Things I am going to love about China: 8 of 100.

Public Transportation

Cathy and I are starting our eighth week without a car in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Cathy’s transmission gave out in mid-December and we have been at the mercy of our friends, the Fitzgerald’s, to get to school every morning. This is why owning a car sucks. Not only is it expensive (in any country) but it is unreliable (especially in winter climates).

The average American spends over $1,500 on gas each year. Now tack on insurance and repairs and you’re looking at over $3,000 dollars per year to own a vehicle. Most people spend an average on 17% of their paycheck on their personal automobiles. Now $3,000 dollars is a lot of money for me and I’d rather spend that money on a month-long trip to some tropical place.

Enter China. Not only is my school going to be a 5 – 10 minute walk from my apartment, everything that I need is going to be within a 5 – 10 minute walk from my apartment. This includes McDonalds, Starbucks, Papa John's Pizza, Wallmart, Dunkin’ Donuts, KFC and I am only listing the western brands (these are things I cannot get in Kazakhstan).

Now, I know what you are thinking. I can’t get everywhere by walking and that’s true. I’m going to want to get out of my neighborhood and swing over to Hong Kong every once in a while. Great! It’s a $15 ferry ride and in an hour-and-a-half I’m there! If I want to go west? A brand new subway system is ready to take me to over 100 locations for 30 cents and the subway ends at my front door.

With 1.5 billion people, China cannot afford the traffic. That is why the public transportation is some of the best in the world. Public transportation in Kazakhstan? Forget busses, (they are confusing and totally unreliable) only gypsy cabs – a glorified means of hitchhiking- will get you where you want to go.

Oh, glorious China, here I come!