July 14: Beijing, China
Be warned. This entry is not so much a "blog" as it is a diatribe. A rant.
I am cranky. I am growing quite tired of Beijing. And it is so crowded here! Over 36 billion people live in Beijing! Okay... it's only 20 million. But that's still a hell of a lot of people! To try to cross a street is to know what it is like to live on the edge! Beijing drivers are among the worst, most-rude drivers I have EVER seen (surpassing even the murderous taxi drivers in Egypt!). I have nearly been hit TWICE while crossing in a crosswalk while I had the green "walk" symbol.
Do you remember how I said it was "foggy" on the first day I arrived? Well, it ain't fog - it's smog. Pollution hangs over this city every single day, it seems.
It has also rained every day - usually in the form of violent thunderstorms that strike each night. Last night, however, I was not so fortunate - and got caught right in the middle of a near-monsoon. Within minutes, the calm skies turned fierce, and let loose with a downpour of biblical proportions. Of course, in the ensuing chaos it was impossible to find a taxi, as all traffic came to a halt in the flooded streets. So I walked home, umbrella-less, literally drenched from head to toe, and wading through puddles up to my knees.
When not raining, it is so-o-o-o hot. You really need at least 2-3 showers each day, just to keep from reeking. The smoke and dust clog your throat and make it hard to breathe at times. I've actually had a bad respiratory infection for the past week or so, and I'm finding it hard to get rid of it.
Snot rockets and loogie-launching
But walking in China also revealed another danger - the infamous "snot rockets!" Have you seen this before? Blowing your nose directly onto the street without using a tissue? Then they tend to rub their nose with their hand - undoubtedly right before they go to shake hands with some tourist!
But equally disgusting is the apparently-popular Chinese pastime of "loogie launching." The procedure is to cough and cough, then clear your throat and hack up a loogie as big as they can - then launch it clear across the sidewalk full of people ahead. Usually they will do this as near a doorway as possible, undoubtedly so people will track the phlegm into every restaurant, school and business nearby. How in the world can anyone think this is okay?
Please... don't take a seat
Since I'm being disgusting, let me get into the toilet topic. Specifically, the Asian "Squat Toilet." Okay... I DO understand that the "western toilet" may seem equally disgusting to our Asian friends (I mean, touching your bum to something that was just warmed by someone else may not, in fact, be the most sanitary idea). But frankly, I simply cannot master the idea of squatting while "doing your business." Being able to aim properly - while maintaining your balance with your pants down around your ankles and avoiding the puddles around you - takes a feat of gymnastic ability that I doubt even the Chinese Acrobats possess! To make matters worse, it tends to be a "communal activity." Short walls allow for your neighbor to watch and giggle from his stall next door, or even try to start a conversation! At least there should be a door on the front to let us retain what little dignity we Westerners have left during this experience!
And then there's the habit of urinating in public, as well. At least 10 times so far, I have seen men simply whip it out and empty their bladders in the middle of the city: a subway tunnel; the side of a building; even around the corner from a sign that said "toilets."
So, yeah, I'm a little pissed off. But I guess that's better than being pissed on, right?
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