Big Trucks

Many deliveries in China are carried out by small vehicles - tricycles piled high with big boxes, or laden with all sorts of items.

Big items are transported by huge trucks. Some of the largest trucks I have seen - apart from the huge trucks used in some major Australian mines - have been in China. Huge long trucks transport items which I cannot identify.

I have no idea what is in the big bags, but trucks with this sort of load is not uncommon here.

This photo was taken in an unnamed town somewhere near Anchung, on the day that we were lost.

Rickshaws and Tuk Tuks

In all the time in China I never did ride on a rickshaw. I wanted to, so it is on my list to do when/if I return.

But I did manage a couple of short journey's in a tuk tuk. These little vehicles come in a great range of shapes and sizes - certainly not built to carry tall Aussies! The day we went to Anchung on the bus (OK, the WRONG bus), we managed to find a tuk tuk to take us from the unnamed village where we had got off the bus.

Three Aussie women were squeezed into the tuk tuk that took us up a hill and along a rough rode. It was a journey that was uncomfortable for many reasons - the vehicle shook and wobbled, as we sat with our legs almost wrapped around our legs. The driver spoke no English, and we had no idea if he was taking us to the right place.

After about 20 minutes he stopped, and asked for his money and pointed. It seems that we had arrived. On the same day we had another strange journey in another of these vehicles but I'm pleased to say we had a bit more leg room.

Black sugar cane

The black sugar cane is everywhere. It seems this delicacy, delivered on tricycles is most popular. The cane is peeled - often in the streets leaving a pile of shredded black "skin" on the pavement. The cane is then chopped into pieces abut 12 inches long, and handed to the customer in a plastic bag, which is used as a "handle" to hold it.

The customer chews off a chunk, chews and chews until the 'goodness' is gone and then the shreds of unwanted cane are spat out onto the road. So small piles of while shredded fibre appear all along the roadway, adding to the pollution.

It is a very popular delicacy. (not for me though!)

Big Umbrella on bike.

I thought I was imagining things as this tricycle passed by. A huge umbrella, fully open, protected the driver and his "wares" from the rain. He was selling roasted sweet potato which was cooking on a contraption on the tray of his vehicle. To see him riding with the umbrella fully open was quite a sight on quite a busy roadway. Other small vehicles would have just had to "duck" and weave past him.

Holding the tyre on!

This bicycle was in one of the side streets in central Shaoxing. It appears that the tyre is being held on by some rag. It may well be that the rag is to hold the rather balding tyres to the icy road early in the morning.

The cart is actually a rubbish cart - possibly one of the Shaoxing council vehicles, though I'm not sure. Rather amusing.

Meat Delivery

Chinese food handling laws and procedures are different to those in the west. Do you believe me?

Would you like your butcher to deliver meat like this?

The meat is transported from the market on a tray on wheels - no wrapping, just sitting on the wooden tray.

Then, with no gloves, the meat is picked up and put into the back of a tricycle for delivery, along with other items for delivery. No covering. The weather is very cold, but still I would have expected some different treatment of the meat

The Wedding Muso's

Almost every day in Shaoxing, there are processions lead by a strange group of six musicians who sit in the back of a unitlity - crammed in, in fact - playing music as they tour the streets of the city followed by a strange entourage of vehicles. The vehicle immediately following the musicians is a black car with a person holding a movie camera standing up though the skylight.

The next car - usually decorated with flowers often held on with sticky tape, is the car with the bride and groom. Following - and there are always 6 or 8 cars (never 5) with various family members.

This happens rain, hail or shine (although I've never seen it hail here!)

On this occasion, it was raining and miserable. The muso's had stopped - which was good to take a photo, and they were playing Oh, Susanna - click here to hear it. Although our brass band on the back of the "ute" did not sound like this.

Soon we three Aussie English teachers were having an impromptu dance on the footpath, much to the amusement of the band and the passers by. At the same time a tricycle and a bus passed, and then the street cleaners gathered laughing to see what these strangers were doing in the midst of Shaoxing.

In the end we were all laughing!