Goddamn' Pedestrians

Get out of the damned way!

One of the things you get used to here is people shouting "Laowai" or "Hello" at you as you're going about your daily business. It's no fun and by and large there are enough foreigners in Hangzhou that people don't get too freaked out by us.

I know it's not just me that gets riled but, today really took my cake/biscuit.

Normally pedestrians know the rules (keep moving at a constant speed ignoring all visual and auditory stimuli and the traffic will move round you) but not today. Not once, but twice whilst cycling to the office, a random pedestrian started to cross the road in front of me - assuming they'd stick to the rules I kept going (a bit like Days of Thunder - you drive towards the car that's crashing in front of you assuming momentum will take it somewhere else) only for them to go all "There's a laowai" on me and stop dead in front of me. Even shouting 'Argh!' as my wheels locked and I slid up the road towards the first old goat didn't get a flinch out of him.

So - anyone in Hangzhou who sees me coming (foreigner, wearing light coloured clothes at night, moving faster than 99% of non-e-Bikes, can't miss me) please remember to Get out of the damned way!