Buying Trinkets – Shanghai
I’ve always got to get some trinkets for the family and friends. I really like to wander across street vendors. They usually have some unique stuff at good prices. It’s just that street vendors can’t always be found. Sometimes you just have to trust in Providence to provide them for you at the right moment. Just remember when that moment comes, take advantage of it. I did.
Train Platform – Beijing
This is the platform where we all boarded the train going from Beijing to Shanghai. Nice platform. Nice train. You should have seen the station. It was about as modern as a train station can get.
On the D Train – China
I rode the D Train from Beijing to Shanghai. Sure, it may have cost me a little over $100 for the trip, but I can assure you it was way-better than walking. I left Beijing at about 9::30 P.M. and got to Shanghai around 8:30 A.M. the next morning. O.K., sleeping on the train was hardly like sleeping in my own bed at home. But the experience was significant. There are 3 levels of sleeper train service in China. The D Trains are the middle class lf train. It was nice, to say the least. I hope no one at AMTRAK sees this picture. I wouldn’t want the to go running to the administration and ask why they can’t have trains this nice.
Train Station – Beijing
I was told that the first thing I needed to do was to try and find a way out of town as soon as possible. They say overnight sleeper berths are in limited supply and the best time to get one is NOW for sometime in the future. I got one for five days hence for the overnight to Shanghai. They say Shanghai is worth seeing. They also tell me there is some kind of Expo there at present. We’ll see…
Beijing Itinerary
Yes, I am going to Beijing. Glad you asked. I’m going in mid-September for about 30 days. I didn’t want to go in the winter. Too cold. I didn’t want to go in the summer. Too hot. I would have preferred to go in April, but I had just gotten back from SE Asia. Too soon to be catching another 15 hour plane ride. From Beijing I hope to get to see Shanghai and Xian. Did I mention that I also want to go see the Great Wall as well, but who doesn’t. While it won’t be, technically, my first trip to China, it will be my first trip to mainland China. I’m all excited.
