07MAR 2011 Mon – On the Train Back to Beijing

07Mar Mon - At 5:15 am the train car attendant came by to wake up the passengers who were getting off at Changchun.  None of the announcements are in English and no one speaks English.  Without a Chinese translator, a foreigner would have a very difficult if not impossible task to read the train schedule, buy a ticket, show up on time at the train station, find the correct car and seat, and then get off at the correct stop. Riding a bus is just as difficult and the Taxis are not much better.  No one speaks English outside the major cities.

We prepare to leave the train and go to another train station to board the high speed express train back to Beijing.  I did not go to sleep until 11pm and woke at 3am.  Stereo snoring from the compartment where I was sleeping and storing on both sides along with the noise of the train kept me awake. 

Changing Trains at Changchun

Soon after we stepped off the train and started walking toward the street we were bombarded with taxi drivers who wanted to take our luggage and take us in their Taxi. We were not sure where the express train station was located but we knew it was close by.  The Taxi drivers were yelling Taxi 20 Yuan, 30 Yuan, and 50 Yuan. Once we were outside on the street and away from the horde of Taxi drivers, we had time to look around and ask.  The express train station was only a few blocks so dragged our luggage in the snow and freezing temperature.

The large number of taxis and an express train indicates a large town and some wealth in Changchun.  In contrast, only a few taxis were outside the train stations at Ant U and Yanji.  At the station in Yanji, there were many busses. At Changchun there were no busses; only taxis. The express train is more expensive than the local trains.

For the return trip, we were changing trains at Changchun to an express train.  Instead of a 24 hour trip the combination of local train and express train will only require 15 hours. The express train would travel about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) in about 6 hour with two stops between Changchun and Beijing. The train would average more than 100 miles per hour.  And interestingly the signs and announcements were in both Chinese and English.  I did not see any but the Express Train must cater to more westerns.  And the Chinese are preparing for the future with English for the newer services and facilities.

Toilets

If you have not backpacked in the woods and dug your own latrine, you may be shocked at the “modern” toilets in the train station.  I am very interested in the infrastructure which determines the quality of life and indicates the wealth of a nation.  The infrastructure includes the water system, sewer system, electric power distribution, vehicle highways, roads for trains (passenger and freight), telephone services, and airports. The phenomenal “to-die-for” infrastructure that we have the US is the envy of the world but most Americans take it for granted.  In US cities even the back alleys of the very poor sections are paved and everyone has ability to live inside with indoor plumbing, drinkable water on tap, electricity, and TV.  This is far from reality in many countries.

The bus stations and trains stations have Asian style toilets where you squat instead of sit.  The Asian style toilets I have seen and used on the US military bases in Iraq and Afghanistan are individual stalls.  However, at the train station there was one long stainless steel trough that everyone uses.  There were walls and doors for individual privacy but you had the option to watch the crap of others as it floated by underneath your squat.

Back at the Railway Station in Beijing

We arrived back at the Beijing Railway Station about 1:00 pm in the afternoon.  We wait for a representative with the hotel who will take us to the hotel.  We are staying in a different hotel in a different part of town. The hotels near Tiananmen Square, the seat of the Chinese government, are all booked full.  There is a big country meeting with representatives from all over China underway so all the hotels in the area are full.

Beijing Hotel

We are staying at the Beijing Business Hotel that caters to Chinese and not Westerners or Americans. They do not speak English, do not take credit cards, and do not have an elevator. They have Asian style shower, but Western style toilet.  The room is small with queen size bed, small desk, but no drawers or closet. They have internet.  The cost is about $45 per night per room.

Not once for the train or bus was I asked for my passport or any identification.  My host who purchased all the tickets had to show ID every time tickets were purchased.  However, I did not require any ID. At the hotel, I had to show my passport and the hotel took a copy.  This is common practice in foreign countries.  However, one country (either UAE (Dubai) or Bahrain) the hotel kept my passport while I stayed there.

The hotel we booked is just a subway train away from Tiananmen Square.   In the afternoon, we have to find a post office to mail some important documents back to Ant U.  I am glad to visit a post office to buy post cards and stamps to mail to US.  The postage is 5.30 Yuan or less than one US dollar for a post card from China to US.

For dinner, we ate at a small restaurant off the major road. The menu is shown in pictures posted on the wall so I know what I am ordering.   I ordered a corn, green onion, and nut dish plus noodles in a bean curd soup.  The cost was about 17 Yuan or less than $3.00 USD which included a large bottle of beer.

Enjoying Trip

I am immensely enjoying the interaction with the people I have met. Some think I am Russian, one asked if I was Canadian.  I am learning the culture of the Northern Chinese people.  I am able to have limited conversations through my interpreter.