EXPLORING

I explore the area a little more and find the old quarter of Baoding after meeting my students: they're all very enthusiastic and bright, but on  many occasions self conscious as I suppose may young people are. In this part of China many people get around on little electric scooters, which is one way in which the Chinese embrace green culture. There are also little red taxis built on a motorcycle chassis, they emit almost no sound so I surmise they may be electric. Some local people have little trucks also built around the same principle complete with a Chinese voice that emits a message whenever they reverse, I imagine something like THIS VEHICLE IS REVERSING! although not very loud. I've sickened of eating out all the time and long to be able to cook so have bought a wok ( the Chinese just call it a pan.) Would you believe the traditional Chinese wok is virtually unobtainable here ? They've all embraced the non-stick, flat-bottomed version you tend to buy in Wilkos or ASDA in the UK. In despair I buy a cast-iron one at Walmart which I think is the best I can get. After centuries of design why fix something that ain't broke?
If the good news is that buses in China are punctual, regular,clean, cheap, fast and reliable the bad news is they are hopelessly overcrowded. Then again China is known for its population. I tend to stand near the exit doors if I can as they are separate from the entrance. I find myself gently edging towards the exit by making my body as fluid as possible and sidling through the other passengers:  (Its standing room only quite often,) Many road users on scooters tend to wear a kind of blanket that covers them at the front with built in gloves like oven gloves presumably to keep out the cold. In the UK they would just get some motorcycle clothes I guess.  Few wear helmets. The old quarter has an old world charm that makes me think that to have an old quarter, a city has to undergo burgeoning redevelopment., meaning that at some time in the past, the old quarter was surrounded by fields. The old quarter is full of art materials shops which encourages me to think I may be able to enthuse my students and get some stuff to make art myself!