June 13, 2002
14/6/02 Beijing, China PDR (Phillip)
Click here for pictures from China
Okay, well before I even start I don't have email. Apparently China thinks my email subversive or something cause I can't get to it in China. Plus the keyboard I'm using hardly works especially the space bar. My apologies.
11/6/02
Okay, well the 30-hour train ride wasn't so bad at all. The HK Beijing route has the best train in the entire fleet, so apart from the speakers blaring weird Chinese music the whole time it wasn’t so bad. I did manage to buy a last minute ticket, so I rushed around HK to make it to the station (with my China Visa) on time. I was in the 'Hard Sleeper' carriage. Trains are actually quit expensive here, considering flying was US$100 the train was only $20 cheaper! However, I wanted to travel with the locals and so that's what I did. Ironically there was one Westerner in my cabin, but he had just come down from working in one of the breakaway Soviet republics and wasn't exactly a backpacker! I chatted with him most of the way and I borrowed his China Guide Book.
I figured out that spending 7 days in Beijing was hardly the best use of my time. Reading the book I remembered that there were two non-Beijing sights that I wanted to see in China. South of Beijing there's a city called 'Xi'an' where they uncovered an entire army (7,000) of bigger than life stone warriors. Also, Ian Tilston was quite insistent that I visit the site of the Three Gorges Dam and the Yahtze River. Well, I managed to figure out a way to do all of those in the time I have. It's very rushed and really cuts it close for my flight to London, but I think I can do it.
I arrived in Beijing safely, although it was quite a shock. This city is immense! It takes 7 maps in my book just to cover the downtown area. It's definitely bigger than any city I've been in before. I did manage to find my hostel okay and chatted with some of my roommates about where to go and what to see.
Posted by Admin at June 13, 2002 06:54 PM