This is annoying
I sat next to a fat arse the other day who was taking up more than his fair share of seat space. Can't blame him for his obesity I suppose, but the one thing that really had me up in arms was that he was flicking his nostril hair about in the cabin. It's bad enough he started picking his nose right in front of me (I see that revolting habit so common here that my "tolerance" to it has built up over the years), but no, he proceeded to rip out his nostril hairs and then flick around the cabin. And yes, you can see bits of his mucus still sticking to the hair on the floor.
At that point, I had it, so I got up and walk to another seat. Maybe the whole point of his disgusting habit was to force out the person sitting next to him out of revulsion so he can get the extra space for himself. If so, I admit, it was "effective" in deterring anyone else wanting to sit next to him.
With smell/unhygienic/revolting behaviour, you can normally either choose to tell them off or move further away.
But the experience I had this morning on my way to work was rather disturbing, and you couldn't really have a go at them. Or, at that moment of 'WTF?!?' know what to do or how to react. I stepped onto a rather packed MTR this morning, and surprisingly found a little extra space a little further inside the carriage, which I duly shuffled myself into. As soon as the doors closed, a very big woman next to me started to talk very loudly to her imaginary friend (and no, she was not using a handsfree) and then proceeded to swat imaginary flies.
Obviously, this woman was several biscuits short of a packet, so at first you do feel a little sorry for her, and then fear of her either swatting you and/or you becoming her new best friend. Its not as if you can have a go at her. Everyone in the carriage just looked at each other thinking 'what can I do?'
I rarely see anyone doing anything other than keeping their head down and minding their own business. Occasionally someone even offers me a seat, which I gratefully take.
I do object to the young louts who spread themselves out over the red seats labelled "get yer fat arse off this seat right sharpish if someone who needs it even approaches this vicinity" and then either pretend to be asleep or become so deeply involved in playing Candy Crush they don't even notice the weary granny standing right in front of them. Or the old gent with the cane or the pregant lady about to pop or anyone else who actually NEEDS to sit down!
Kate: It is not all that bad. I do continue to see a few empty red seats even when the trains are crowded. There are always some exceptions, but the overwhelming majority of the times that I've taken the MTR or bus... I've found the ride extremely pleasant.
Having lived in Chicago and spent time in New York / London etc ... I appreciate the MTR. I really do.
No one has mentioned the late night begging that goes on in some of the cities ... people asking for your tickets or money and getting annoyed and belligerent because you ignore them.
Funny video from a week ago: (probably not a good idea to watch if you've just had lunch lol)
http://nmitomonews_devusa.dev05.vico...48184997150720
I agree with you, Shri, the MTR is fantastic in general, as is the entire HK public transit system. Being a decrepit old lady I can travel on it and the KMB doubledeckers for $2, which will be cause for weeping when I return to Vancouver in January and am reminded of what the Skytrain will gouge me (until I get my senior transit pass that is, which costs all of $45 a year). There's always a bus when I need one and always a train with a short walk across the platform to get the next one. It's clean, too! Engineering genius, I say!