Train etiquette

Although I have been living in Hong Kong for over 10 years now, some stuff I just can't get used to. One of these is the absolute lack of basic manners shown by some people in HK. This manifested itself again yesterday when I was on the MTR (the name of the underground system in HK).

For those who live in HK, or have visited HK and travelled on the MTR, you can probably already guess what I am going to talk about. For those who haven't, let me first give a little background.

The MTR platform in HK contains very clear markings showing people where the train will stop and where the doors are. This makes it easy for people to queue up in preparation for the trains arrival. The queue-up areas are on both sides of the door so that the central area is kept clear. The idea being that people on the train have a clear exit to get off the train before people on the platform board the train.

However, what really bugs me is that 9 times out of 10, as soon as the train arrives, everyone tries to rush into the train without waiting for people to get off. Despite being happy to queue up in the first place.

First off, I would like to say - LET ME OFF THE F$#KING TRAIN FIRST!!

Secondly, why are people happy to wait in the queue-up area if they are only going to rush the doors as soon as the train arrives? It just doesn't make sense! The whole point of having the queue-up area off to the side is so that people don't obstruct passengers trying to get off the train!

So yesterday, I was on the MTR (inside the train) and we pull up to the station. I am already standing at the door getting ready to get off the train as soon as it stops. Now bear in mind that I am carrying lots of stuff. I had my sports bag (playing squash that evening) as well as my wifes suitcase (she takes a lot of stuff home to work on in the evenings). So basically, I take up a lot of room (I swear, its the bags I have to carry - its nothing to do with me being fat!).

As is the norm, I can see lots of people in the queue-up area getting ready to rush the train doors as soon as they open. However, there is one woman who is standing right in the middle of the central area - the area which is supposed to be kept clear for passengers to get out first. As soon as the train pulls in, she shuffles forward even more - getting ready to rush in. As soon as the doors open, sure enough, she tries to push past me to get into the train (despite the fact that I am a full head taller than her).

So what is a guy supposed to do in a situation like that?

Quite frankly, with all the stuff I was carrying, I was in no mood to be polite or accommodating. I just squared my shoulders and walked straight out the train doors. As I said, I was a full head taller than her and as I walked forward, her head rammed straight into my shoulders. I want to repeat that - her head ran into my shoulders - I didn't deliberately ram her with my shoulders (on a side note, don't you just love Einstein and his theory of relativity?).

She gasped in shock as her head bounced back, the impact causing her to stagger backwards. For a moment, it looked like she might fall over - but alas, at the last minute, she managed to steady herself. I'm guessing she shot me a dirty look while cursing me extensively before rushing back into the train.

Me - I just laughed and kept walking.
>:)