Obeying regulations
I was informed by a travelling colleague this morning that I should be more circumspect in my reportage. So,
Today, we set about getting our driving licences and Chinese registration plates.
This involved doing to the test station which was about an hour away.
Along the way we passed several police checkpoints, where IDs were checked before continuing.
Travel in this region involves routine stops at checkpoints, which can add time to the journey.
The road included multiple security checks, so travelers should keep their documents handy.
Checkpoints are a regular feature here — part of daily life and the travel experience.
Better?
After some to-ing and fro-ing we passed our tests (actually not having done a single thing, apart from showing a warning triangle and a fire extinguisher) and we were informed by our guide we could return to the hotel and tomorrow we would receive our licences and reg plates. On our way back, we were stopped by the police. They turned out to be immigration police and they wanted to check our visas. I wondered to myself how could we have got this far without a visa, but clearly I was wrong. Having satisfied themselves that we were indeed in the country all present and correct they then asked to see our driving licences. “Ah”, said the guide “that is not possible because they are being printed”. The policeman gravely informed us that we were driving on the roads not in a regulatory or conformed manner. But because he was a man of stature and wisdom he told us he would personally escort us back to the hotel under his protection, with full blues and twos. Before we could leave he gave us a strict lecture. “Welcome to Kashgar and welcome to China.” We beamed back at him, grateful for his munificence. “Be careful not to break any laws” he intoned.
He set off with four old bangers and the guide’s vehicle in tow and the car at the back (Vauxhall) was immediately set a dilemma: the lights turned red with five/sixths of the convoy through and tail end Charlie not. What to do? We obeyed the rules and lost the convoy. We were now totally without conformity of any kind. Shortly after, we caught up, chastening ourselves for our non conformity. You really couldn’t make it up. It was like a movie produced by the Keystone Film Company about coppers….
I will behave in tomorrow’s post.
We love the traffic light system. There is a countdown shown in seconds for how long before the lights change. This, remarkably, is also shown on my navigation aid called Amap.
Other stories today. A walk around the old city produced some great photos.
After dinner we repaired to a bar for the traditional cleansing ale. One of our number, who decided a bottle of red wine would be his beverage of choice, missed the vital decimal point placement (maths not being his forte). David (it was not him) tried to pay on Alipay but was thwarted by security. I produced some notes and then some more but the nice girl behind the bar (who spoke no English) smiled and wrote down the number. Realisation crept up on us slowly. The wine cost £250. No thank you.
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