The trip overall was fantastic, and I don't think that we were ever truly in any grave danger, but there were a few calls that were closer than I would have liked. I didn't used to think that I was a tense passenger, but that was until I experienced my first Chinese road trip! Perhaps the only thing worse would have been having me at the wheel!
My recent week of vacation in a rural part of southern China was amazing. There was beautiful countryside, breathtaking views, historic old villages and buildings, and kind and welcoming people. There was also the road trip. I wasn't at the wheel, which was actually a good thing. This permitted me to keep my eyes closed half the time, because things got a little... lets says crazy... from time to time. The driver picked us up as planned in the city of Xiamen. He didn't speak English, and with our Chinese being limited to "beer", "bottom's up", and "the bill please", we couldn't communicate much. That said, he was polite and friendly, and knew exactly where we were headed. We had a couple of hours of highway driving heading west inland, the busy six-lane highway eventually becoming a smaller four-lane, then two-lane highway, before we headed off into the mountains along some small, twisty roads. I already wasn't 100% in agreement with the driver's driving style on the major roads. The drivers here pass on the right, cut other drivers off, and use the horn a whole lot more than I care to hear. That said, I am a visitor in their country, so I am willing to accept that some rules and habits are going to be different. I was hoping that after getting off the crowded highway that the driving would be a bit more relaxed, instead of the constant jockeying for position and cars and trucks cutting each other off, but the small twisty and hilly rural roads were packed. In fact, it got worse. None of the drivers, including ours, seemed very patient, and while us passengers were happy enough to enjoy the gorgeous scenery across the hills and valleys as the car went up up up, those behind the wheel just wanted to get to their destination... by any means possible... Passing on the left. Passing on the right. On the shoulder. In curves. Going uphill and down. Cutting people off seems normal here; it's a crazy free-for-all, as each driver is responsible not only for not hitting anyone, but not getting hit. They seem to use their horn way more than anywhere else I have ever been, but instead of it being a nasty, aggressive blast, it is instead a gentle warning that two cars are headed for the same space. Basically the first who honks has the priority!
The trip overall was fantastic, and I don't think that we were ever truly in any grave danger, but there were a few calls that were closer than I would have liked. I didn't used to think that I was a tense passenger, but that was until I experienced my first Chinese road trip! Perhaps the only thing worse would have been having me at the wheel!
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AuthorWelcome! My name is Paul, and I am an old-fashioned, low-pressure, low-buck car fan with lots of automotive stories to tell! Archives
February 2020
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