Many people in China and in Asia in general ride a bicycle. It’s the cheapest and easiest way to get around. I too want one in order to be able to see what’s beside the three or four blocks I can walk and explore the area. I asked a few colleagues who have bicycle where they purchased theirs, and colleague C is kind enough to meet with me and go to the nearest shop. Well, the nearest shop is a 45-minutes walk from home. Walmart do bikes at a low price, but I heard from colleagues various horror stories and decided therefore to go to a proper bike shop.
It is Saturday afternoon and I’m on my way back from the centre, where I went to the local TV station for an audition. I’m supposed to meet colleague C near my place, but he texts me and says that it’s best to meet outside Walmart and walk from there to the bike shop. As I can’t give the taxi driver directions, I get out near my place and walk for nearly half an hour to the Walmart. Colleague C in the meantime has sat at one of the food places to eat noodles. I find him there with a pot full of noddles when I arrive. He’s circulated by an old Chinese man who looks funny at him. The old Chinese is the owner of the first food place in the food alley. He goes around pretending to wipe the tables and clean the area. His interest arises when I enter the scene. Two Laowai at once? That’s a jackpot! The old man comes closer and my colleague tells him in Chinese where we are from. The old man looks at us suspiciously and walks away a few steps. Then he returns and my colleague repeats where we are from. The old man looks again suspiciously, curves a little around us and goes back to his little hut. During all this time, two young ladies follow the scene. One of them is inside the food place cooking and serving customers, the other on is outside. Both of them stare at us all the time. When the old man walks away, one of the two ladies comes to me with her mobile phone and makes me understand that she wants to be photographed with me. Colleague C is a bit jealous, but he has no reason to be jealous, because she goes around the table and asks him for a photo. It is clearly visible that the other lady wants photos too, but is too shy to ask or even come to us. I call her and her friend goes and grabs her by her arm. We take a few photos and me and C leave after that.
Where is the bike shop again? I ask.
Half a block away. He says.
Really? I’ve never seen a bike shop around here, but then, I haven’t quite explored the area.
Perhaps it’s two or three blocks away.
Aha.
Well, it takes us fifteen minutes to get there on foot.
We arrive at the bike shop and enter. Unfortunately the person who speaks little English isn’t here today. We have to make do with the people who don’t speak our language, but never mind. We’ll survive.
I’d like a racing bike. I haven’t had one in years and most of my bikes were racing. The problem, besides the hefty price, is the size. Since Chinese people are quite petite, all the bikes are their size and not for a 6.2” ft. European. I take one and try to drive around the shop, but I fail, because it is too small. One of the shop assistants comes and adjusts the saddle and the steering, but it doesn’t make any difference. Colleague C has brought his girlfriend’s bike that needs fixing and has a look at the various accessories. I walk around the shop for a while and try various bicycles. The shop assistants seem to find it weird that I drive through the shop and curve around them, but don’t say anything. I then discover a mountain bike that is more or less suitable for me at a good price. I ask for protectors and point at one set in one of the shelves. A shop assistant comes with two kind of protectors in different sizes and asks which ones I want. I go for the longer ones. I also buy a lock. The Chinese take out their mobile phones and fire up Baidu translate to tell me that they will give me some stuff for free. The word they find is ‘giving’. So, they throw in a bottle of chain oil, a small bag for the frame, a throat and neck protector, and one for my colleague, a frame protector for the piece under the chain, a bottle holder, and a trouser clipper. Every time they show me one of the items, they say ‘giving’. Both of us are impressed and happy. Who says Chinese can't do business? Russell Peters, let me tell you, they can if they want.
It is dark when we leave the shop and I wish I’d bought lights too. Never mind. Next time.
My bicycle
Giving
Giving
Giving
Giving
Giving
If you would like to read more by me, here are my novel and my diary from Ar'ar, in the northern Saudi desert. Both available on Amazon as soft and hard copy.
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