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Swimming in China: Pool Anarchy

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fishgutzy
fishgutzy Posts: 2,807 Member
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I'm in CHina for a month. Employer paid for a membership to a pool club near the office.
Imagine everything from the "I hate it when" thread happening during a single 5km swim.
No lane ropes. No rule, no etiquette. People swimming across the lanes. People pushing kids on floats across lanes. Getting kicked, slapped, swamped.
I did find that 1 to 3 in the afternoon is better on weekdays. 10-12 in definitely not good on Saturday. There were at least 15 people just standing around i the shallow end (parking on the dance floor). Only got 83 laps in, 17 short of my daily 100. Hopefully I get to make it up today. Got a long transient simulation running Besides, it is Sunday morning in Shanghai. I'm the only one in the office working. (What else can one without a car and no Chinese language skills on a Sunday anyway :laugh: )

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  • electriq
    electriq Posts: 359 Member
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    Good luck!
  • ProfessorOwl
    ProfessorOwl Posts: 312 Member
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    Swimming in China is like driving in China....there are no rules. You got people swimming lengthwise, others swimming across, and I had one guy who always preferred to swim around the perimeter of the pool. All I can say is it's probably better than not swimming, and good luck!
  • debbiesats
    debbiesats Posts: 65 Member
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    Erm, sounds like your average public session in the UK.
    I'm lucky that the pool I swim in now generally has 1 or 2 roped off lanes, otherwise no lane ropes means no lanes and no expectation that any has swimmer has priority over another.
    It's an opportunity to practice your spotting technique and sets you up nicely for the chaos of open water starts :wink:
  • fishgutzy
    fishgutzy Posts: 2,807 Member
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    Made it only 38 laps yesterday. Got whacked in the nosse. Whacked someone else in the nose. Shot a short video after. :)

    http://s849.photobucket.com/user/fishgutzy/media/China/20140705_034757.mp4.html

    Photobucket.. No youtube in China.
    I have heard that the pool at "The Rush" fitness centers are almost this bad.

    Still manage to get 5km swim in Monday through Friday. Weekends are a bit sketchy. More crowded.
    Today I'll have o do some extra walking.
  • electriq
    electriq Posts: 359 Member
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    Thanks for the video, interesting to actually see it!

    It's more like a play pool than a lap pool by the looks of things, only people are also trying to do laps. Length wise, width wise, diagonally - mayhem!

    I'm not sure I'd have the patience and tolerance to do any swimming there
  • fishgutzy
    fishgutzy Posts: 2,807 Member
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    I give it a "better than nothing" rating. It is a half mile walk from the office. The next closest is a 1.5 mile walk. 2.5 from the hotel. So I have to settle for "better than nothing." :)
    It is surprising how expensive it s given the very low wages the Chinese earn. My month is around $100. And that is for one visit a day, up to 90 minutes: though I stretch that a bit to finish the 5km. My YMCA family membership at home is less than $60//month and I get a lot more than just a pool.
  • wild_wild_life
    wild_wild_life Posts: 1,334 Member
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    Made it only 38 laps yesterday. Got whacked in the nosse. Whacked someone else in the nose. Shot a short video after. :)

    http://s849.photobucket.com/user/fishgutzy/media/China/20140705_034757.mp4.html

    Photobucket.. No youtube in China.
    I have heard that the pool at "The Rush" fitness centers are almost this bad.

    Still manage to get 5km swim in Monday through Friday. Weekends are a bit sketchy. More crowded.
    Today I'll have o do some extra walking.

    Neat video! Makes me appreciate the Y. Are there any women there? Wondering if it is segregated or if swimming is just not big with the ladies.
  • Ms_J1
    Ms_J1 Posts: 253 Member
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    Made it only 38 laps yesterday. Got whacked in the nosse. Whacked someone else in the nose. Shot a short video after. :)

    http://s849.photobucket.com/user/fishgutzy/media/China/20140705_034757.mp4.html

    Photobucket.. No youtube in China.
    I have heard that the pool at "The Rush" fitness centers are almost this bad.

    Still manage to get 5km swim in Monday through Friday. Weekends are a bit sketchy. More crowded.
    Today I'll have o do some extra walking.

    OMG. Wow. I have no other words.
  • debbiesats
    debbiesats Posts: 65 Member
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    Sounds like some of you have dedicated places to swim if this isn't your norm - I've never been in a 'lap pool' but I'm guessing that is like the 'lane only swimming' we get here for 90 minutes on a Wednesday night.

    At least they lok well behaved - no bombing, no pushing, no petting ;-)

    Hope you find a quieter time to get your long swims
  • fishgutzy
    fishgutzy Posts: 2,807 Member
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    Pool is not segregated. Just not many women doing laps.

    Been back for 3 weeks now. Haven't been clobbered once yet at my Y. :)
  • AlicesGrandma
    AlicesGrandma Posts: 48 Member
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    I would recommend seeing the Shanghai Art Museum, which should be open. Also, have you been to the Peace Hotel and the Bund? I think you will find a whole lot of sights to see if you're willing to get out there! A hint: ask someone to translate and write down the Chinese words for the following (this list is courtesy of the Peace Hotel website):

    Shanghai Attractions:

    The Bund
    Bund Sightseeing Tunnel
    Oriental Pearl Tower
    People's Square
    Shanghai Grand Theater
    Shanghai Art Museum
    Yu Yuan Garden
    Xin Tian Di
    TaiKang Lu
    Jade Buddha Temple
    JingAn Temple
    Former French Connession

    Then get in a taxi with your list and point to one and smile. You're on your way. Also, Shanghai is full of people wanting to practice their English! Just be a bit more open to strangers than you are at home. HAVE FUN! I wish I were there to walk down Nanjing Road with you!
  • zerryz
    zerryz Posts: 168 Member
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    Of course, it has to be anarchy! How else can it be? It's mathematically not possible to have lanes. This would limit the number of ppl fitting in a pool within a given time window. A luxury ppl in China don't have given the extraordinary high number of Chinese citizens. Unless more pools are built, of course.

    Hats off to your courage swimming more than one lap in this mess. No way I would have lasted more than 2 strokes. I have become an open water spoilt bratsy princess.
  • fishgutzy
    fishgutzy Posts: 2,807 Member
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    Heading back again as early as September. Hoping I can delay until November. Closing on a house end of September and moving. Not easy to do when I'm 8000 miles away.
    And next trip I may be at the office in Hang Zhou. I'll report on pool condition there :)
    If I go to Shanghai next trip, hopefully I can get into USA King Sport gym. They have a brand new pool that opened after I left.

    Seattle, thanks for the tips. I'm not much of a museum person but seeing some of the more ancient architecture is cool.
    The only really old architecture in the US is Montezuma's Castle in Arizona :)

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