DAY 7
March 27th, 2017
My final morning on the Trans-Mongolian dawned bright and clear. The air was cool and crisp with a light dusting of snow having covered the fields surrounding the tracks. Two more things became immediately apparent – the tracks were much nicer than those in Mongolia – comparatively smooth as silk. The ride was much smoother and quieter that it felt and sounded as if we were merely gliding along the tops of the rails. Additionally, the rail corridor was once again electrified. I grabbed a couple of quick photos and then headed for the washroom in an attempt to clean up for the long day ahead.
Good Morning, China
Good Morning, China
Unfortunately, the water pressure in my handheld showerhead – never more than a large trickle at its best - was now so minimal as to be ridiculous. Oh well. It was the last day of the trip. Still, I couldn’t help but wonder if this “shower” had ever spewed out a good satisfyingly warm stream of water. I know the poor pressure wasn’t limited to just my car because Andy had mentioned a similar situation in his car as well. I decided to put off showering until I’d arrived at the Air China lounge at Beijing’s Capitol International Airport later that afternoon. In the meantime I grabbed the minimal washcloth/towel provided and did the best I could with a sink bath.
The night before, Li had stopped by with two vouchers good for a complimentary breakfast and lunch in the Chinese dining car. Oh, goody! I’d heard that the Chinese dining cars were the best of the lot with an enticing selection of affordably priced Chinese dishes, each for around $3-$5.00 USD. That they were complimentary for Deluxe Sleeper passengers was an added bonus.
Ah… but not all was perfect in railroad dining car paradise. A closer inspection of my breakfast voucher indicated that breakfast was served only from 7:00am to 7:30am. It was almost 8 when I discovered this. Luncheon was available from 9:00am to 10:00am. Odd hours, yes, but no doubt the reason for this was due to our 11:40am arrival into Beijing. I’m sure the dining room staff wanted to have their car ship shape and ready for its next trip by the time we arrived in Beijing. So – I guess I’m doing brunch.
At 9:00am sharp I made my way up to the dining car. Andy was already there and beckoned me to join him. It wasn’t long before George also made his way into the diner. Unlike the Mongolian diner, this one was a standard railroad issue dining car, though it was still quite nice. There were even full table cloths! Only two other people were in the entire diner besides us, so there was plenty of room to spread out. George took the table across from us.
Chinese Dining Car
Andy mentioned that he had been in for breakfast. The single offering for that meal was a piece of toast and a boiled egg. Our luncheon offering was a couple of meatballs with a side of veggies and a small serving of rice. Well no wonder the meals are complimentary! Apparently all those tales of culinary excellence associated with these Chinese dining cars are based upon northbound departures out of Beijing where they’ve got the entire day and most of the next morning before closing down the car and switching out at Erlian.
The waitress/dining car manager was a brusque, no-nonsense woman who took our orders with all the charm and graciousness of a prison guard. Of course, the fact that there wasn’t really anything to order helped her cause considerably. She only took drink orders which were limited to water, tea or coffee.
Lunchtime on the Chinese Rails
Back to the present, our “host” made no bones about the fact that she wanted to get done with her job as quickly as possible. She seemed to serve us only grudgingly and then hurried us along when it appeared that normal mealtime conversation was delaying our food consumption.
“You eat now! We close soon!” she admonished us sternly.
Alright, alright already! Although the meal was only so-so, the service was so bad that it was actually more laughable than shocking. By the time we cleared out there were just two more hours left in our journey. In the event we didn’t cross paths in the railroad station upon arrival, I bid farewell to Andy and George, both of whom were spending the night in Beijing before continuing their travels the next day – George back to Toronto via an Air Canada 777 and Andy down to Hong Kong aboard the fast train.
As I mentioned earlier, time flies when you’re having fun. I have enjoyed this trip immensely – perhaps much more so than most people who might approach a train journey of this length from a more practical viewpoint. It’s all about the journey for me – the people I meet enroute, the scenery we pass through along the way, the ambience of just kicking back and relaxing in a large, comfortable room onboard. I love it all, and so it is that I approach the end of this incredible intercontinental rail journey with just a tinge of regret that it can’t go on another two or three days longer. And of course at the end of those two or three extra days, I’d probably want at least one more…
We were about an hour out of Beijing, rolling through rugged mountains when we came upon a large reservoir. It made for a dramatic landscape with the steep rock walls rising above the olive green waters of the lake. There was even a good looking cantilever bridge at one end. In between numerous tunnels, I took some photos.
This town was just below the dam. I’m thinking it was an employee town for the dam workers
Shortly thereafter, we emerged from the mountains and onto a broad plain. High snowcapped peaks could be seen in the distance. Not long after that we began to enter the Beijing suburbs proper. For me at least, the combined clutter of buildings, freeways and traffic against a backdrop of hazy skies was a bit depressing after having spent the past six days rolling through all that picturesque countryside.
Beijing Suburbs
Beijing Streets
At one point we passed through a modern suburban station in northern Beijing. Parked on one of the tracks was the fastest looking needle nosed train I’d ever seen. We definitely don’t have anything like that in North America. Perhaps someday I’ll have to come back here and ride it.
Easing into the massive Beijing Railway Station, it seemed as if the concrete passenger platform alongside the train went on for a good half mile or more. As long as it’s there when we stop! And indeed it was, making for a nice exit directly from floor level of my car onto the platform.
So there you have it gang – almost an entire week of train travel from European Russia to China across the Urals, on through Siberia and down across the barren Gobi Desert before finally arriving in Beijing after a journey of 4,740 miles. For my part, I feel good – excited to be commencing the next part of my journey yet a bit sad that this most enjoyable rail adventure across continents has passed so quickly. I’m already plotting how I’d like to come back and complete the rest of the Trans-Siberians. In the meantime, I hope you enjoyed riding along with me on this one.
Beijing Railway Station
Photo courtesy of Wikipedia
I thanked Li for a job well done and – after getting my gear organized for a long walk – followed the arriving masses toward presumably the main hall. We went down a long walkway into a subterranean corridor where I continued to follow the crowd of people through the corridor and up another long ramp that emptied into an open area but certainly not the great hall.
All along the way, the signage was in Chinese only. Not that I’m complaining mind you – we certainly don’t offer anything but English and occasionally Spanish signage back home. In anticipation of this, I’d used Google’s translation page to print out some Mandarin questions that I expected to have, such as “Do you know where the Express Bus to Beijing Capitol Airport departs from?”. That phrase, shown to a ticket clerk near the station’s entrance, got me pointed in the right direction.
Walking outside onto a broad plaza, I headed across to the street out front whereupon I saw a blue sign with both Chinese and English lettering indicating the bus to the airport was a mere 240 meters away. Right on! A couple blocks down I came upon another sign with an arrow indicating the bus was 80 meters to the right. Alright. This was no major street that I’d turned onto however. It was more like a small side street not even wide enough for two way traffic. Not that that stopped anyone though. The drivers just worked it out. I walked past a couple of dirty looking restaurants and a pile of discarded construction materials before spying two blue and white busses parked in a lot just ahead of me. On their side was painted “Airport Express”. Well golly – that wasn’t so hard! I approached a man and pointed to one of the airport busses. Me standing there with my roll-a-bord, it wasn’t too hard to figure out what I wanted. He pointed me to a ticket booth behind me where I paid $24.00 RMB - about $3.50 USD - and boarded the bus I was pointed towards.
Now, as I sat in my comfortable bus seat speeding along through Beijing traffic enroute to Beijing’s Capitol International Airport, I breathed a big sigh of relief. Soon I’d be back in my second home – an airport – about to commence an exciting ten flight journey aboard nine airlines, five of which I’d never flown upon before. All but one of those flights would be in Business Class.
So then, might I suggest a short break? Take a nap, go refill your drinks, maybe make a sandwich or fix up a plate of lunch or dinner. As for me – after 2 hours of writing, I’m off to lunch here at Fiji’s Uprising Beach Resort, after which I’m going to rent a car and head over to the other side of the island. Bula!