Left exhausted by hospital's super efficiency

Beijing veers from smooth efficiency one minute to sheer chaos the next. Each time I do something new, there's an added element of unpredictability, as I don't know whether things will be organized with military precision or whether no one will have a clue what's going on.

Take getting around the city. Look at a map of Beijing and you see an organized grid-style road network. But then when you undertake an excursion, chaos ensues. Crossing a road is like running a gauntlet. Bikes, cars, minivans, and even the odd horse and cart compete for space. People yell at each other and cars constantly beep their horns.

Another battleground is the supermarket. Queues are an alien concept. I stand politely waiting to pay for my goods and a withered old man is suddenly in front of me paying for his. I have to stop daydreaming and focus on the competition on hand, even if that means fending off the elderly.