The Scooter

I have a confession to make. 

I have to preface this confession by explaining that Matt and I cannot legally drive cars in China. In order to even rent a car, we are required to take a Chinese driving test first, which involves being able to read and write Mandarin, which we cannot do. If we could pass the test, we would then each be required to give up our U.S. driver’s license, which we do not want to do.  

We get around Shenzhen mainly by taking taxies, which are cheap and abundant, walking, or calling Mr. Wong, a wonderful driver with a good relationship and history with Plaid (he keeps a log in his van of the business trips taken around town to various printers & factories and bills Plaid at the end of the month). We’re allowed to use Mr. Wong for some personal use, but he doesn’t speak English, so we usually have to rely on a Plaid co-worker to call and explain to him where we want to go. We have to plan in advance to call him to go anywhere, which at times is tough given Dean’s unreliable nap schedule. 

Everyone at the Plaid Far East office knows (or finds out) where and when Mr. Wong drives us places, so there’s a lack of privacy if we want to have him take us anywhere. For example, one day Matt took Dean and his ayi Ms. Yiao to the international health clinic we use. We wanted her to be familiar with the place so she would know where to take the little guy in the event that he needs emergency care. The next day all of my coworkers were asking if Dean was sick, what was wrong with him, and why we had to take him to the Dr. 

Now that you have a feel for what we do to get around town without a car, time for the big confession… 

We own a set of wheels in China. 

The Hog, as Matt refers to our it, is 125 cc’s of sheer scooting power. It’s not as sleek as the pale blue Vespa I dreamed of owning a few years ago when gas prices spiked to $4 a gallon, and it only has a tenth of the power of a Harley Davidson, but it’ll get you where you need to go.

The deep hum and high-pitched squeaky horn command attention on the road when approaching any pedestrian or man-powered bicycle. 

Owning a scooter became Matt’s obsession within a month of living here. He carefully analyzed, researched and visited every retailer within walking distance of our apartment (at least 5 or 6) once he learned you don’t have to have a license to drive one on the streets of China. 

Shenzhen, like most cities we’ve seen in China, contains a plethora of scooters and electric bike owners. They swarm the streets like gnats, averaging 2 to 3 people on each (they really know how to carpool around here). We’ve even seen families of 5 buzzing around town: dad in the front driving, kid in the middle, mom towards the back holding a baby, and kid on the very back holding on for dear life. 

It doesn’t have much storage, but it will hold 138 diapers if you stick 3 packs in the bubble dome “trunk” and 2 under the seat. 

For now, our pimped out grocery-getter is fully in Matt’s control. He’s mastered driving on sidewalks, zooming to the front of traffic stopped at red lights, and making a left hand turn from the right hand lane.

OK, not really on that last bit, but it wouldn’t surprise me if one day he follows after the locals who do this. I haven’t been brave enough to drive the scooter (we’ve owned it about 6 weeks), and we haven’t taken Dean for a ride yet, but the day will come for both eventually.