Random Observations In China

When you are sitting in traffic or have a few minutes to do some people watching, you notice a number of unique things about China and its people.  For instance and in no necessary order:

• There is very little body piercing jewelry or tattoos on the general populace;
• Men, or women for that matter, don't wear hats, especially the baseball cap most men wear in the U.S.;
• In the four visits to Beijing over the years, this was by far the warmest it has been temperature wise;
• We ate our usual quota of mystery foods including a fungus (not bad), sea cucumbers (Ann ate them, I passed); and a selection of meats and fish that defy definition;
• There is a tremendous clashing of East banging into West here.  There is so much imitation of Western styles, music, cars, etc.  You name it, it is happening in China;
• Pedestrians are fair game when they step off the curb.  You know those crosswalks in the U.S.?  They have them here too, but they are nothing more than paint on the pavement.  Step out into one here in China and you take your life into your own hands.  It actually seems like it is some sort of target practice for the drivers when they see a pedestrian in one of the crosswalks;
• Traffic is outrageously ridiculous in the city.  It is a serious problem.  You can get somewhere faster on foot except you don't know where you are going.  So you are a prisoner of the system;
• And with that said, Ann and I did not see one gas station in our entire time in China.  How all these cars get fueled is beyond us;
• Also, when driving, don't worry about staying in your own lane or passing in a no passing zone.  All the drivers ignore the signs, painted lines, speed limits (except when coming and going to the airports - there are cameras watching on those roads, but as soon as the driver passes the camera, he is off to the races once again).  
• Speaking of systems, China has its own way of operating.  Once here, you learn to accept it and give up trying to change it.  Reasoning with the desk clerk or bank teller is not an acceptable practice.