Topic: Hello from Wuhan China

[R33F]

Hi everyone.
Im from Los Angeles area...
I’ve been living here in China for almost 3 years now, working as a English teacher.
It was cool at first, but Im over it now.
This will be my last year here and I plan to return home to the USA this summer.
Going to buy a home in Washington.
Can’t wait to get home and do some wheelin.

Nice to meet all of you, I look forward to learning,
makin some friends and contributing to this forum.


Thanks
R33F

[Cheesemaker]

  

What part of WA do you want to live in?  I'm from Tillamook, OR. 

[Rocksurfer]

  II   and when did Oregon become part of Washington?

[toe]

 

[BigMike]

R33F and thanks for registering!

We have a member here, zembalayan, who also lived in China for a while. His Chinese is much better than my Japanese and is very fun to listen to at camp fires!

During my 5th visit back to Japan, my wife and I stopped off in Beijing and had a great time. Some pics and my experience posted here. Oh man I just realized how much I have to update to that thread



So are you able to do any sort of wheeling over there? Take some Chinese 4x4 up in the mountains and then walk back home?

Have a safe trip back to the motherland and look'n forward to seeing what you end up building

Regards,
BigMike

  II   and when did Oregon become part of Washington?

Tillamook has become a true cheese head.

[zembalayan]

欢迎光临，R33!

我从来没有去过武汉那边儿。 我当留学生的时候，就是从1996年到1997年一直住在北京。 玩得非常的开心， 学得很多。 回国之后，我不经常有机会讲中文。 其实，最近我日语越来越好因为我们这儿的家人常用。

你看，这个BB是特别有意思对我们喜欢丰田汽车的人。

我的外号在中国是「啊屄」哈哈！

再见

[zembalayan]

I bet you have some stories.  Closest I got to doing any offroading was with a friend when we hired a guide and driver with a BJ60 and toured around Lhasa and Shigatze in 2001. I saw a ton of LandCruisers out in Tibet; I was glad I was in one too rather than a "Beijing Jeep."  I wonder if you see any of those on the road anymore?

[zembalayan]

Found a link:

http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90001/90782/90872/6885759.html

P.S.  my apologies for the bad Chinese above.  Just thought I would give it a whirl after 18 years since any serious studies.

[BigMike]

Found a link:

http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90001/90782/90872/6885759.html

WOW Very interesting, thanks for the link.




R33F, do you see any of these running around?

P.S.  my apologies for the bad Chinese above.  Just thought I would give it a whirl after 18 years since any serious studies.

zembalayan, you are the epitome of humility.

Regards,
BigMike

[R33F [OP]]

 

What part of WA do you want to live in?  I'm from Tillamook, OR.

Thanks for the welcome!
We are looking in the Spokane area.

[Wainiha]

Sode Tsurikome Goshi?  I have some  Japanese along those lines.   Only Chinese I know is ...Dit da jow.   Oh wait can't forget han bao and char siu.

I had raw shellfish saimen in Kowloon.  Also chicken feet and jellyfish tentacles at a dim sum restaurant.  It was awesome I bought the Bruce Lee recommended medicine for Iron Palm training, in some alley.  Got a custom tailored suit.  Bought a bunch of stuff that customs didn't need to see as well.

Sailing out of Kowloon harbor at night I saw bioluminescent plankton.  The ships wake was bright turquoise.  Unreal.

[Wainiha]

My uncle just bought an old barn in Spokane.  I wish I had a picture.  River front.  I like the PNW.

[R33F [OP]]

Thanks Toe!

  II   and when did Oregon become part of Washington?

Thanks Rocksurfer!

R33F and thanks for registering!

We have a member here, zembalayan, who also lived in China for a while. His Chinese is much better than my Japanese and is very fun to listen to at camp fires!

During my 5th visit back to Japan, my wife and I stopped off in Beijing and had a great time. Some pics and my experience posted here. Oh man I just realized how much I have to update to that thread


So are you able to do any sort of wheeling over there? Take some Chinese 4x4 up in the mountains and then walk back home?

Have a safe trip back to the motherland and look'n forward to seeing what you end up building

Regards,
BigMike
Tillamook has become a true cheese head.

Thanks for the welcome BigMike, I've been to Beijing a few times it's a lot of fun! Good bars and food if you know where your going. I haven't done any wheeling since I left the states. I sold my Rubi right before I left.
And I refuse to drive here. It's just too unlawful and chaotic... I just take a subway or taxi if I need to get around.

Those Beijing Jeeps are all over in Wuhan, but just the military uses them. There more modern than the ones that were posted in this thread and are diesel powered. Unfortunately, they destroy any cars that are old or can't pass inspection, so there is nothing old anywhere on the streets.

I'll try to snap a shot of one of the new ones.

Nice to meet ya!

edit by BigMike: removed double quote

[R33F [OP]]

Sode Tsurikome Goshi?  I have some  Japanese along those lines.   Only Chinese I know is ...Dit da jow.   Oh wait can't forget han bao and char siu.

I had raw shellfish saimen in Kowloon.  Also chicken feet and jellyfish tentacles at a dim sum restaurant.  It was awesome I bought the Bruce Lee recommended medicine for Iron Palm training, in some alley.  Got a custom tailored suit.  Bought a bunch of stuff that customs didn't need to see as well.

Sailing out of Kowloon harbor at night I saw bioluminescent plankton.  The ships wake was bright turquoise.  Unreal.

Yes, Hong Kong is unreal! I love it there!

[R33F [OP]]

I bet you have some stories.  Closest I got to doing any offroading was with a friend when we hired a guide and driver with a BJ60 and toured around Lhasa and Shigatze in 2001. I saw a ton of LandCruisers out in Tibet; I was glad I was in one too rather than a "Beijing Jeep."  I wonder if you see any of those on the road anymore?

Yeah, there are lots of stories, some funny some scary. I have enjoyed every minute of living here.
I got married, had a son ,I've traveled all over Asia, met tons of friends ate lots of good food.
It was a great experience! It changed my life.

But I miss home, I miss wheeling, eating American food, working on my rig, camping, fishing, hunting, clean air....etc.

Nice to meet ya!

[tgmaul88]

yo,  and how dy

[BigMike]

And I refuse to drive here. It's just too unlawful and chaotic... I just take a subway or taxi if I need to get around.

We rode a bus on a two lane hillside/mountain road on our way to the Great Wall and people were overtaking in the shoulders as well as the middle (ie. over the dividing paint lines). We somehow managed to fit five wide on a two lane road and no one even flinched. Our bus driver just kept his foot in it up the hill like nothing was even happening (I'm sure its routine). You'd have a guy in the middle overtaking downhill while splitting the traffic and then you'd have a guy coming up the other direction doing the same, catastrophic front end collision imminent, and traffic would just naturally squeeze over and make room without even skipping a beat, like a shark swimming through the center of a school of fish.

We even came across a multiple car accident where a truck carrying live Sheep lost its load and a few cars collided with the live animals as they were badly injured from falling off the truck and/or trying to escape the motorway. I've never see so much gore on a road before. Unbelievable.

Then in the city you get people jaywalking like they are all gods and goddesses. Literally jaywalking across a 8 lane wide highway where cars doing 60 mph plus are having to slam on their brakes and the jaywalkers don't even look at the drivers, they just cross the street like zombies. I even have a picture of a lady carrying her daughter while doing this... putting both their lives at risk... yet apparently thinking nothing of the sort. It was absolutely a surreal experience for us.

I'll keep an eye out for some pics of some cools trucks if ya happen to take any

BigMike

[Wainiha]

My dad, who was in the Merchant Marine, had a regular taxi driver.  Phong.  He would take my dad to all his usual stops.  When I went my dad said go with Phong, he'll take you where ever you want.  I had some shady ideas but in the end I was too chicken. 

My dad told me the departure time and said he would sail without me if I was late.  It would cost millions to be late.  I stuck with him and Phong.

[BigMike]

Found my pics

I know this is blurry but this is a shot of us, in a fully loaded bus, overtaking a "big rig" / hauler in the oncoming / wrong lane going up hill. I mean what the hell would happen if there were another two large vehicles doing the same thing coming up the other side?


Here we are passing another bus in the shoulder around a blind corner. What the hell would happen if there was a car broken down with a flat tire in the shoulder just around the corner?


Here is a bus in front of us overtaking in the oncoming lane. We are talking about buses here people. Buses. That driver is responsible for the lives of fourty-something people.


Here we are lane splitting but splitting with an oncoming lane forcing oncoming traffic to merge over to make room. We are passing another very large vehicle even with dual front axles all while another very large vehicle is coming at us. Did the bus driver panic? Nope. Just kept his foot in it.


Here we are going five wide on a two lane uphill road with limited visibility.


And for my last crazy traffic picture, look at this guy in the van passing three or four cars including a buss all while going over the crest of a hill in the oncoming traffic's lane with no visibility of the other side.


UN-FREAK'N-BELIEVABLE CHINESE DRIVERS

[BigMike]

Ok now how about Chinese Jaywalkers?

Oh a large bus is approaching an intersection? Let me in my green shirt cross diagonally right through (hard to see but she is in front of us in the intersection)


Gonna take the family out for lunch? Sure let's walk in front of this large bus and then play frogger for a while walking with traffic until a gap to cross opens

Furthermore, look at the intersection ahead of us. Green light for us but look at all the people crossing the road.


Hey. Hey guys. GUYS. We have the green light. Wat are you all doing?! Come awn man.


Every second is precious so let's walk to the VERY TIP of the lane so that the bus just misses our NOSES and then we will jaywalk.



I like taking my son out for ride in the stroller on nice sunny days. But I'm not sure what the Red DON'T CROSS sign means and I'm sure people will stop for us


In closing, it is so bad that they have to hire full time traffic wardens and hold up barriers to prevent people from jaywalking. Look at this:

Look at the two barriers, the fruit-loop flag and the guy to the right with the orange triangles...



I loved my visit to China and I love all Chinese people, but come on guys. How that country has such a high population with all this still going on simply blows my mind.

BigMike

[R33F [OP]]

Yep, that's China. They actually drive pretty good just no regard for the rules.
Don't get me going on the pedestrians and electric motorcycles.

[helipilot77]

Welcome from Seattle. I have a friend in Spokane who I help install a 1KZ-te into his 95' 4runner. I drove mine out to help him just days after getting mine running. Washington will be happy to have you.

[R33F [OP]]

Welcome from Seattle. I have a friend in Spokane who I help install a 1KZ-te into his 95' 4runner. I drove mine out to help him just days after getting mine running. Washington will be happy to have you.

Thanks!
I can't wait to get home...

[R33F [OP]]

Here is a shot of the JK I built.
I sold it before I moved to China in 2011.
I do miss it!


I'm looking forward to building a FJ60 or 80 this time.
My family has grown a lot since then.

[BigMike]

Nice Wrangler I think you should find a clean BJ70-series Turbo Diesel Land Cruiser and ship it over to Washington where it'll be waiting for you

Take a look at this thread, Guide to Foreign (Non-USA) Model Toyotas. It's a shame we don't get these plus other models here in the States

[R33F [OP]]

Ran into this guy the other day!

[BigMike]

WOW That is awesome!! Thanks for posting

So beings that you are a former Jeep owner, I have to ask why are you interested in Toyota's? I can't speak for everyone but I've been out wheeling since the fall of 1983 and have wheeled with many, many different rigs from all makes and sizes. I love wheeling with no matter what other vehicle is out on the trail and I've learned a lot from other vehicles and really enjoy chatting with their owners. Ultimately, if Toyota USA doesn't drop it's ball sack, I think we are all gonna have to build a Jeep someday just to get out and wheel (short of importing, will 80s and 90s Toyota trucks still be around 30 years from now? ).

I see your family has grown so you're looking at a 60 or 80-series LC. How about a 4-door Wrangler or even a Cherokee? Of course you know my preferences but I'm just curious. I know Jeeps are much more expensive to build, but I'm interested to know if perhaps you had an uncle who owned a Land Cruiser who let you mob around in it?

As for FJ60s, check out what freds40 did to his: FJ-60 Build-Up. If I built a FJ60 I would definitely take a lot from his build



FJ60 with Dual Marlin Crawler Transfer Case setup. I don't know all his specs, but his Crawl Ratio should be around 180-210:1

BigMike

[Wainiha]

Wow.  Some are left hand drive too.  I want another Toyota. 

[Cheesemaker]

I'd love to have FJ60.  Or at least one of the crewcab Hilux.   There is a guy here running around in a RHD crewcab Hilux, 2.4D.  I haven't had a chance to catch up to him. 

[helipilot77]

I'm with big mike on bringing over a BJ70 Deisel those things are the baddest things toyota has built. Nobody around would have anything like it. On the down side there would always be a fresh coat of drool on it and would have people asking you for rides.