I am posting a series of pictures of a two bridges.
In the first picture of the Bayi Chow I was facing east. This bridge has 8 lanes for all traffic. By all traffic I mean small trucks, three-wheeled scooters, cars and bicycles.
The second grouping are pictures of a two-lane bridge, it has a rail line separating the two lanes of vehicle traffic. Each traffic lane is about 15 feet wide, there is no separate lane for pedestrians or bicycles. It can be nerve racking when riding a bike across this bridge.
The final grouping is of the Bayi Chow and the surrounding area.
The pictures that appear to be under a structure were taken from under the bridge. People play cards and other gambling games, sell various wares (political signs to fruits) and simply relax. The garden is really pretty and is set just off the water and in the "footprint" of the bridge.
Note the lady with the child on the bike. She could have taken the bike up to the sidewalk but, they don't seem to protect their children the way westerners protect theirs. It is not uncommon to see a child, in fact it is a common sight, standing on the floor board of a scooter as it moves in and out of traffic.
Have a good week, Terry.
This is a copy of a posting by another blogger in China, it is interesting, the link is: http://carolenchina.motime.com
China's role as a world leader....China's booming economy.... All kinds of things are written about China in the news....makes one think that it has caught up with the rest of the world and is a modern country.... but don't sell the farm to make a bet on that. Let me tell you about my merry adventures with banking in China. First of all, personal checking accounts are all but unheard of. Travelers checks are not accepted except maybe in the eastern corridor, being Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou. I dont know of anyone in Xiangfan that has been able to cash one. Visa and Mastercards are only accepted at a couple of the hotels here and maybe (newly opened) Walmart. You don't go out to dinner and put it on a card. China is a cash society and everything must be paid up front.
The school I last taught at in Guangzhou used Bank of China...Bank of China, Guangzhou. The agency I write for wanted to wire my earnings to me. First of all, the gentleman who does the paying thought I should open an US acccount. After all, that bank could send me a visa debit card and things would be easy. I explained, I cannot use a atm card from the US in China. I know of foreign teachers that traveled all the way from Wuhan to Shanghai just to use their USA bank atm card at Citibank. And since I live in China, why not just Western Union wire it to me? It would be immediately available and I could get it anywhere in China. Well, he doesn't like Western Union. It never accepts his credit card and the fees are high. I said, bank fees are high. I am paying the fee, so that shouldn't worry you. No, he didnt want to deal with Western Union. So finally he decided that he would wire the money to Bank of China, Guangzhou. I was able to get him the swift codes, and told him I was leaving soon to go to another part of China. And if the funds could not be there before I left Guangzhou, I had no access to them. He put off wiring it for a couple days, and I had to leave Guangzhou.
This all started back in July. Now it is almost November. I should have had the money months ago. I went to Bank of China, Xiangfan. They politely told me that I could not get information on my B o C, Guangzhou account here. They suggested I write a letter asking B o C, Guangzhou to let my friend have my banking information. I did that. My friend went to the bank and they told him the money had arrived and I had to come and get it. Now, isnt that fun. I am half a continent away...I dont know who I feel more frustration with...the man sending the money or Bank of China. The money does not show up on my balance...because it is in US Funds. My friend is suppose to call the manager tomarrow and see what can be done to get the money out and posted to me. I am not holding my breath waiting for the money. Bank of China, anywhere is not known for its customer service. I appreciate my friend's efforts. As far as the agency that I write for sending funds to me again, I will ask that they be sent to my family and they can Western Union wire them to me....The irony is I cannot put my BofC atm card in the Bank of China machine here and get anything, it rejects my card. I have a card that can be used for purchases, so I put my Bank of China card in another bank's atm and it shows my balance. I think People's Bank of China needs to bring itself out of the days of Mao and into the present. The bank manager here said point blank, "Oh we are not linked together......"
