Tag Archives: Train

Subway Train – Beijing

Subway Train - Beijing

Subway Train – Beijing

There are two things I learned right away about the subway system in Beijing. First, it is very modern and very efficient. Second, it has a lot of people, and I mean a LOT of people who ride it. I liked it. The problem is that the subway system may be large, but the city of Beijing and the attractions I want to see are larger. It’s hard to get around since the subway will only put me only so close to the attractions I want to see. It is, however, really cheap at about 30 cents a ride and a ride includes all the transfers that a rider wants. Like it or not, the subway system in Beijing is one way to get around.

Train Station – Beijing

Train Station - Beijing

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…

Next Train in 5 Minutes

Next Train in 5 Minutes

Next Train in 5 Minutes

I loved the mass transit system in Singapore. The trains seemed to run a maximum of every five minutes. Often, the train would come in 3 minutes. There were little signs like this one to tell you hen the next train would arrive. Notice how clean and modern the train station looks. I saw a sign on a wall in a station that said there were 1.5 million trips taken on the Singapore mass transit system every day.

Train Ticket Machine

Train Ticket Machine

Train Ticket Machine

This is the train ticket machine in Singapore. It is very sophisticated. It is relatively easy to use. I liked using this machine. The problem was that there was often a line ahead of me to use the machine and tickets could only be purchased in a machine like this one. Sometimes the machines went "out-of-service" like the machine on the right.

Bangkok Train Station

Bangkok Train Station

Bangkok Train Station

It’s the Bangkok train station. I could have saved a lot of money if I had taken a train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai. Well, maybe not a lot, but some. Anyway, maybe I should have done it just for the experience. Sometimes, train trips can be interesting.

MBK Center

MBK Center

MBK Center

This is a picture of the inside of the MBK Center. They had a McDonald’s and thousands of other stores. The MBK Center is a shopping mall located at the end of one of Bangkok’s Sky Train lines and was founded in 1985. At one time, it as the largest shopping mall in Asia. The structure is 8 stories high and has an area of 1.5 million square feet. It has over 2,500 shops and estimated that it has an average of over 100,000 customers a day. I’d say that’s a lot of mall.

A Train Ride in the Mountains

A Train Ride in the Mountains

A Train Ride in the Mountains

Ethel and I took a train while we were in the mountains of West Virginia. It turns out that there is actually a train that will take you into the mountains and leave you there overnight and come back and get you the next day. There is a caboose that sleeps six people and has a living and dining area. You bring your own food and camp out, sorta… 10/2007