Wednesday, September 19, 2012

I walked/peddled to school today: World Car Free Day:Alphabe-Thursday R for Ride




Before there were gas power cars, there were peddle powered trishaw. When I was young ,like my older daughter, I won't be seen dead in one of these. My great grand ma would go round town in what we call SA KA LIN or SAN LUEN CHUR. Our school was in town, and when she sees us, especially when it was raining, she would call in our dialect our Chinese names and talk to us in Cantonese. We would talk very fast away from her.

The Changi airport in Singapore used to have a trishaw for tourists who want to have a bit of nostalgia. Take a trishaw ride in Downtown Chinatown and enjoy a ride down memory lane.

In Auckland, they have a modernised contraception for the tourists.

Hope you've all survived the cold, rainy winter term.  As part of the school's efforts to support World Car Free Day, they are encouraging all kids to walk or ride to school for the next two weeks.  We thought it may be a nice idea to get the Moa Road Movers going for just ONE DAY to support this kaupapa.


三輪車 Shan Lun Che
A chinese nursery rhyme with many different variants, some comical.
 The trishaw goes very fast,
Inside sits an old woman.
The fare is 50 cents, 
She gives him $1.
Isn't that strange?
My aunt who was a teacher added this two sentences:
Not strange?
If you ride the trishaw,
And don't pay money, that's DUE LIAN, ( shameful) 
and we kids changed the DUE LIAN to DURIAN, which is our infamous king of fruits.

三輪車
三輪車跑得快 上面坐個老太太
要五毛 給一塊 你說奇怪不奇怪

For all my Chinese speaking friends who probably sang this when they were young in kindergarten or from the TV in Singapore.





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4 comments:

wenn said...

It's fun to sit on a trishaw..

Elisabeth OKeefe said...

That looks like lots of fun:)
I want a trishaw now!

Gattina said...

Such sceneries you find in Amsterdam ! There are more bicycles then inhabitants and of all kind !

CelloMom said...

It's true, modern versions of the trishaw are popping up all over the place: They don't look much like the original, and so far only tourists seem to be taking them - but that's a start.