Something is always under construction here.

Here’s a look at the scene in front of the hostel where I’m staying.


Its been under construction for 3 months according to the shop owner down the street (very bad for business, she said, and then talked me into buying some bags). What’s amazing is that enormous trenches and pipe work on a street does not slow anyone down. They just set up little ramps along the side of the trench and you wind your way along, climbing over metal pipes and trying to avoid getting tetanus until you get to the shop you want. It may look like chaos today, but probably in a week there will be a completely new street over all of it. Yesterday morning I walked out of the hostel and there was a huge hole where the front steps used to be, and within a few hours pipes had been installed and the hold refilled. Construction moves insanely fast here it seems like. That being said, its not always thanks to modern conveniences. Most of the work is done by hand or with manual tools. The one power tool I saw employed in this process was this little backhoe that was lifting dirt into a janky wheelbarrow, which was then rolled over to a spot where it could be dumped. I’m not sure how this was more effective than using a shovel, but if China is anything like Texas, then any excuse to use a power tool is a good one I guess.