Chinese Minibus Experience

... Japanese for lunch... who's driving? One coworker's spouse is using his driver for the day, and the other one has no idea where his driver is... maybe if he hadn't told his driver he was firing him... We head on out to the gate to catch a bus.... We are getting on this bus? This vehicle is still licensed to run on the road, much less a passenger vehicle? ...Mi neva realize China and Jamaica share so many things in common.... I grabbed an available seat, and the guys stood up... couple stops later, the ducta motioned for them to fill in the empty seats...need to make room for more passengers... Bout half a de bus had bags, boxes, u name it, it on the bus... and no doubt, us three American stood out like sore thumbs...more so me...but regular thing fi me now.... Few more stops, and the ducta, armed with his black clutch (yes woman's clutch), unda im arm, walk through the bus and collect we fares... it's 3RMB, not the 2 mi coworker thought, so we dig fi more money... Why isn't the bus moving from this stop? The light bulb finally goes off.... need more passengers fi justify the trip...every seat full, but nuff standing room lef... it look like we out fi spend the whole lunch hour a wait fi a full load... But wait, a ina lap dem ago start put the people dem, mi coworker a dead wid laugh..... Press on driver... bus full now... Of all the days not to walk wid mi camera....will have to settle fi the few mi coworker tek wid him phone...





Are we getting any closer to our destination? Does this bus even have a defined route? Absolutely not... God help wi.... We decide to get off round the next bend.... we walked for a bit...good... here comes a cab.... Couple mins later, and we are at Ten-Kuu...fine dining Japanese restaurant....

The bartender welcomes my coworker...evidently a regular....He orders salads, rice, shrimp rolls, scallops patties...beef stew... I welcomed the hot tea...crap...hot water again... what the heck is wrong with these people? Mi need fi get the scope pon the hot water drinking.... The waitress comes back...no rice..no beef stew... How can a japanese restaurant have no rice? Ok...give us noodles... 2 mins later she returns...no noodles... This is crazy!... So we order another salad...and a different beef dish.... True to the recommendation, the food was great, despite the missing rice and noodles.. I am definitely coming back... but not on a thursday.. Friday is when dem go grocery shopping fi supplies..... The bartender gives us free coffee to compensate..... Mi come a china come turn coffee drinker.....

The trip back to the office was uneventful...we opted for a cab......