There are four tones to the Chinese language, meaning the same word said one way can mean “mama” and said with another tone can mean “horse.”

The same goes, I believe, for Asian horn-honking, which is an art unto itself and practiced with great regularity and finesse. Driving is a lot less regimented in most Asian countries. Buses, tractor-trailers, farm tractors, rickshaws, bicycles all share the same roadways, and often perform an intricate ballet around huge, three or four-lane traffic circles, all accompanied by horn music.

Most often, the horn is a simple warning, “Hey, look up kid, here comes the bus.” Or, it can be the insistent, blaring demand, “GET OUT OF MY WAY!” Or, as practiced by taxi drivers, it can be a rapid staccato “beep, beep, beep” that’s a friendly reminder “I’m right next to you.” Or, it can be rude expression of frustration, as when our bus driver drove right up to a stocky old woman slowly crossing the street and laid on the horn, one long, continuous blast three feet from her head.

Whereupon, she glared up at him with a look that said “Drop dead,” and continued slowly across the road.

Interviews on the Web

Sisters Suzanne Poliquin, Lisbon, and Sally Labree, Monmouth, talk about their visit to the Yellow Mountains.