Drive-by Shooting: the Sequel

I had two realisations the last time I did a "drive-by shooting": it was pretty simple to do and it was really well received.

I wanted to do it again, and this Friday was a unique opportunity. Over the weekend, I flew to Chengdu (which is my excuse for not having last week's BlogThings up in time). I took a taxi to the Lanzhou airport, which meant this instalment gives you a taste of the barren lands outside of the city proper.

Drive-by Shooting

Don't panic. If you've known me for more than ten seconds, you know I love puns--especially as blog titles.

After spending a (frustrating) month in Chengdu, I realised that because of the personal stasis I found myself in, I'd not taken any photos of anything. This realisation came during a taxi ride (no, not that one), so I got out my clunker of a digital and snapped some.

So, without further ado, I bring you a drive by shooting...

Rollin'... Rollin'...

Sometimes, here in China, I have moments where I can't help but laugh. Tonight, I had one of those moments next to a taxi driver who couldn't stop staring at my crutches.

With my little bit of Chinese, I can usually have a four or five sentence conversation with whomever is driving. Often, now, it revolves around why I'm using these metal poles under my arms that are taller than most Chinese people.

I was stuck in traffic (shocker!) on my way home tonight, after exhausting my five sentences. At that point, I usually just enjoy the incomprehensible Chinese coming through the radio. Quite literally, it sounds like this looks:

Going with the flow.

Editor’s note: Here's a blog I wrote on 17 July that I didn't have a better way to introduce.

My first impressions of Chengdu were mostly an awed terror. Admittedly, part of it was the exhaustion of travelling for thirty hours, but part of it was the overwhelming sensory overload of experiencing the city.