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Mini Getaway #1 to Xi'an

I know it has been a while since I posted. I didn't think I'd get so caught up with life here in Beijing and then 5 months flew by. I am no longer living with my Chinese host family and I've been interning at the International Medical Center - Beijing for almost 3 months now. Since I have about a month left here in China, I debated on where I should head on my 1st mini vacation, and decided on the historical city of Xi'an (西安) as I've been wanting to see the Terracotta Warriors and Horses (兵马俑) since I was little.

So wanting a real, authentic Chinese experience (and a more affordable experience) I took the train from Beijing to Xi'an so this entry will be more informational about the train and navigating around Beijing West Railway Station.

There are lots of trains going from Beijing West to Xi'an, only a few are direct, others have stops along the way. After looking at the time tables I chose the T55 because it fit my plans. My coworker helped me buy the ticket for the Hard Sleeper, Middle Berth (will get to my review of hard sleeper later). My train departed at 4:45pm and I wanted to arrive at the station by 3 and I did.

Directions to Beijing West: Currently the Military Museum on Line 1 is the closest station to Beijing West, but I heard that Line 9 will open next month and it will have a station that stops at the Train Station. But for me, I took the Military Museum, exit B (to the Busses/Public Transport) and looked for busses with 北京西站 as a stop.

Once you get off the bus, follow the mass of people to the overpass. I followed the signs to the Waiting Halls (候车室) and it led me to the Entrance. There you will need to show your tickets to inspectors and then pass through security. From then on, refer to the electronic boards to find your train number and you're corresponding waiting hall. There are large signs to direct you to your waiting hall.

My experience on the T55 Hard Sleeper was great. The name "hard sleeper" actually doesn't mean it's very hard (actually it's the same as the soft sleeper, mattress wise). My bunk mates were all Chinese and kept to themselves so it wasn't noisy. People on the bottom bunks get a lot of vertical room as you can sit up, but sometimes you have others sitting on your bunk (ex. dinner time); top bunks look uncomfortable as you don't get a lot of head room (even less than middle berth). But middle berth is more comfortable than top and gives you the privacy of not having to let people sit.
(Note: Hard Sleepers on trains are all different. Some only have Top or Bottom bunks OR Top, Middle, Bottom. The T55 had both.)

Train attendants will come by and switch all sleeper tickets with cards (hold onto them because they will be collected later!) and ask for ID. Because Xi'an isn't the last stop on the T55, I was worried about what would happen if I overslept and missed my stop. Luckily, the train attendants come by around 30 min before you're arrival and swap your cards for your tickets, so it sort of acts as a wake-up call.

Me laying down on the T55, Middle Bunk (gives you sort of an idea on how much headroom you'll have)

Experience A Real Autumn

One thing I was excited about experiencing here in China was the seasons (summer, fall, and winter, unfortunately, I missed spring). You don't really experience seasons in California except summer and maybe fall (except all the leaves never change color). Anyways, I made it a point to see the beautiful autumn leaves here in Beijing and after researching a few sites, I decided on going to Fragrant Hill (香山) during the Red Leaves Festival.

Directions to Fragrant Hill: Take Subway Line 4 to Beigongmen, Exit A. Then you can take Bus 331 or 696 and get off at Xiangshan (香山). Once you get off, follow all the people, up the street past all the snack vendors and souvenir shops and after about a 5-10 min walk, you will reach the entrance to the park.

Though the Red Leaves Festival started about a week ago, the maple leaves were more yellow than red. But nevertheless, wandering around, going off the beaten path looking at all the trees and taking in the scenery was absolutely fantastic. There are tons of small paths for the adventurous photographers up on the mountains and it would've been nice to check out had I brought appropriate shoes. I'm happy I got a chance to see the fall leaves, it was definitely on my To-Do list and I think being from California and never seeing scenery like that, allowed me to fully appreciate it so the trip was worth it.

Tip: Finding the bus back to the subway station is a bit tricky, but Bus 331 and 696 was in Parking Lot 5 I believe. It's extremely crowded so I suggest leaving around 2 or 3 and expect to wait around 20-30 min for a bus.

Unknown girl, thought the picture was nice though

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"Catching Falling Stars" Thought the leaves looked like stars and wanted to capture it, w/ a bit of freehand & playing around, I think I did! Hands down, favorite of the day.

Tiananmen Square (天安们) Part 1 -- CROWDED

As being any tourist in China, I want to see all the famous historical sites of China and Tiananmen Square was at the top of the list. I took the subway to Line 1 Tiananmen East (because it was the closer of the 2 Tiananmen stops) and you definitely get a REAL sense of how populated China really is.

Line 1 is absolutely horrendous in itself, there are people EVERYWHERE. I was warned about the pushing and shoving on the platform and decided I'd just hang back and if I could squeeze into the subway, I would-- if I couldn't, I'd just catch the next one. The next train was arriving and once the doors opened, the massive amount of people pushing completely threw me off and somehow I was pushed onto the train! Pushed up against people -- this was the dreaded Line 1.

Tiananmen Square itself is very grand and I felt like a fanfare should have been playing once I saw it. There are tons of Chinese tours and foreign tour groups it was very.. chaotic. You can enter up to the 故宫 (via the large tunnels) for free but past that requires an admission fee.

I also ventured across the street (using the subway tunnels and following the exit signs) to the Museum and National Flag but did not enter the museum because I was pressed for time.

Tiananmen Square

Ornamental Columns made from white marble. They are complements of Tiananmen square's main structures.

Beginnings in Beijing

It has been about a week or so since I’ve arrived in China and settled in with my host family in their house in downtown Beijing (Haidian District). I haven’t been out exploring very far but here are my thoughts on Beijing thus far:

-It is crowded: I’m trying to imagine the immensely large number of people living in this country, let alone, this city (which is more like a state) and I can’t even try to process it. And the large amount of people, just means there is traffic EVERYWHERE you go. It is like the 405 but on inner streets, so it's absolutely terrifying.

-It is hot: It’s mid-May here and although I thought it would be springtime here, it’s more like summer with the humidity. Parts of Beijing smell like fresh paint, and with the heat it’s sometimes a bit nauseating.

-Honking is actually a good thing: I know when some people think of the crazy Asian driving in China, they think of all the chaos and honking, but I realized there are 2 kinds of honking. Normal honking—honking when someone cuts you off or doesn’t-care-to-see-you-and-merges-into-your-lane (happens… pretty much all the time) and safe honking—honking whenever you’re near a pedestrian crosswalk to let people know a car’s coming so-don’t-run-out-into-the-street-because-I’m-going-to-run-you-over. Pedestrians don’t have any right-of-way here and I doubt it would matter because they seem to just randomly wander out into the street anyways, so for safety purposes, honking is good. Kinda makes me worry about exploring, because walking seems to be dangerous, actually all modes of transportation around cars seem kinda dangerous haha.

-Subway: I actually like the subway in Beijing! The subway stations are about a 30 minute walk apart from each other (or so I'm told) so I find that a bit inconvenient if you really do need to walk or you're stranded, but I suppose it'd be pointless having so many stations and it would just increase travel time. The lines I've been on have been air conditioned so it beats walking! Last Tuesday my ride on Line 10 was pleasant because there were 2 guys singing and playing acoustic guitars in between stops wandering through the subway train.

A Stop in Seoul

I thought taking a long flight with multiple stops wouldn’t be too horrible; boy did I underestimate my stamina and my body. I left LAX on a 14 hour plane ride to Incheon with a 2 hr stop in Narita. After a 14 hour layover in Incheon, a 2 hour plane ride to Beijing.

I stayed in the Incheon Airport Hotel Queen and found it to be a nice stay. When you arrive in the airport you can go to the Hotel Information Desk (once you clear customs and after baggage claim) and they will call the hotel and direct you to where the shuttle will pick you up. About 10 minutes later the shuttle was there and I was brought back to the hotel, quick and easy. In the morning, the first shuttle from the hotel back to the airport leaves at 6:00am.

Overall the stay in the hotel room was cozy and nice, free internet is provided in the room along with other complementary toiletries and small appliances. I think it’s great for people with long layovers and for ~$70 it was cheaper than the option of staying in the Incheon Airport’s Transit Hotel.

As for Incheon Airport, it is absolutely amazing with tons of shops and restaurants both at the departure concourses and in the gates. The airport has multiple Cultural Experience Centers in which foreigners can enjoy making crafts and dressing up in traditional hanboks for free, free wi-fi(!!!), and lots of nice-brand name shops and department stores. At the request of my best friends, I dropped by the Missha/Etude House (located on 3F, area G of the Departure area) and it was a bit small, but having both shops in one store was convenient. The airport is very large, but there are helpful touch-screen information computers that show you where you are and show the best route for you to reach your destination in the airport! I highly recommend a layover in Seoul compared to other airports because it has been the best one. 

 

Lunch on Korean Airlines, Bibimbap

Arriving at ICN

 

 

 

 

 

Room at the Incheon Airport Hotel Queen

View from my room (I think of a noraebang place)

 

The morning of my departure to Beijing, breakfast bought from the Family Mart

ICN during the day

Neat toilets that automatically dispense new & remove plastic seat coverings