Bicycle Woes
All of my friends think it’s really strange that I don’t have a bike in China. I suppose it is a cheap, healthy way to get around, but I’ve never felt the need to get a bike. In Shenzhen I had a five minute walk to work, and a bus stop right outside my apartment complex that could take me anywhere. In Beijing, my office is a twenty-ish minute walk, and a five kuai, five minute beng beng ride away from my apartment. Taxis are cheap, and so is the subway; traffic a nightmare, and drivers not very kind to cyclists. So, walking on the side walk, even if it took longer, has always suited me just fine.
However, the weather is getting nicer, and I decided that it would be good if I started to get accustomed to biking, maybe in preparation for a bike ride to the country side. I decided to borrow Andy’s bike to check out a place that would otherwise be a twenty minute walk away. It was a little too high, but I thought it wouldn’t matter. I got on the bike and started going, but quickly realized I couldn’t even make a full revolution with the pedals- my legs were too short. My feet could not touch the ground when I was sitting on the seat, and when I realized I couldn’t even pedal, I tried to get a foot on the ground before I toppled over from lack of momentum. Didn’t work. Me and my bike fell sideways, squishing my leg underneath and twisting my knee painfully. Hurting and totally embarrassed, I limped my way back up to my apartment. Andy came later that night to see me on the floor in front of the TV in just a miserable and pathetic state. I guess biking in Beijing just isn’t for me.
