Those public conveyances

When traveling, better have some idea of how you are going to get around in foreign countries.

In the Orient, no country bests Japan.

I have traveled there in taxis, subway, boat and plane.

You will find that their operations are on time, and you won’t find graffiti everywhere.

When taking a taxi, hang on; drivers like to roll up the fares. I don’t mean cheating you, but they like to take as many trips as they can. They’re just good businessmen.

I would get a business card from my hotel and take off on foot exploring. When I got sufficiently lost, and was tired, I would hail a taxi, give him the business card, and I was soon back in my hotel.

I was invited to a Tokyo family residence for dinner and was told to take a certain subway train and where to stop to get off, and they would meet me.

I got on the train and looked up; all the stops were written in Japanese.

I was in lucik, the gentleman next to me spoke English. When I told him my story, he said, “Don’t worry, I will let you know when we are there.” A high percentage of Japanese speak at least some English.

I got off and my friends were there. After the trading of gifts, we had a great dinner, then I just repeated what I did to get there, only in reverse to return.

I signed up to go to Kamakura, a famous buddha shrine, and part of the trip was by boat. Same efficiency.

I took the famous “Bullet Train” to Osaka, speeding along at nearly 200 miles per hour. Now you can add about 100 miles to that. Not a bump along the way. It gave you the impression that you were floating.

After a couple of days there, I flew to Taiwan. Same thing: on time and a pleasant trip.

Later, when I arrived in Hong Kong, things were different.  I got pulled around by rickshaw. My driver looked like he would be about 100 pounds dripping wet. He took the two poles and away we went. It is remarkable how fast and how long these drivers could go and last. He got a very healthy tip.

While there, I often rode the ferry to get to my hotel, which was on the island. I rode in the cheapest seats for five cents a trip. My hotel, The Mandarin, was on the island.

Everywhere the typical oriental efficiency, and friendly people.

In Vietnam and Cambodia, internal travel was by bicycles with scoop seats up front.

In Thailand, taxis were fun but better to hang on tight. At stop signs, cars might be five or six wide, and when the light changes, it’s everyone for themselves. Lots of horn honking, but no collisions while I was there. 

In Burma, it was all bicycles.  Same efficiency, but not the number of people.  

There, I would hire a bike taxi for several hours telling the taxi driver that he could take fares as long as he got back at a prescribed time. He was always there and was at my hotel waiting for me the next morning. He must have liked how I paid him.

In India, taxis were less efficient and traffic was awful.

I went down to the financial district with a family member of one of my student acquaintances. 

He took me to a wall and said, “Stand against this wall, and don’t move.”

I watched all the traffic back up, giving way to an oxen-pulled cart loaded with goods. I waited tight against that wall for 10 or 20 minutes until he came back for me, explaining that he had to take care of some business.

I finally figured out that, in all the places, I was lost as soon as I left my hotel, just the degree of being lost was different.

People generally were helpful, polite, and interesting.