BIKES ARE BACK IN CHINA

Bicycles in China are thought to be the main transportation but in the last few years cars have taken over especially in the large cities. No longer are the hoards of bicycles crowding the streets of China. The automobile has come of age in China. However with the cost of gasoline these days, bicycles are making a come back but in a different mode. Electric bikes, motor scooters and even electric cars now are showing up on the streets in large numbers. Above is a bike of the 1980's now antiques compared to the sleek new bikes of today and battery powered bikes are the thing of the present and future. We use to do the Foreigners Dance to get across the street to avoid the bikes but today with electric bikes we must be more vigilant as the electric bikes are silent as the scooters are too. One mode of transportation that will go on forever is the tractor/car/truck shown above which can be seen in rural areas all over China. When I was in Xishuangbanna in the south of Yunnan province which the locals call "Banana" for short, my guide pointed out the above mode of local transportation and called it the "Banana Benz" as the locals call it. A Mercedes Benz it is not; but to a poor farmer it is affectionately known as their "Banana Benz". For more interesting stories of China keep reading my Blog or sign up for automatically receiving each blog as I write it. Happy Travels    Click on the photos for a  full screen view!