45 hours on a train

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china, tibet, train, travel

Notes on China train travel

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china, train, travel

• Cheapest way to get around the country
• 5 categories of seats available:
  • Hard seat (硬座)
  • Soft seat (软座) – Have yet to try this one
  • Hard sleeper （硬卧）
  • Soft sleeper （软卧）
  • Deluxe soft sleeper – Have yet to try this as well
• Hard seats are the cheapest long distance transport and is how the common folks move around. The seats are in a booth of 3+3 seats or 2+2 seats. It is often crowded and rowdy.
• The overhead storage is never enough, so bags are tucked under or inbetween the seats. This often results in less leg room.
• It is possible to purchase a hard seat ticket without a confirmed seating (无座票）. These tickets are sold when all confirmed seats are sold out. For shorter journeys of an hour or so, such ticket holders would stand around. Otherwise, they would find a seat on the floor in between the carriages, along the aisle or even on the wash basin!
• Tickets can be upgraded onboard the train at the conductors’ cabin. The cabin is located in the middle carriage.  As hard sleeper tickets are often sold out at the train stations, upgrading is often the only way to get hold of a hard  sleeper berth.
• Hard seat journeys can be rough but it is dependent on the people that are seated next to you. Littering and spitting onto the floor is very common. The younger folks aremore civil though.
• Trains are generally punctual.
• Information on train destinations and  schedules are often lacking or confusing at the train stations. If you can read Chinese, it is more convenient to purchase the nation wide train schedule guidebook. The inexpensive guidebook contains a listing of all train services in country with their respective destinations and timing.
• It is possible to purchase tickets for journeys that depart from another train station. There is a small subcharge (RMB 5 as of March 2010) for this service.

My Favourite South East Asian Beer

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laos, travel

Random notes on HK

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hong kong, travel

• The harbour crossing is something that I’ll always do. The best way to do it is with someone special on a cold winter night, with the sparkling city lights as the backdrop.

• The city brings out my inner consumerism demon. So much so that I actually want a regular job so that I can spend spend spend.
• The women aren’t as good looking as I remembered them to be. Friend said that it was because Singapore women have caught up. I think it’s because it isn’t cold yet.
• The safety glass panels are now installed at the platforms of the MTR stations. Prefer the charm of the old way.
• The interesting cafes and restaurants are all located off street level. They are almost impossible to come across if you’re not aware of their existences.
• Shops seems to be closing earlier than they used to.
• Bump into Kelly Chen in the Art Centre elevator. Was there to have a look at Michael Wolf‘s 100×100 exhibition. Anyways, she was originally facing the elevator door but turned to face the wall upon seeing my camera bag.
• Book stores that I love: Mackie Study and Kubrick.

Zhongshan

Tags

china, travel

Zhongshan is very strange for a Chinese city. The roads are wide and laid out in grid lines. Trees are planted along the roads and greenery is everywhere. There are proper pavements. Public buses are air conditioned. Motorcyclist comes with helmets. No one horns. Most amazing of all are the recycling bins all over the place! It can be quite a shock compared to the maddess of Guangzhou.

Houjie, Donggang

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china, travel

Houjie is small town in the province of Donggang (somewhere between Shenzhen and Guangzhou). It’s a stereo-typical Chinese industrial town, which means that it’s bloody boring.