Train Journeys......

I am sorry I haven't updated since I first posted my blogs. I have been sick....
I had started to write this particular blog but i couldn't see clearly and had to stop.

So this blog was actually dated 25th June 2004

Train Journeys...

If you are ever in China, it is highly recommended that you take a train journey!

Train journeys here are adventures by itself, and provide unique insights into the Chinese lifestyle and culture. You WILL have a chance to finally MEET chinese of all provinces and education (culture) levels!

Getting on a train is a task suitable for "Amazing Race"!

First, you have got to buy a ticket!

There are several kinds of tickets!
Seating tickets (hard seats) which are unnumbered or soft seats which might be numbered. Sleeping arrangements can be had in two categories: 1. Hard beds which are 6 bunk beds with hard mattresses stacked in threes (top, middle, bottom) or (上， 中， 下） in a open cubicle of about 1.5-2 metres wide;
2. Higher class ones which are 4 bunk beds with soft mattresses stacked in twos (top, bottom) or (上， 下） in a closed cubicle of about 1.5-2 metres wide.

The advantage of the latter meant that at least you could close your cubicle door and sleep, and you won't have strangers sitting on your beds which WILL happen when you happen to have a 下 (bottom) bunk bed in the open cubicle arrangement! And strangers don't comes in ones! They usually come in a pack and you have no idea where they come from and where their places are! And they just sit down /lie down /eat /drink at your bunk bed! You WON'T have any peace or quiet! But you WILL be able to find out all about their life, what they do, why they are going to their desired location...that is if you understand their mandarin accents!
Trust me on this.....

Now, how and where to get a ticket....
For the adventurous only, I will advise that one queue early to get a desired ticket at the ticket booth. And you NEED to have very strong elbows or VERY strong shoving powers or you HAVE to be TALL!

Since I have none of the above, and I was on a business trip, so my colleague and I got our tickets from our client's who "booked" them from their trusted agents!

So in the event you fail to get a desired ticket, one can always resort to ticket touts / special ticket agents (票换).

For official train stop tickets, you can pay a premium and the premium varies according to how "hot" the dates are! So if you are travelling during the May Day holidays or during festive occasions, GOD bless you...
After calling your "agent" and "placing an order" on your tickets, you are advised to go to the train station to wait!
They will deliver their tickets to you, and possibly to a few others at the same time.
But no....you won't be obtaining your tickets straightaway...it's not that easy!

Here is the process of getting on the train

First, they will give you "standing" platform tickets for you to enter the platforms.
These aren't actual seat tickets! These are tickets for you to accompany a passenger and send the person off on a train...

After obtaining the platform ticket, you are told to queue separately and not in a group, to get past the station attendents onto the required platform...

Getting to the platform is another story....I am going to digress from the ticket story and go into the platform story...If you don't want to hear this part of the story, scroll downwards...

Once again, you need to have VERY strong elbows...and you MUST hold your belongings close to you and you WILL be asked to wait for a long time in a tight hot confined space where someone will DEFINITELY be breathing very close to you...
And you wait....and wait.....

Should the train beckons near the station platform, the platform gate will be opened! Here's where the fun starts! Pandemonium breaks loose!!!!
It's like a rock concert with crazy fans trying to get closer to that one...elusive person! In this case, it is the station attendent who's holding the gate open to people who have the TICKET!

So there I was, holding tightly on my overnight bag, and my laptop backpack trudging along in the midst...all in the aim of getting through....and hoping that the station attendent will let me through.....
Seriously..anyone with an ounce of brain will know that I am not "sending" a person off! I have 2 bags with me!!

After the tight "passage" through...we regrouped right at the door and proceeded to the appropriate platform (if you don't speak chinese it's ok..just follow the large group of people...and hope...)

At the platform...still no tickets!

When the train arrives, another agent hopped off the train, and you are allocated "tags" which are the equivalent of tickets...and you board the train...

Oh, however if you had the right tickets and didn't have to resort to the tags, you will be required to exchange your ticket for these tags.

Why the tags? It's because the same seat can be occupied by different ticket holders at different stages of the journey...

We were going from Shi Yan to Wuhan. Someone(s) might board after Wuhan as this train goes to Guangzhou!

On the train....

You will run into a vast array of people! Young, old, washed, unwashed, quiet, noisy....male or female...you will have them all!

And this brings me to another point....be sure to ask first whether your train has airconditioning! 'cause that was something which we neglected! So on our journey back from Shi Yan to Wuhan, there was no air-conditioning!!!
And it's summer in China now! Fortunately my cabin had a fan. The one next day had a faulty one!

People play some sort of a poker card game on the train....
I still have yet to figure out what that game is...
Perhaps when I do have another opportunity, I will examine it!

I haven't had the opportunity to examine the seating portions of the train...but from what I have seen, it ain't pleasant!

I have been told that for May holidays and festive occasions, you might literally have to stand the whole journey through! Can you imagine being squeezed and on your feet for more than 10 hours.......

A train journey toughens one up!

I should leave you with one advice...
Before a train journey, have a good rest!
If not, bring very strong ear plugs! And try your best to be anti-social....

Take care...

Lazy Sunday...

Sundays are meant for relaxing, hanging out and doing mundane household cleaning/laundry...

Being in Wuhan meant that I can only relax. No one is around that I can hang out with. So it has all been about hanging out in cyberspace and in the company of books!
I am still new here so I am quite hesitate to head out.
People in the hotel are friendly though...and they speak English!

I have discovered bacon and eggs! Yeah! They are good! As much as I like the varying tastes of the chinese cusines (in their various forms), I still crave for that bit of western culture! And it will come in the form of food. Yippee..Bacon....aahhh....

I am still in two minds about wanting to get some exercise done so that I can have a good rest tonight...or to just laze around until it's time to get on the train!

Bacon.....and reading.....

Virgin Blog

Oh wow..this is my first message..
What can I say...
It's my second week in Wuhan and my second weekend.
And it's my first time in the sweltering Wuhan weather! Boy was it hot today! 34 degrees and barely any wind. Just yucky hot and humid. One would think that I would have gotten used to this kind of weather coming from KL and Singapore. But I think

Oh boy, I can see that I will indeed be having some wet fun in the coming weeks.

I went down to see Old Mao's summer palace (梅岭） today. It is EXTREMELY interesting. I paid RMB15 to tour a 70s building. I think they just took the entrance fee for fun. No need for maintenance! Or perhaps it is all for authenticity purposes...Nothing has been changed since the 1970s, even the carpets! I think they just put transparent plastic coverings over the shelves and the beds! I can envision old Mao sleeping there! However his wife had a separate bedroom. I saw Jiang Qing's room too! Very kitschy..
The toilets are even authentic looking. Very white and has mosaic tiles.
Due to the condition of the place, won't advise anyone other than diehards to visit! Nearly fainted from the muskiness of the place!
Architects....needed...to suggest how to best maintain place!

Old Mao swims and plays tennis....that would explain the presence of the tennis courts and the swimming pool!

Only managed to see Mao's Retreat No. 1. Sigh...
No. 2 has been turned into a hotel that is hediously expensive but doesn't look expensive. Very tacky renovations!
No. 3 is undergoing renovations to be turned into a coffee house and restaurant!

I think Old Mao will turn in his grave!

Oh, there is also a army training ground in the Old Mao's place. Saw stiff soldiers marching around and doing very unique arm actions. Stiff swinging actions...i wonder what that all means...Poor boys though. It was so damn hot today!

Going from Old Mao's summer palace to Dong Hu is another interesting matter!
No one knows how to give directions here! Even though I perfectly understand chinese!
Ended up going round and round the place and Dong Hu was in plain sight! I just can't get across the damn waters!
Notice how things are like that in life...in plain sight but can't get to it...

Finally got to this boulevard and walked and walked..until a cab came by! I was thanking my lucky stars!

Had to see Dong Hu as I have been told it rivals the all famous Xi Hu (西湖）.

Dong Hu (东湖）is another proposition....driver took me to the "most scenic spot" but I can't see anything far! The smog is so bad. How scenic can it get when I can't see!
Saw from near distance the replica of the Chu Palace. Somehow someone in the 90s decided to build a replica of the Chu Dynasty Palace on one of the hills in Dong Hu.
If it wasn't so Lego-like, i might be tempted to go look. But after my trip to Yellow Crane Pagoda (that's another story), i decided to give the Chu Palace a miss.

On the map, Dong Hu is supposed to stretch 33 Sq Kilometres! Thank god I didn't rent a bike! I would have died trying to cycle in this heat! I was seriously considering that until I realised I would have to ride a two person bike by myself! Nah....don't need to highlight to people I am alone, and not to mention how much more energy I would need...
And also the fact that cars, buses etc don't give a damn to cyclists and always aim to chase them off the road......
I hope to ride a bike around here but that will have to wait..I need to be braver...

I have however learnt how to get across to the other side of the road alone!
Yeah! I don't have to stay on one side all the time anymore! I can finally see what's on the other side!

Managed to see all two Yangzte Bridge today. The second yangzte bridge (第二长江桥）is a suspension bridge similar to the San Francisco Bridge. In the guide, it has been described as " A rainbow flying across, barrier becomes thoroughfare"! I really have no idea what that meant! It's quite a majestic bridge but I still prefer the original Yangtze bridge! That one has strange soldiers on both end...and people trying to look into the Yangtze in the smog!

Touting is legal here! Amazingly every place I have been so far, I have been innudanted with offers to give the gate/reception a miss and try to find another way to get in!
It was like that here in Dong Hu. However that involved getting into a small chinese row boat and be rowed by a old man....I am too scared and I don't REALLY like water!

Nearly became a victim of a pickpocket! This well-dressed man (the pickpockets all are!) had this strange steel clipper-like contraption that he was using to try to pry my wallet out my front right pocket when he was standing next to me. He nearly got it as the I felt the contraption on my wallet! Fortunately I was alert and I was carrying plastic bags just next to my right pocket when I noticed that there was something else in my pocket and a guy was standing real close to me. So I caught him at it. He still had the audacity to look and scream at me! I screamed right back at him telling him to scram..if not I will call the Gong An. Man, that was scary! I actually fought off a pickpocket! After that I didn't feel that safe anymore. I took out my wallet and carried it in my hand. I didn't stay long in the night market.

So it has indeed been an eye-opening and interesting experience so far! I like the quirks of this place! Don't like the dangers but I guess it has been a maturing experience!
Tomorrow will bring another experience.

Will be heading on a long (500km) train ride to Shi Yan (十堰） to visit client's old headquarters！ It has been described as a country town by the chinese clients' so I can finally experience China once again!
Hope they have toilet doors and flushing toilets! That's all I ask!

Adios for now mate...
Take care...