Driving in China (part 2)

 

On the road to the market, Xinjiang Province, Western China

Nintendo
Although traffic has been a lot less dense since Xi'an, Chinese roads are notorious for the diversity of obstacles that will pop up in front of you. It could be a good place for Nintendo writers to come and have a brainstorming (and hair-raising) session.

 

Obstacles

88 people on a cart pulled by a tractor, cows, leaning trucks, road works. You name it, it will be in your way. Bottom left : people pulling up a pole in the middle of the street.

 

Toll gates and petrol stations
During the first half of our 9000 km through China, we have been stopped approximately 250 times at large toll gates along the way ! Prices were always ranged from US$ 0.10 to US$ 10 for expressways. On a few occasions, the attendants in charge were so flaberghasted to see us they let us go free of charge ! The worst toll gate was the one that followed a great big pot hole in the road. We were doing 100 km/h and confident about the quality of the road ahead as it had been fine for a very long time. In the distance, we noticed a crack along the hole stretch of road and braked hard. 100 km/h, 90, 80, 60 and BANG ! A 40 cm deep and 50 cm long pothole. About 250 meters further, your smiling toll gate attendant asking you for your money...

 

A few filling up stops along the way and the pictures of the attendants at one of them (some of these people had their names written in Chinese, others in Arabic).

 

Also seen along the way (what you usually don't get to see)

Businesses along the way : drinks, furniture, marketplace

 

Things to do in the street...

 

Laetitia Casta in the middle of nowwhere (left), fixing your car (or anything else) in the middle of the road (right)

 

"One green grass makes the world beautiful". Thank you very much.

 

Nomads on their way to set up camp for the summer, Northern Xinjiang Province

 

Wow !

 

 
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