Snow in Beijing

It's snowed here already TWICE, even though it's only mid-November. (This is the view from our 8th-floor apt). The government makes it precipitate whenever meteorological conditions allow, in a (somewhat useless) attempt to alleviate the severe drought that's been plaguing Northern China for over 10 years now.

THEN, because there are NO PLOWS in this entire city, it snows 6 inches and is an UTTER MESS. Imagine a city of 12 million people where all the roads have to be cleared by HAND by an army of people with shovels and brooms. Practical. No, really...it provides jobs.

Also, the government reportedly uses hundreds of tons of chemicals on the road surface to get the snow to melt away. Safe. Smart. Environmentally friendly.

I made the mistake the other day when it snowed of riding my bike to work. I wasn't thinking properly when I left the abode, and was dressed in a skirt, tights, and heels--already a great bike-riding outfit. Then add 8 inches of snow, tons of dirty slush, and rabid Chinese drivers to the mix. Most of the ride consisted of me pedaling extremely slowly through massive puddles trying not to spray myself with slush, swerving to avoid cars that would spray me with slush, and attempting to steer through any situation without stopping so I didn't have to put my feet down in the cold, wet, sloppy road. I managed--this is a miracle--to only touch the ground ONCE on my entire 30-minute ride to work. It was quite the feat.