Midnight train to Xi'an
Trip Start
Sep 17, 2007
1
104
272
Trip End
Oct 08, 2008
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Xi'an,
China
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
The Beijing West Train Station is possibly the largest public transportation structure I have seen (excluding airports). It looks like several hotels stacked on top of each other. And that's just the main facade. I think it should be listed as a tourist attraction. Come see the enormous train station. Also, come see how many people they can fit into it.
Everything was flashy electronics inside. A giant screen informed us that our train was leaving from waiting room 4. Waiting room 4 was packed to the gills, so we sat down in the hall with everyone else: most likely the population of a large island. They had a McDonalds in here...and a KFC. KFC is on every corner in China for some reason. When the train was ready to board, a full hour before it left (Indian trains are without exception at least a couple hours late) the crowd was let in to find the platform (again, clearly marked). There the train waited. All the cars were numbered, in order, and (gasp) an attendent waited at each car to check your ticket. Please read the Indian train entry if you find this normal.
The carriages themselves were quite luxurious, and this was hard sleeper, not soft sleeper. The beds were actually quite soft. They had sheets, a big down blanket, and even a pillow. There was even a flat-screen TV and hot water in the compartment. Better yet, the train left almost exactly on time (which was listed as 19:03). Lights went off at 11 and everyone went to bed. There wasn't even a lot of snoring. It was really a luxurious travel experience.
Everyone got our of bed when the lights went on at six and went to the bathroom to powder their faces. The train arrived at 7.
The one part I don't understand is the ticket situation. After we had started the journey, the ticket guy took all of our tickets, placed them in a neat pocket folder, and gave us a plastic card. We kept this card all night. When we were about to get off the train, he came around, took the card back, and gave us back our original ticket. Then, we needed the ticket to get out of the station. It was very weird.
But we did arrive safely in Xi'an. And we even got a train station pickup by our hostel. Nice.
~Travis
Comments
Not weird.
The one part I don't understand is the ticket situation. After we had started the journey, the ticket guy took all of our tickets, placed them in a neat pocket folder, and gave us a plastic card. We kept this card all night. When we were about to get off the train, he came around, took the card back, and gave us back our original ticket. Then, we needed the ticket to get out of the station. It was very weird. ------------------------------------------- Because someone may get off the train at some middle stations, so the train guy will wake these up before the arrival. He kept the tickets, so he know who would get off the train at which station.