"Spider1977" wrote in message
...
Marion,

Which city are you in? My only riding experiences in China have been
fun. But I hate being on those chaotic roads in a car.

When I'm staying in a reasonable size town I always I hire one of
those
three wheel cabs. I tell the rider to hop in the back and I do the
pedalling. They absolutely love it, although they tend to panic when I
start having trouble with the weird handbraking contraption. Usually
generates a bit of a crowd and quite a bit of giggling by passing
women.
I always pay the driver, cause they really earn their dough.

I've done this in Chengdu, Kunmin, Zhanjiang, Changsha, Xiamen,
Yong'an
and quite a few small towns out in the back blocks. It's a great way
to
earn a bit of respect and have some real fun with the locals. I've
even
had the pleasure of being recognised when I go back to some of these
places. It's nice to have someone greet you out of the blue in a
foreign country.

If it was good enough for Mao to swim in the three big rivers then
it's
good enough for me to do some pedalling in China. I've thought about
buying a new bike and then giving it away when I leave as they're only
about $40 each brand new, but I never stay in one town long enough to
justify it.

Spider,

What do you do? A friend did the same with cabs in Harbin, and (she
said) caused quite a stir amongst the locals.

Brendon