Traffic

How many muscles do you engage while riding a Chinese bus?

All of them.

Anyone will tell you that trying to get around takes a physical toll on ones body, whether that be walking, climbing stairs [China loves stairs, but that's a post for another day], or even taking the bus. Often I wondered "why am I so tired? I just sat on the bus for an hour!" Little did I realize how often every muscle of my being was engaged to keep me from flying into the people around me, to keep me upright. Riding the bus is the equivalent of a Richard Simmons workout video.

Chinese traffic definitely fits every stereotype we may ever imagine it to be. Lucky for us, the city of Harbin is in the process of constructing a subway system. What does this mean? First of all, it means that transporting oneself across the city will be much faster and efficient. Key words: will be, meaning that currently, it is not. Secondly, it means that you take every stereotypes of Chinese traffic and condense it down to only two lanes [instead of six]. Then, add some massive construction vehicles every so often. Oh, and huge pot holes and the occasional flying sparks that attack the bus. Welcome to Harbin!