Bicyles & Modes of Transportation

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Riding through the Village and Into Town to Shop

I think the nicest part to our transportation journeys are our bike rides into town each weekend to do our grocery shopping. Yes, parking our bikes is a challenge and of course sharing the road is a challenge too but for me it's a journey back to childhood as I ride through the path in the woods and then on to the village and then into town. I'm never too excited to meet the crowd in town but the adventure of meeting up with every kind of vehicle you could imagine keeps us on our toes. And we never knew you could get so much on a bike but we have a basket and a back clamp on each bike and we each can carry at least two plastic bags of groceries and more if we have our backpacks. Can you imagine?
And in China children start riding bicycles as soon as they can reach the seat so you have some really good bike riders in China. But I hear it's a law that children under 12 years are not allowed to ride on the street but they are allowed to ride on the sidewalk. It's a good thing because bike riding in China is a task. You have to look out. There are a lot of people and vehicles everywhere. But we're glad that the sidewalks are big.

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Photos

Parking Our Bikes
Did you know you can make a roll of bikes fall like dominoes if you're not careful?

Bikes in Town on Xmas Eve
Bikes in Town on Xmas Eve

A Donkey is a source of transporation
This is village life.

Nice work huh
A donkey can be a pleasant ride.

A three wheel red vehicle
Three wheel vehicles are popular but they are normally blue.

Three wheel vehicle in village
This is the very popular three wheel blue truck. It appears to be a truck for work and it is modeled after a bicycle.

Bike Powered Fruit Cart
Bicycles are livelihoods in China. You can get your bike fixed on any corner whether you have a full load or not.

What a load
Bikes can carry quite a bit.

Typical Work Truck with Veggies
This is a typical three wheel work truck with vegetables in the village.

Kids Become Expert Adult Bike Riders
Kids start riding bikes as soon as they are tall enough to reach the seat so they are experts at riding bikes once they become adults.

Bicycle Mechanic fixing my bike
Almost every corner in Beijing has a bicycle mechanic ready and waiting and the cost is very low.