I’ve
had some amazing drivers throughout my travels in Asia, and our driver to the
Great Wall was most definitely not one of them.
It didn’t help that I had to pee so badly that I didn’t even care about
seeing the stupid wall anymore as the driver lurched forward then jolted to a
halt over and over, unable to make any movement except the sudden slamming of
gas, brake, repeat.
The
highway leaving Beijing was surprisingly civil and well organized. I had heard about bad Chinese driving but assumed
it was similar Thailand or Nepal where cars weave in and out of each other
passing recklessly. In Beijing I didn’t
notice as much reckless driving as awful, slow driving. Traffic would accelerate and then the driver
would sit still for an exceptionally long time before jerking forward to fill
the gap. As I looked out I saw so many
cars doing the same, jerking to stops and starts, absent any concept of smooth
acceleration or braking.