16 July 2011: Traveling from Beijing to Shenyang...just like Camelot!

Greetings all,
As many of you know, I was in France this past week for a quick trip.  It was a rather uneventful, long trip until I flew into Beijing on Friday morning (yesterday, as I type this).   We landed fine at 5:45am from Paris and I got through all the customs fine and security fine, I was in the right terminal (there are 3 at Beijing airport)...all systems go to catch the 7:45am flight to Shenyang and be home by 9:20am!   When I looked at the board that shows the boarding gate information, there was nothing posted for Shenyang and some other cities,  I didn't think much of it since there would be 1.5 hours before boarding, so I just sat down and relaxed as much as possible after the long flight from Paris.  When it got to be about 30 minutes before boarding should start, there was a big group of Chinese people that swarmed the China Southern information desk and were really mad...I didn't know why, or understand the language, but it didn't take someone fluent in Mandarin to hear and see that they were not happy.  Turns out these people were scheduled to be on the same flight as me, I just didn't know it.  When they left, I went up to the desk and asked (in my best Chinese) about the flight to Shenyang, they told me the flight was delayed, but they had no time.  An hour or so passed, and I asked again, and this time they told me it would go out, but at 7:00pm!!  (Now I know why these people were so mad!)  So I called my travel agent and asked if I could get on another flight and they told me that the due to some severe thunderstorms in Beijing the night before, all the cancellations from the night before had booked the flights in the morning and now there were no seats until the 7:00pm.  Rod had told me that there were severe thunderstorms the night before in Shenyang, but I really didn't think much about it and didn't connect that there would be any impact with my flights.

At this point, the thought came to me that there is a high speed train between Beijing and Shenyang and it would take 4 hours.  It was still early in the day, and I didn't have any checked bags, so I decided to leave the airport and go get the train and I would certainly be home before 8:30 pm.   When we lived and vacationed in Europe, taking a train was very easy, quick and fun, and I had heard from colleagues that the fast trains in China were clean and nice too, so I thought this would be a good option and get me home faster.  In hind sight...this was not going to be the case.  In fact, the rest of the day would be filled with several errors in judgement...leaving the airport was my first one!
 
While I was in the taxi, arriving at the train station, I got a call from the travel agent saying that she had found a seat for me on an 11:30am flight...but by this time, since I'm arriving at the train station, I told her, based on her earlier information, I left the airport and now going to take a train.  She told me there was a 1:00 train.  ( I didn't think to ask her if there were any seats on this train...that was my 2nd mistake, if you're counting!)

I got out of the taxi and went into the train station...there were a million people (and I don't know what a crowd of a million really looks like, but I'm betting it was close!)  All cramming into the railway station where you had to put your luggage through an xray machine prior to entry.  I got in, looked for the ticket station and couldn't find it...then I asked at an information desk and they told me I had to go outside to the ticket office..so back outside I went and went over to a very crowded area, swarming around the ticket area...no lines...just a big crowd neck to neck pushing forward...As I was waiting in line, I was practicing in my mind how to say everything I needed to say.  I got up to the ticket window and asked to buy a one way ticket to  Shenyang, 1st class.  She shook her head yes, like she understood (3rd mistake...believing this!) She then came back with the bad news of no seats on the 1:00pm train and that the next train would be at 5:37.  By this time, it was too late to go back to the airport...so I was stuck...I had to say yes...so now, instead of getting in at 8:30, it would be 10:00pm..the result of several mistakes and errors in judgement since arriving in Beijing!   Then she pointed to the screen and the train and asked me a second time if I wanted this train (or at least that's what I think she said)  and I said yes.  I gave her the 218 RMB (about 35 USD...cheap for a 1st class seat, I thought, but since I had never taken the train, I didn't have a reference) then fought my way back through the herd and got into the other line to go back inside to find a seat and wait...and  wait...and wait... When I got my ticket out, I saw the train number and the train car number and thought it was "first come first served" for the seats...this was my 4th mistake..and assumption about what some characters mean! 

At this point, I could have just exploded with anger, regret, frustration etc...but I didn't...I knew it was either accept the consequences of my actions and go with the flow, or continue to second guess myself and be miserable...so by the grace of God I just accepted it and tried to make the best out of a bad situation, and be grateful I was safe, dry and warm, equipped with 2 ipods and could just tune out...which I did!  After all the traveling I've done, you'd think I would be "travel savy" by now...obviously NOT!

After a full day of waiting in the Beijing train station (no air conditioning, a bazillion people, beggers etc.) and not sleeping on the flight from Paris, I was ready to get on the train.  I got in the big herd queuing at the boarding gate area neck to neck again (the whole idea of personal space doesn't exist in China, and as Rod says, if someone had an illness, I was exposed to it on this trip because I was inhaling alot of people's exhales!).  Speaking of Rod...thank God for cellphones and texting...it so helped me maintain my sanity during this trip!!
Finally, the gates were opened and the lady punched my ticket and I was going to the train.  If you've been to France, the trains here look like a copy of the TGV's in France.  I managed to take a picture on my ipod of the trains on the outside.

High Speed train going to Shenyang at the station in Beijing

Once I got on the train, the train looked nice and I was looking forward to sleeping the entire way.  I could tell this was not the 1st class cabin, but at this point I was numb to the travel, and just wanted to get home and just wanted a seat.  Here's a photo of the inside. 

Inside of the Chinese Fast train taken from the rear of the car

I kept looking around for a seat...every where I went I kept getting moved by someone who had a reservation...that's when I went outside and asked the conductor my seat number...and he looked at my ticket and told me I didn't have a seat...Not only was it not 1st class...I had been sold a "standing room only" ticket...for a 4 hour train ride! Thinking back, that's probably what the lady was trying to tell me when I bought the ticket..and I didn't understand!   (5th error of the day...don't assume you understand when you probably don't!)  I was just sick, but by this time, I had no options except to get on, sit on the floor outside the toilet area in the door way, along with about 10 other people.  Again, I could either make myself miserable, or just accept it go with the flow!  So, I got my suitcase out and made it my chair, put my ipod on the soundtrack from the musical "Camelot", sat close to the door and just went with the flow to a make believe world of Camelot!  I sent Rod a txt message calling myself his Hobo riding the rail back to Shenyang!
For the next 4 hours, I listened to the ipod, changed positions, stood, sat and even slept a little.  I took a photo of my "view" from my seat:

The view on the train from my "seat" 4 hours from Beijing to Shenyang

When we finally arrived at Shenyang, I was really happy to get off the train and get back home.  Alot of people smoke in China, but it there was no smoking on the train (Thank God!), so when everyone got off the train, it seemed like the entire loading area and the underground passage was just blue with smoke.  Between the smoke, farts, body oder, perfume, jostling for position in close quarters and good old Shenyang pollution, I thought I was going to throw up...but I didn't!  I was moving on adrenaline as I trudged on towards the door to see my driver and dear husband waving to catch my attention.  I was almost home and I was so grateful!  The driver squeezed his way through the traffic (so happy not to have to have the stress of driving here!) and finally we arrived home at the hotel! 
I got a shower immediately and tried to wind down...and finally I hit the bed and slept like a rock for 6 hours.  I've done nothing today except rest up..still so happy to be home!

The big lessons learned for me...
1) If you're at the airport, you're better off to stay at the airport, no matter what..if you have a ticket, you will eventually get where you are going and it's probably going to be faster than "plan B"
2) If you are going to take a train for any reason in China...get someone who is totally fluent in the language to get your ticket for you..days in advance!...pay them to do this...it will be worth it!
3) Continue to study Chinese..I got hit with a big dose of reality that I don't know as much as I thought I did!
4) Try to avoid Beijing for international travel connections (this is probably just for me, and not applicable to anyone else...but the 3 international connections I have had in Beijing, all resulted in delays for the rest of the trip...so from now on, I'll probably stick to Shanghai)
5) Be grateful in all situations...it could probably be alot worse, and thank God for a loving and understanding husband, who, continues to be my best friend and life mate through thick and thin!

Have a great weekend ya'll...and if you're here in China, or coming...learn from my mistakes!!

Sarah