Organization descends into chaos

I went for a mid-morning errand run today to pick up prints from the Beijing trip. Accompanied by Natty, we set off from the bike parking lot to make the 10 minute journey to the Kodak development center, and traffic was heavy. At one of the exits to our campus, the one we use most frequently, there is a grammar school with what must be a thousand students. As it was approaching lunch time, many of the students were being dismissed to their waiting parents making a big mess with their parked motorcycles, mopeds and bicycles clogging up the exit and bike lanes. Somehow we managed to wiggle our way through the flesh and metal gridlock, and find a clear path ahead of us… and we thought our traffic worries were over.
Lo and behold the first intersection. A cluster of cars, buses, vans and nearly every bike you could think off was blocking the streets. Horns tooted, people shouted and we were scared. Suddenly a three-wheeled truck carrying a payload full of propane tanks besieged the road directly in front of Natty and I. Natty swerved right, into oncoming traffic only to miss a black VW by inches, I applied my brakes hard and fast, not an easy thing to do on a bike that doesn’t really have brakes. We both missed death by inches, and we looked at each other and laughed.
“Damn that was close,” shouted Natty.
“Yeah, we’re lucky suns a bitches,” I yelled back. “I just want to pick up the pictures without dying!”

The journey continued.
We traveled south on the bike lane of what I like to call “Mechanic Alley.” It’s a stretch of road that houses 10 or 15 different auto shops with grease and car parts all over the road. A jeep with its engine strewn into pieces that lay in our path sat on the left, and a police cruiser with its doors lying on the ground was jacked up on the sidewalk to the left. There are cars like this covering the entire length of Mechanic Alley, which makes bike travel on this part of the Baoding understandably dangerous. We avoided most of the obstacles in our way (I ran over some wires or cable of some sort), and finally made it to the end of this part of the journey.

We took a right onto one of the major commercial streets in Baoding, the Kodak store is just a few doors down on the right, but our normal spot to jump up onto the curb was blocked by a white Toyota pick-up truck. We had to find another way up so we could park our bikes. Up ahead there lied a metal ramp so cars (and bikes) can drive up onto the curb. Natty made the turn with ease and I was just behind him. I slowed to make the turn and just as I turned, a body hit my elbow and screamed. It was a woman driving a battery-powered bicycle who was trying to pass me on the right, and she went down hard onto the ramp and sidewalk. Could the excursion get any worse?
I immediately got off my bike and Natty dropped his to help the woman out. She was visibly upset and in pain, all I could say was, “Dwe bu chi, dwe bu chi,” “I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” She didn’t even look at me as she removed her shoe to discover a bloody scrape on her foot as it was quickly turning black and blue. Natty thought she might have broken it and asked, “what do we do?”
I had no idea what to do, but we tried to help her up, Natty picked up the bicycle and I offered my hand. She ignored me completely, but her anger was palpable. I really pissed her off somehow, and I felt terrible. I was upset that she wouldn’t let me help her, but especially angry with myself for not knowing enough Chinese to communicate with her. I’m not sure who had the right of way, and I don’t think it matters. It was a freak accident on a journey full of perilous obstructions, and it brought the organized chaos of Chinese bike traffic to a halt. The stares I used to get traveling down the streets paled in comparisson to the condemnation I was receiving now. It seemed like hundreds of witnesses were on the scene in seconds, all glaring at the white devil foreigners with contempt. The woman delivered us from the onslaught when she got back on the bicycle and pedaled away, wincing a bit and favoring her right leg. And I hung my head low, parked my big and escaped into the Kodak store.

On the way back, Natty came close to being plowed by another speeding VW as we were crossing another street. The treacherous journey seemed like it would never end, but eventually we found our way home. I promise to be more careful and attentive from this point forward…you have my word.