My first day in China (Part 2). − 23 August, 2004
The girl from the office had her hair back in a ponytail. She was wearing a t-shirt and trousers.
The teacher from the north of England, I'll call him Leroy, asked her questions about a few things that were troubling him.
They had a little discussion while I sweated it out in the sun looing at the school bus arrive, a white van with a slide door.
"Ok, lets go" She said. She let me get on the bus first followed by Leroy, it was quite nice. There were enough chairs for about 12 people. Fairly cramped, if it had been full. But there was only the three of us.
We were driven out of the school turned onto the main road into Harbin itself. The school is situated in Hulan. Cars seemed to have little regard for anything else on the road, there wasn't the same usual curtesy you'd find on a London road.
The drive took about thrity minutes in total, it was a mad dash through traffic. Things that we would not have been allowed to do back home in Britain were much the norm here. A new roundabout was being built and most of the road arounf it was dirt. With huge pot holes an dips and bumps. I felt like I was riding a roller coaster. It didn't even phase Leroy or the girl from the office.
We were coming up to a bridge the first of two into Harbin, we had to drive over the 'song hua jiang' (pine flower river). I could start to see the city through the haze in the air.
The place was huge.
Quite different from what I'd imagined, quaint litle houses sporadically set about the place. Calm, relaxed people on horse and cart with maybe the occasional taxi, oh, and lots of bicycles everywhere.
Of which there were none outside the bus that I could see. All I did catch the odd glimpse of was a donkey and cart. Plodding along the road, it was strange to see it composed against all the rush of cars.
There were trucks stuffed with people. Lorries that seemed to carry an impossible load on back. Blue buses full of people. The place was brimming with endless acivity.
We decened down a circular junction into Harbin. It was only a couple of muinutes from there to the school where we dropped Leroy off. We had to change buses as ours was finishing here. I say buses, we got into a car, quite a nice one too. Airconditoned. Really classy.
The teacher from the north of England, I'll call him Leroy, asked her questions about a few things that were troubling him.
They had a little discussion while I sweated it out in the sun looing at the school bus arrive, a white van with a slide door.
"Ok, lets go" She said. She let me get on the bus first followed by Leroy, it was quite nice. There were enough chairs for about 12 people. Fairly cramped, if it had been full. But there was only the three of us.
We were driven out of the school turned onto the main road into Harbin itself. The school is situated in Hulan. Cars seemed to have little regard for anything else on the road, there wasn't the same usual curtesy you'd find on a London road.
The drive took about thrity minutes in total, it was a mad dash through traffic. Things that we would not have been allowed to do back home in Britain were much the norm here. A new roundabout was being built and most of the road arounf it was dirt. With huge pot holes an dips and bumps. I felt like I was riding a roller coaster. It didn't even phase Leroy or the girl from the office.
We were coming up to a bridge the first of two into Harbin, we had to drive over the 'song hua jiang' (pine flower river). I could start to see the city through the haze in the air.
The place was huge.
Quite different from what I'd imagined, quaint litle houses sporadically set about the place. Calm, relaxed people on horse and cart with maybe the occasional taxi, oh, and lots of bicycles everywhere.
Of which there were none outside the bus that I could see. All I did catch the odd glimpse of was a donkey and cart. Plodding along the road, it was strange to see it composed against all the rush of cars.
There were trucks stuffed with people. Lorries that seemed to carry an impossible load on back. Blue buses full of people. The place was brimming with endless acivity.
We decened down a circular junction into Harbin. It was only a couple of muinutes from there to the school where we dropped Leroy off. We had to change buses as ours was finishing here. I say buses, we got into a car, quite a nice one too. Airconditoned. Really classy.
