A car lovers letter from Shanghai...

This lady must have had plenty of practice then- she was cooly standing in the middle of a pedestrian crossing in Wuhan with heavy traffic bowling by at the rate of knots:

 

Vietnam is the same. One thing I learned, if you just start walking, and keep moving at the same speed, they will go around you. Just dont speed up or slow down!

If you do go to Suzhou, I also highly recommend taking one of the boat trips through the city on the ancient canals. Really cool. I did it at night, in a thunderstorm, it was about 100 deg. the city was backlit by really clear forked lightening, something I will NEVER forget. Man, something else!
I agree on the pollution, it was REALLY hot the last time I was there, walked around in a t-shirt the whole time, the pollution was so bad, it blocked all the UV, never got a sunburn, and it was in the low 40s celcius (110ish F) the whole time I was there.

 

Well,it looks like they're coming along in some departments

 

When I was in Shanghai I got treated to some great truely cooked Chinese food so the trip to Hooters was a surpise for my translator. Who loved the experience at the time.

 

I thought I remembered reading that there was a certain nostalgia market for the Chang Jiang CJ750 ('30s BMW clone) motorcycle over there - although there was some effort to regulate them off the roads.

 

Even if I had an old car in China I would be afraid to drive it there...the traffic is insane. Wonderful to watch as a passenger, but I would have a heart attack if I had to drive something I took pride in building there. I would bet we will se a custom motorcycle scene there long before a classic car scnene. There are already poeple who customize cars over there, although its mostly stick on scoops, wings and stickers.

 

Right now I am living in Vung Tau, Vietnam. The car situation is much like the one in China, the emerging middle class are just beginning to purchase cars. The price with tax is double or triple the US price. What is happening now is a big Harley and Cafe Bike craze. A special license is required for anything over 150cc's. I have seen some wartime Mustangs and custom jeeps. The maximum speed limit is only 80KPH(48mph) though. When I came here for the first time after the war in 2000 it was all bicycles and a few motorbikes. I regularly ride my Yamaha and it is like being in a roller derby, only crashed 3 times in 6 years and 25000K on the road. Not bad for an old grunt.