Remember last year’s journey around the 4th\u00a0Ring Road? Well, a friend of mine wanted to bike around the\u00a03rd\u00a0Ring Road on Wednesday.\u00a0 This\u00a0journey is a bit shorter (30 miles instead of 42ish).\u00a0 I was\u00a0excited to\u00a0go for a long bike ride again.\u00a0 So, two other foreign teachers, one Chinese friend, and I set out to conquer the 3rd Ring.\u00a0 We all decided that this shouldn’t take\u00a0long at all. Boy, were we wrong!\u00a0 We began around 10:30 am when we finally arrived at the 3rd Ring.\u00a0\u00a0(It’s not too far from my home, but keep in mind that we are north of the 4th\u00a0Ring.)\u00a0 We\u00a0barely got started on the journey when\u00a0one of us wanted to stop for\u00a0something to drink and a snack because he hadn’t eaten anything for breakfast.\u00a0 Well, we couldn’t possibly let him bike 30+ miles on an empty stomach.\u00a0 While we were waiting outside the 7-11 (yes, they have those in China) we witnessed a fist-fight.\u00a0 Someone had gotten into an accident (we think) with another person and\u00a0the one person wanted to drive away.\u00a0So the other guy stood in front of the car to keep\u00a0him from moving….etc, etc.\u00a0 It was mildly humorous\u00a0and highly entertaining.\u00a0 (yes, I know I shouldn’t be entertained by this)\u00a0 After we were finished taking some pictures we were finally on our way…for real this time.\u00a0 A little while later (like 5 minutes) we stopped again.\u00a0 This time at a bike guy’s cart to get oil on a couple of chains, a seat raised, and a tension rod tightened.\u00a0 After this is what I like to refer to as our REAL starting time.\u00a0 We did pretty well until we got to the eastern side of the city and the traffic stopped.\u00a0 I’ll admit, it is WAY better to be on a bike than in a car at times like this, but this particular traffic jam was ridiculous.\u00a0 We couldn’t even bike between some of the cars.\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/amber.schlomer.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/IMG_8787.jpg\" "\\"IMG_8787\\"")
<\/a>This was taken after traffic had let up quite a bit. We weren't sure why the traffic was so bad since no one had to work that day. Maybe everyone decided to go to the same place! See how there are four solid lanes of traffic (and up ahead 5)? I'm pretty sure there are only 3 actual lanes on this road. They identify the bad drivers in the city with blue license plates!<\/p><\/div>\n
After the massive traffic back up, we found ourselves in the CBD: Central Business District.\u00a0 This part of ‘town’ is in Chaoyang District and is where the rich foreigners live and is also the location of the US Embassy.\u00a0 A beautiful part of town with lots of green space and bad drivers.<\/p>\n
<\/a>This is the CCTV building in the Business district. It's very cool looking. I would not want to be a window washer for this building. What you don't see in this picture (actually, you can a little) is the building right next to it that still bears the fire damage from Chinese New Years fireworks gone awry. That was a year and a half ago. \ud83d\ude42<\/p><\/div>\n
When we got about half way around the ring, my Chinese friend, Jun Ning, asked if she and I could switch bikes.\u00a0 I had borrowed another friend’s bike so that she could use my bike for the trip.\u00a0 This other bike was a bit high for both of us but had sweet gears and made the biking really easy.\u00a0 So, we switched bikes for the rest of the trip.\u00a0 Below is what she looked like when we switched. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n
<\/a>Jun Ning. Afraid. \ud83d\ude42 She really was a vision. She had on purple pants, a blue t-shirt with a bike on it, a yellow sweatshirt over it and bright bluish-turquoise shoes! Jun Ning just graduated from medical school and is waiting to hear the results of her certification test. She is also a believer! <\/p><\/div>\n
Other sights on the journey included:<\/p>\n
<\/a>Make sure you aren't using your exploding car<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>The bike I was riding. This was an accident. Notice the ground is in focus and the bike is not.<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>McDonald's delivery guy. This is actually a very common scene. They are some of very few people who wear helmets.<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Three bikers after surviving the traffic jam.<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Team 3rd Ring at the beginning of the journey!<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>The Fearsome Foursome at the end of the journey!<\/p><\/div>\n
Day 2<\/strong><\/p>\n On Thursday, I visited the beautiful city of Tianjin.\u00a0 If you remember, I went there last year during my spring festival break to visit my friend Gretl and to meet her family.\u00a0 See that guy in the picture above?\u00a0 Last year, he made it his goal to get his Chinese driver’s license. He did this and now wants to drive at every opportunity.\u00a0 \ud83d\ude42\u00a0 He decided to rent a van to do a road trip for the National Holiday coming up in about a week.\u00a0 However, it’s cheaper per day if you rent the van for the whole month.\u00a0 So, he asked if anyone wanted to go to Tianjin to visit Gretl.\u00a0 I was in.\u00a0 We left at about 7:30 am and after a few missed exits, a couple turn-arounds, and two re-routes (thankfully we had GPS on an iPhone) we arrived at the correct neighborhood.\u00a0 Now, a little about Chinese apartment complexes.\u00a0 There is no rhyme or reason to how they number the buildings.\u00a0 If there is, it is not obvious to the average person.\u00a0 We were searching and searching for building 18.\u00a0 We had 20. We had 15, 14, 17, 19.\u00a0 Where was 18?\u00a0 Eventually, after much asking, (I no longer need to practice that phrase) we found the right building and the correct door. \ud83d\ude42\u00a0 We were greeted by warm smiles and hugs!\u00a0 Gretl’s parents, aunt, uncle and cousin, and her grandma were all there to have lunch with us.\u00a0 Before lunch we played Ma Jiang.\u00a0 The tile game that I mentioned the last time I visited.\u00a0 We were treated to a delicious lunch and then we got into the van to explore the city.\u00a0 Now, this van is unlike any vehicle you’ve ridden in.\u00a0 Okay, maybe not.\u00a0 I must say, our driver (see again the picture above) did a great job.\u00a0 To be a successful driver in China you have to drive agressively and just Go!\u00a0 You are better off if you don’t pay attention to what is going on behind you.\u00a0 If someone hits you from behind it’s their fault.\u00a0 \ud83d\ude42\u00a0<\/p>\n We had a good day exploring the city with friends and an exciting (albeit bumpy and nerve-racking) ride back to Beijing.\u00a0 Below are a couple of pictures from Tianjin.<\/p>\n