Taxi Trials and Tribulations
... I need to stop a taxi! ... The thought of her Australian, born and bred, fourteen-year-old daughter taking a taxi on her own, was beyond her comprehension. The only way I would be allowed to take a taxi on my own was first, to undergo two "taxi tests" with my elder brother who is fluent in mandarin. ... The taxi driver ignored my directions, went the wrong way up a one-way street, and was noisily chastising every other driver in sight. ... Taxis are the main form of transport in Shanghai, and almost everyone has taken, or will take a taxi. Living in Shanghai, I have learned to have no fear, walking into the middle of a bustling highway, inhaling the choking fumes of passing buses and trucks in order to catch an available taxi.