Buses, Half-Time Shows and Crossing the Street

My weekend observations:

The Buses: The buses here have drivers AND collectors! For Canadians, we are used to getting on the bus and paying the driver. In China, when you get on the bus, the collector will ask you where you are going and tells you the price. Funny side-note; if you are a foreigner and they come by to collect the fee, they will often overcharge you by a few quay because you often don't know how to communicate where you are going or how much it should be. The funniest part about the whole thing though is that the female collectors all walk around with huge black purses that they just stuff the money into it.

Half Time Shows: Basketball game halftimes here are FULL of entertainment! I watched one game on TV this past weekend and for half time they had tons of performers that got about 2 minutes each. Dancers first came out with flags and performed, then guys on rollerblades skated around in complex formations and showed off some moves, then a pop singer came out with her back up dancers and sang one song, then dancers dressed up as basketball players came out and did a choreographed dance with basketballs and to top it all off at the end, the crowd had all been seperated by colours (red, white and yellow) and stood up in different formations to spell the team's names. Their half time shows put shame to NBA half time shows where they just 'analyze the game' and talk about 'shooting percentages'. NBC or CBS should pay China a visit to see how half time shows should REALLY be done!

Crossing the Street: Crossing the street here is a science...with deadly consequences! In North America, when you cross the street, you first look left - then right. In the UK, you first look right - then left. In China, you look left - then right, then left - then right. Let me explain: First here you have to look out for the bikes (there is a bike lane closest to the sidewalk). So first, you look left - then right. Once you have passed the bikes, then you have to deal with the cars and buses! So again, look left - then right. Then you run like a madman as fast as you can! One funny sidenote: When the light is green, you have to watch your ass because you still have vehicles going everywhere!