World’s Largest Bus

by Willy Volk on

While everyone has been busy drooling over the Airbus landing and other big airplanes, this story kinda flew under the radar. China recently unveiled the world’s largest bus, a rolling behemoth with a capacity of 300 passengers. Intended for service in Beijing and Hangzhou, the 82-foot-long Superliner is a whopping 42 feet longer than an ordinary bus.

Amazingly, the bus:

  • requires 35 steps to walk from front to back;
  • has five doors;
  • really doesn’t have duct tape holding it together, despite appearances;
  • has 40 seats;
  • is wheelchair accessible;
  • can reach speeds of up to 51 miles per hour;
  • is, according to one bus driver, “flexible when cornering.”

The Superliner will be allowed to use special bus-only lanes on the highways; it will also make fewer stops so it can pass through the city more quickly. No doubt eager bus drivers will create special competitions for the monster, e.g., who can parallel park it without running over the fire hydrant. If you’re interested, Shanghaist has a neat photo gallery of the liner.

[Via World Hum]

China to Compete With Boeing and Airbus

by Jonathon Morgan on

By announcing plans to build a plane that can carry more than 150 people, China has officially become a competitor of Boeing and Airbus. The larger jets won’t be finished until 2020 at the earliest, but the China Aviation Industry Corporation has already started building a smaller, regional plane that can carry up to 105 people.

Increased wealth in China has made flying a more viable means of travel for it’s citizens. In light of the air travel boom, the country will need to purchase an estimated 2,230 planes before 2025. Thus, according to the State Council, China’s firms are committed to constructing an “internationally competitive product” that can take a share of the market.

With mass production on the mid-size ARJ-21 regional jet set to begin later this year, it sounds like it won’t be long before you’ll be flying on Chinese-built planes when you travel within the country.

St. Patrick’s Day Around the World

by Jamie Rhein on

If it were possible to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day around the world, like if you started in Australia and worked your way west around the globe, where might you land?

Here are 6 possibilities. None of them in Ireland:

At The Mean Fiddler in Sydney, Australia, St. Patrick’s Day is a family event, and it lasts the whole weekend. Besides great music , there’s authentic Irish food fare.

The Tokyo Irish Music Festival 2007 in Japan is another two day event. This is a real blend of east meets west. Michael McGuire of River Dance is part of the performance line-up. So is Taka Hayashi who joined Riverdance a few years back.

For free T-shirt and hat give-a-ways, head to O’Malley’s Irish Pub in Shanghai, China. The doors won’t close on St. Patrick’s Day until the last person leaves (or something like that). The next day is a truly kid-oriented Irish festival. I think the idea is to give the kid’s something to do while the adults get over a hang over.

If you happen to be in Turkey, here’s a website to help you find a pub on your own. The addresses are given.

At Finnegan’s Irish Pub in Florence or Rome, Italy, you’ll find the real Irish deal and Irish sports broadcasts. The website has maps to help you get to that pint of ale before St. Patrick’s Day is over.

In Dublin, Ohio, (I had to pick this one, I live near there.) St. Patrick’s Day starts off with a run and finishes off with my husband’s favorite Irish Band, The Prodigals. They’re excellent and they tour everywhere.

For a comprehensive look for Irish pubs in other global locations, check out the website, Irish Abroad.

Happy St. Patty’s Day and “Top of the mornin’ to you,” or some such thing. The photo is from last year’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade in New York City. It is a blast. I went year’s ago.

Outdoor Chinese Urinals — Not for the Modest!

by Justin Glow on

Watch out, Johnny-on-the-Spot, there’s a new port-o-potty in (China) town.

This thing is essentially a step up from a diaper, but eh, I’d still use it. They seriously need to put them by my house (and around every other college campus in the United States). If I had a dollar for every time I’ve seen drunk frat guys peeing on the side of a building, I’d quit my job and travel the world telling everyone how I got rich simply by seeing a bunch of guys pee outside of a bathroom. I’d be famous! Though now that I think about it, even if these were sprinkled throughout town around campus, I bet I’d still see guys peeing in the streets. What’s with that?

[via say no to crack]

China’s New Coffee Culture

by Willy Volk on

According to Stuart Eunson, managing director of Arabica Coffee Roasters, “In 1994, Beijing taxi drivers didn’t know what coffee was.” Now, 13 years later, tea production has fallen sharply in the country, and China has developed a deep and sophisticated taste for the drink. In fact, the demand for coffee in China is growing at 10% per year — and there’s no end in sight.

While some “credit” the shift from tea to coffee in China to Nestle — which introduced soluble coffee to the country in the 1980s, which was both easy to make and comfortably similar to making tea — other people think it’s a desire by the Chinese to embrace all things Western. For example, one university student claims, “I learned about coffee culture by watching the TV series Friends.” Ugh. Could that BE any sadder?

However, other people think China has grabbed onto coffee culture and made it its own. These people argue that Chinese coffee lovers pay more attention to “presentation” than Westerners — demonstrated by their love for elaborate latte art; their fondness for siphon pots; and their emphasis on a “fresh cup” (as opposed to Westerners’ always-brewing 10-cup behemoths).

In any event, the “take-away message” is that, despite the Chinese backlash against western coffee houses showing up in ancient Chinese locations, if you love your Cuppa Joe, and you’re in China, you’re going to be able to find it.

[Photo: tonx]