A little freaky

My e-bike seat has storage room underneath it; it's good for storing a rain poncho, the battery charger, etc. I haven't been able to close the seat for a few weeks though. I can still ride it, but if anyone noticed the seat wasn't latched properly, they could steal the stuff inside.

Today I went to the retail place where I bought the e-bike, and they couldn't fix it (although they can usually fix things). They told me to go to the company that makes that particular Palla brand of e-bike to get it fixed. They gave me a business card with the address of the place. It was quite a drive to get there ... nowhere near where I live.

At Palla, about 5 or 6 men, most of them smoking and just hanging out at the shop, came to have a look at the problem. They probably didn't even think I could speak Chinese or understand them, but were discussing among themselves that I had a Palla bike and wondered where I'd purchased it. Then one of the men said in Chinese, "She bought it in September 2012."

My jaw dropped. Even I can barely remember when I buy things, but he is exactly right, I bought it in September 2012. He saw the look on my face and started laughing. He happened to have been in the retail shop the day I bought the bike. And he remembered the date.

That, my friends, is a wee bit freaky.

Trunk envy

Just remember ... someone always has it worse than you. And often times, I am that person ... that person that makes you feel good about yourself and causes you to appreciate all that you have as part of your comfy American/Australian lifestyle. :-) Haha!

This was my life this week.

(Top photo) I went grocery shopping at a French-owned chain store that somewhat resembles Super Wal-Mart. I put the two biggest and heaviest bags in the space designed to park my legs. Another bag hung over the left handlebar. Because there was no place for my legs, I had to keep them elevated all the way home (30 minutes through crowded bicycle lanes). By the time I got back, my legs hurt like I'd been riding a horse. Seriously, I have arthritis or something, so it is very uncomfortable.

(Bottom photo) I went across town to a home furnishings shop. It is about 45 minutes from my place, and requires going through the most crowded part of downtown. I was hoping to get home before rush hour, and before it started raining -- I succeeded this time, but my timing is not always so great. On this shopping trip, I had two bags in the leg area and one bag on each handlebar. Very awkward. Luckily the big white bag between me and the dashboard was a big pillow, kind of like a safety air bag that has already been inflated.

If I had wanted to go to another store while I was on that side of town, I would have been out of luck. I would have to make another trip on another day. Hopefully a day when it wasn't raining. Each trip usually ends up taking 3-4 hours. Shopping like this is wearisome and time-consuming. And both trips were taken when the heat index was around 110°F, as it has been day and night most of the summer.

So, just be glad you've got a trunk, or space in the back of your SUV, or whatever you have. And I'll take heart that I have a super-trendy e-bike with lime green tire rims that is far better than a bicycle with a tiny little basket attached to the front!

Feel free to comment if you really do have it worse than this. :-)

Seen in the village

Tree blossoms in a village.

Motor bikes and motor trikes -- suitable village transportation. Check out that hat...straw hats are still worn by village manual laborers in the Middle Kingdom.

The calendar's revenge

My calendar says today is the first day of spring. But as if the heavens were laughing out loud, blustery cold air swept into my city today. It is COLD outside. In a mad fit of wishful thinking, I had already stashed my winter stuff away -- but had to drag it back out today.

Pictured: My Tokyo tweed backpack, my Mimi-like fur earmuffs and neck wrap (fake fur, I'm sure, based on the price I paid). Earmuffs and backpacks may not be worn by women my age in America, but when women in America start using a motor bike for their main mode of transportation, I will start to care.

New Wheels

Right before I left for the USA this summer, my e-bike broke down on me. When I got back at the end of the summer, I took it down to a repairman who pronounced it dead. So I had to get a new e-bike, "e" being for "electric."

My very first motorbike was gas-powered, and I owned it from 1998 until 2007. It looked pretty ghetto by the time it died. This bike was red, and though not as modern in design as my new one, it was fairly similar to the one pictured here. Because it was gas-powered, it rode on the street with the cars, and required license plates and a driver's license.

My second motorbike was electric powered. It was gold...not the gaudy gold that comes out of a spray paint can, but the sophisticated gold that you would see on a car. It looked pretty nice up until I moved from Bedrock to Bamboo Forest. It got loaded onto the back of a moving truck, and when it arrived in the new city, it was banged up with the headlight hanging out. A friend repaired it with clear packing tape, which made it look really posh (sarcasm). Not desiring to be a diva, I drove it that way for four more years, but due to the injuries it sustained in the move, it had a shorter-than-expected life span.

Now I am on motorbike no. 3, a white, high-powered little machine. It pulls itself right out of the basement where it is stored (what I mean is, it goes uphill without being pushed, something that didn't happen with the previous bike). It can go fast, but I personally don't drive fast. The best part is the superior battery that will let me travel a whole lot further than I could travel before. So I am exploring parts of town that I could not get to previously!

And it locks with a remote control key fob. I no longer have to bend down to put a lock on the back wheel. I am really loving that. The older I get, the less fun it is to kneel on the pavement, ya know?

In the coldest part of winter, I'll still take taxis and the subway, because it is just too cold to ride bikes in the winter. But I'm loving it now!

Sidewalk bicycle repair shop

This is a sidewalk bicycle repair shop outside my apartment complex. These are found every couple of blocks, all over town, and come in handy when you have a breakdown. Bike breakdown that is. 

Biking in the kingdom

Next time you go buy ice cream out of a sidewalk ice cream freezer, remember this poor guy (top left) who had to haul one on the back of his bike, and the gal (bottom right) who wears a dress in WINTER on a bike.

Living life in the bike lane is not easy. I know for sure.

The face masks are for warmth. The guy talking on a cell phone is a danger to other bikers. This, too, I know from experience.