Next step: Buying a helmet

You would probably think this would be an easy step, given that there are so many motorcycle, motorbike, bicyclists in China. Wrong. You can’t put western values on other people. Just because I feel like wearing a helmet is the right thing to do – or even take that a step further to say, not wearing a helmet is not an option. If you look around, probably less than 5% of Chinese people wear helmets if they are on a motorcycle, motorbike or bicycle. Of that, I think 0% wear one on a bicycle. About 95% of Westerners do in any of these cases. Long story short, I ended up buying my helmet at the Nan Pu Jiao Xia Mian (under the Nan Pu Bridge). You say really? Yes, really, there was a vendor with a few blankets spread out and every type of cycling do-dad you could imagine. Helmets, bike locks, rain tarps, rain cover-ups, bungee cords, you name it. I was able to secure a bike helmet for myself for 40 kuai (a little more than $5) and a “Sherpas” one for either Grant or Josh to wear for 60 kuai (about $8). How’s that for a China experience?