Spring time in bike lane

Ever since the first snow, which came the end of October, marked the beginning of an early winter in Beijing, I've been asking when spring will come. On Monday, I woke up again to a blanket of white in the garden and the swishing sound of brooms sweeping pavement, my hopes for an early spring dashed.

The cold of winter is unpleasant, but not unbearable. I don't mind pristine snow turning into murky slush on the streets. What does bother me about this season is that it keeps me from being in my favorite place in Beijing - in the bike lane.

To grow up Chinese is to grow up on two wheels, but it wasn't until I was an adult and started experiencing Beijing traffic in a car that I truly began to appreciate the bicycle. Once, I was headed to a location just three kilometers north of my apartment. Google Maps estimated it was a six-minute car ride away. In reality, it took me twenty-five minutes inching along in a taxi to get there.