Our stint here will only be 5 months so I didn’t want to go out and buy a new bike, for three reasons new bikes generally either fall apart, get knicked and what would I do with it in 5 months. I traipsed around the city looking for a second hand bike store. This was futile, we must have walked in circles for about 4 hours only to be directed back to the brand new bike shop. At this stage I had enough. I walked away and stopped at a little bike repair shop, all in Chinese:

Jo: Do you own a bike?
Man: Yes (and points at an old purple rattler)
Jo: I want to buy your bike?
Man: It is not suitable for you (looking very confused English translation – what the …. is this crazy foreign woman saying)
Jo: Rubbish it’s a great bike, strong and I like the colour (eyes rolling)
Man: It’s really not suitable
Jo: No it’s a really good bike. How much will it cost?
Man: (Thinking for a while, a long while) 70 kuai (less than $12)
Jo: Great, thanks I’ll take it (thinking I was prepared to pay 100kuai no bartering necessary even better)

And that’s the way I rode away on the purple rattler.