Reflections on Beijing
When I was planning this trip, Beijing was actually the place I was least interested in. Not that I specifically didn’t like it, it just hadn’t cracked my top 10 list of cities I would want to travel to. But Beijing was the starting point for this tour if I wanted to go through Mongolia, which also wasn’t ever on my top 10 list, but seemed more interesting and exotic because who has ever been to Mongolia? So I was really surprised at how much I liked Beijing. I really loved the city. It’s huge, unfathomably huge and populous. And yet things run pretty smoothly, at least in the off-season. I could easily spend a full week there, exploring the city. I would certainly choose a different itinerary from what I planned this trip. But I also felt like I could live there. I told Joe we should add it to our list of places for adventure. If somehow I became independently wealthy, I think I would add maybe spending a year teaching English in China to my list of things to do, which also includes spending 6 months at the babboon sanctuary in Africa, before eventually retiring to the countryside just outside of Prague. Anyway, Beijing was an amazing city, inviting, fun, easy to navigate the subway, tons of interesting things to see and do. I wish I had more time to just wander, get lost. The tourism industry seems rife with shady people, but the everyday Beijingers(?) Beijingese(?) Beijingians(?) were super friendly and helpful. I feel like I could easily travel there without a guide and be perfectly happy. Most restaurants had picture menus, if not actual English menus. The whole world uses the Arabic numeral system, so shopping and buying things is easy enough. It is certainly strange to be stared at constantly, but no one was rude or mean, and I never felt in any danger or concern for pick-pockets, though it wasn’t crowded enough to be bumping into people. The city is beautiful, with delicious food and amazing culture and history and art and performances. It’s definitely worth a visit, and has certainly sparked my curiosity about visiting the rest of China.
Life on the train
The station
The same driver who had picked me up from the Airport 4 days ago arrived today to drive me to the train station. He was very helpful, getting my ticket for me, ushering me through security, and walking me all the way to the waiting area for the train, carrying my bags for me all the while. After he departed, I left the waiting area and found a coffee shop. There are few coffee shops, as most people here prefer tea. I ordered a latte and sat at a table near the window, watching the world go by as I waited the 45 minutes for my train to board. As I was sitting there, another lady, who I first guessed was British from her accent, stopped in and ordered a coffee. She sad a seat away from me and had the same large packs that I was carrying, so I thought perhaps she would also be on my train. I, breaking all of my own personal anxieties about talking to strangers, started a conversation with her about how awesome it is that no one else drinks coffee, so there’s never a line. She said she loathes tea, and has to have coffee, at which point I changed my assumption about her being British to assuming she is Australian. She was joinging the same train I was, also going to Mongolia, and also planning to take the trans-Siberian route all the way to Moscow, though she would be stopping in different cities for different periods of time. We chatted a bit and parted ways, as I wanted to pick up some cup noodles for the train.
Boarding the train
Finally the time arrived to board the train. I went through the final ticket check before the platform and suddenly found myself standing on a HUGE train platform. It was at this moment that the reality of all of this landed on me. I was standing there, about to board a train from Beijing to Mongolia. I still remember what it feels like to fight to see the states that don’t border your own, to fully and absolutely believe you will never leave the country, never fly on a plane, those just aren’t options for me. Ane yet here I am, standing on a platform boarding a train to a place exotic and far away from a place that is already exotic and far away…unfazed by the foreign writing everywhere, the language I don’t understand, the culture and customs I am unfamiliar with, not backing down, but embracing it and learning about it and cherishing it rather than shutting down and being afraid. In this moment, I am overwhelmed; I pause on the platform, holding back tears. I am in a unique position to actually understand what a privilege this is and appreciate this opportunity. I am so grateful to my husband, Joe, who has supported and encouraged me in this and many other adventures, who embraces my adventurous side rather than tolerating it, who keeps me grounded and lets me know there’s always home, no matter where I am, and who calms me down when I am struggling with my own emotions. I love you and can’t wait to teach English in China with you for a year someday 😉 I collect myself and continue on to board the train.
Checking out the cabin
The carriage attendant checks my ticket and shows me to my room. The train is not particularly crowded today, and I lucked into not having a roommate. As soon as I entered my cabin, my tears gave way to excitement and wonder. The cabin is covered in lush red velvet and gold embroidery, very Chinese fancy. Not only do I have a bed, but I have a little sitting area with a table and coffee pot and an en suite shower. I’ve now stayed on a couple of overnight trains, so I know that this is quite nice. As I settle in, I sit at the little table next to the window, opening my laptop, looking out the window as Beijing slowly rolls away. I feel like one of the great writers, having adventure, sitting here ready to opine about the great mysteries of the world. As the floorboard heater starts toasting my toes, I think about all of the wonderful things I saw in Beijing and how excited I am to see Mongolia, all while looking out the window and seeing new and interesting things, observing the remote countryside of China.
Rambling
Eventually the carriage attendant brings me meal tickets for lunch and dinner. I go to the dining car for lunch, and am served white rice with meatballs and sauteed celery. The food is good, and just as I begin eating, the lady I had met at the coffee shop, walked in. She sat with me and we chatted and ate and had beers and mused about traveling and our tiny dogs and solo travel vs. couples traveling. Turns out she is an actual British person who just doesn’t fancy tea. It was quite pleasant and we ended up chattering on until the dining car closed an hour later and we each headed back to our cabins. As we sat, I noticed the only other English conversations in the room…. and they were all similar. There was a lady, quite a bit younger than myself, at the end and a guy sat with her and was asking her questions. From New York, another solo lady traveler tackling the trans-Siberian railroad. A couple of seats behind me, there was another table and a group of Chinese ladies asking an American lady about her travels and hearing the same story. Could it be that the most adventurous thing I’ve ever done is also the most cliche? And what is it that drives women specifically to solo travel this part of the world? Is there something about our patriarchal society that causes some women to feel the need to put the entire globe between themseleves and their homes to feel strong, independent, adventurous? Is it because men are still highly overrepresented in international business and therefore they have already seen Beijing and Moscow on business trips while women are left to see the world on their own dime? Is it possible this sampling of 4 people is statistically insignificant and I have nothing else to think about on the train? …. Either way, I am feeling a certain comradery with these kindred spirits making their way throug the world. Whatever pushes me, or them, or us, if it’s the same, if it’s different, it’s still a push that most people never feel.
Crossing the border
Northern China has had record low temperatures this week. And as we head ever northward, it is rapidly becoming apparent just how cold things are going to get. The space between carriages is not heated at all, so moving from my car to the dining car means walking through a brief spot where my breath is almost solid as it exits my body. And while is is dark out and I cannot see the landsacape, the light from the train illuminates the spot right next to the track and it has become very white recently. As well, there is a troublingly large number of blankets available for my usage. Perhaps this will be a long night.
Hahahaha,long night indeed. I knew that the train, upon crossing the border into Mongola, had to change wheels because the tracks are different in the different countries. And I knew that it took about 4 hours. What I did not know was that, during that 4 hours, there will be 3 Chinese officials and 2 Mongolian officials who will visit your cabin,, for passport control, customs forms, exit papers. And our 4-hour border crossing would be from 10 p.m. until 2 a.m. In reality, it was almost 3 before the entire process was finished. So about 10 minutes before the border crossing, my carriage attendant woke me up to use the toilet before the border crossing, because the toilets on the train just empty onto the track and are locked during stops. I slept from around 8 until almost 10. Then the passport official came and turned on all the lights and inspected my passport to make sure it looked like me and took my passport. Meanwhile, the wheel changing begins. It’s horrendously loud, as they go car by car, changing out the wheels, then they have to move the train a bit, so it violently lurches forward. They also removed the Chinese dining car and replaced it with the Mongolian one, which is also a lot of loud banging and the entire train shakes. The next official arrived, took my exit papers, and left. Also during this time, the train is off, including the heat, so it’s slowly getting colder and colder. Then the customs officer showed up, 20 minutes later, and inspected my bags. After about 2 hours, I fell asleep, even with all of the noise and banging, I just couldn’t stay awake. Then, at 2 a.m., the Mongolian officials came in, took my passport, then the customs person…. Finally, by almost 3 a.m., the carriage attendant said ‘ok, goodnight’, and closed the door and turned off the lights.
Parting ways
The next morning, I awoke at around 8:30 and set out to find breakfast. The new Mongolian dining car is ornate and beautiful, with wooden carvings and Mongolian crafts on the walls. 2 other English speaking tourists arrived at the same time, so we chatted a bit while the waitress brought out the menus. Most of the things on the menu were not actually available, as we would soon learn, so we ordered from what was there. I had a pelmeni dumpling soup, which was actually delicious, and a coffee, which was better than no coffee. The three of us chatted for a couple of hours, talking about the different things we had seen and places we had been in China, and where we were off to next. Quite a pleasant, relaxed morning. 🙂
