A Visit to the Bicycle and Scooter Repair Shop

I need to give a little explanation before I explain today's picture to you.  I have talked about cars, scooters and bicycles before, but I want to add a little more information.  I have learned to move in and out of all of the vehicles quite well.  Cars are probably the easiest because they do stay on the road and can only come from one or two directions at a time.  Scooters and bikes are a totally different story.  They can drive on the road - either direction on each side, and they can drive on the sidewalk or anywhere else there is space for them to get through.  The other interesting aspect of staying out of their way is most of them are absolutely quiet.  Every once in a while a noisy one passes by, but the rest of the time they can be right behind me, and I won't know it.  I have decided it is like being shot at with a bebe gun from any direction.  I haven't learned yet to keep them on my radar as well as I should.  Thank goodness they do give a good beep of the horn in time for me to more out of the way.  I guess I wouldn't die if one hit me, but it could cause a bit of distress.

Another thing I have learned about scooters and bicycles in China is I don't think they have thrown one bicycle or scooter away since they started making them.  That doesn't mean there aren't a lot of new ones.  With a billion and (almost) a half people, they are building and selling new ones all the time.  But the old ones just keep on moving up and down the roads each day.  So I am sending you a picture of a scooter and bicycle repair shop.  I asked them one day if I could take their picture, but they said, "No, no, no, no."  So I assumed they didn't want their picture taken.  (Actually, I held up my camera and pointed to it. That is when they said, "No, no, no, no."  Today I hid across the street so they couldn't see me.)  Everyday people come by to fix a tire or buy a new one.  They also help with engine trouble on the scooters or fix the chains on bikes.  It is a busy little place.  At the end of the day.  They close the door on the shed and go home.  You have to admit they have very low overhead.  The only problem is they can't, or don't work on stormy days, so I am sure that cuts into their profit.  I am constantly amazed at their ingenuity here in China. If anyone is interested in starting something like it in the US, just contact me for more details.  Oh, I guess it wouldn't work to put one up on the corner of Dan's on Ft. Union.  You really need hundreds of scooters and bicycles coming by all day.

This has nothing to do with scooters and bicycles, but don't you just love the bright green and yellow running shoes they are wearing in the Olympics.  I am sure I could run farther and faster if my shoes were that colorful.