Update for Xi’an - China

Update for Xi’an - China

China is proving to be a real challenge with regards to travelling.

After visiting the Terracotta warriors, we were left with some spare time with our guide to choose other tourist sites in the City.
We negotiated with her that we would have a quick look at a couple of other sites, and then we would all go to the train station to buy 2 tickets for Chongqing ( Our next stop).
The idea was to use her as a translator when trying to buy two sleeper tickets for the overnight train.

We should have guessed that all wasn’t going to be easy, by the expression on her face.
She didn’t look comfortable with the thought of going with us to the train station.
This look turned to a little bit of panic which resulted in our driver coming with us for safety !

The train station was just awash with people trying to buy tickets, and in amongst them all were those that would like to get their hands on your wallet as well.
It just had that look about it.

We joined one of the shortest queues and waited as the line moved slowly forward.
The Chinese seem to make a simple transaction take for ever, with every piece of paper work requiring a red stamp for approval.

About three quarters of an hour later, we had made it to the front of the queue, which is where the fun began.

To start with, there were no sleepers left.
Our guide tried really hard to try and convince the man selling the tickets that we cant be expected to travel on the hard seats with everyone else.
We thought that she was just trying to convince the man that he should look harder for some seats.

After a long debate between the man in the ticket office and our guide, we ended up buying two hard seats with the guide repeating to us that we were mad and crazy.
At that stage, we weren’t that bothered, as we just thought that it would be a hard journey for 15 hours.

Once we had made our way back to the car, our guide explained what we had just paid for.

Yes we have two hard seats and that the journey would take 15 hours.
No we don’t have any toilets, as the train will be so full that people will stand in the toilet for some extra space!!
She went on to explain that the train is that full that no one can move around.
People will have paid for standing tickets only, and will be packed in until there was no more room.
She said that smell would be dreadful as people would be going to the toilet where they stood, and that we should look to buy adult nappies !!

Well being hardened travellers, we jumped straight onto the internet as soon as we got back to the hotel and brought two flights instead.

We had paid £7 for two train tickets which we now didn’t need, and over £100 for two plane tickets that we definitely needed.

The flight to Chongqing lasted one hour, where as the train would have taken 15 hours!
Alison lasted 10 minutes in the airport before hunting down the toilets !!

We are now in Chongqing where we will spend a couple of days before we catch a boat down the Yangzi river.
The aim is to see the three gorges before the Chinese government complete the Dam and it all gets flooded by 2009.
This is one hell of a project, where over 2 million homes will be washed away as the water backs up for over 550km.