Ladder 4.JPG
Originally uploaded by sense of movement
OK so there is a problem with some of the cables above Huaihai Lu, a busy 5 lane road in downtown Shanghai. So what do you do? Bring out a hydraulic hoist truck, right?
Well wrong actually. In Shanghai this type of job gets the prompt attention of 4 blokes with a standard issue ladder! Unbelievable but true and here are the photos to show how. One guy stood upstream and waved the traffic across into a lane and the others held the base of the ladder. Once they had extended the upper part they leaned it against the cable in question and after a brief discussion along the lines of:
LadderHolder 1: "Hey c'mon Bill, up you go!"
NervousGuy: "How come I have to climb again?"
LadderHolder 2: "Quit whinging and get on with it before the astonished-looking Laowei (whitey) takes too many photos."
NervousGuy: "Aw man, it sucks being the new guy."
NervousGuy then made his way up to the cable, in that unsteady manner well known to those of you who have climbed a bendy, wobbly ladders. At this point the traffic-directing guy gestured that I shouldn't take any (more) photos. Not one to argue, I put my camera away as asked.
On reflecion I guess that there is probably no shortage of people seeking work as ladder holders in China and I'm sure it pays well. To give this team their due, it did seem like a quick and efficient way of getting the job done.
... although the guy at the top looked more unsteady than convinced.
It was hard to see what they were actually trying to do. Hopefully not cutting the cable the ladder was leaning against!
Check out my flickr set for the full sequence...
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