, i could no longer keep up with the electric scooters, either. i need to learn how to pace myself. i finally arrived home out of breath and happy.

i feel like this is going to add a new dimension to my understanding of chinese. my experience thus far has been a bit two dimensional. i've been sticking to the bus routes and the places i have been shown by others. now i feel like i have the ability to explore. and explore i will.