Last night in Beijing and go to the only bar I have found in the area. Haven’t eaten all day so ask for a pizza in Bar No 98, fantastic, deep base and plenty of topping, best pizza I’ve had in Asia.
Guan and Connor are the staff and they’re good fun and entertaining. The drinks are reasonably priced too.
There will always be a corner of Beijing that belongs to the Isle of Wight!
And so onto the next morning. Everything packed and ready to get the train at 15:15. Have an early lunch and head to the station at 13:15 to make sure I get the train on time. I’m taken to the wrong station by the taxi driver and after going through two security checks notice the train is not on the departures board. There are no information kiosks in the station but, eventually get told I am at Beijing South station and I need to be at Beijing station.
I now have forty minutes to get out of one station, across the city and through security at the other station. Mad dash!! Taxi drivers at the station realise the situation and demand 100 yuan to take you 6 km. When at the correct station there are no directions in English as to how to get into the station.
I ask around and with 10 minutes before the train leaves I find myself at the back of a queue with about 30 people in front of me. PANIC!!! I walk between the queues and show my ticket to a lovely young lady who lets me in front of her. FIVE minutes to go, but where’s the waiting room. The board says room 2, go there and no information about my train. Ask a lady who says it’s upstairs and room 4. Run, can’t as the Chinese like to stop and talk on the escalators.
Boarding the train means you have to enter the correct carriage, no walking through the train with your luggage. Not only this but the third large item of baggage on this trip is now splitting!! Get on the train in the correct carriage and the doors are closed and the train is moving before I find my sleeping compartment.
Three others in the compartment and one speaks English while another man tries his best to speak. The first man is travelling with his wife and she seems to take it upon herself to feed everyone in the compartment.
There isn’t much to see on this train as there are two nights on board and the daytimes seem to be through the desert.
Arrive in Urumqi at 06:30 and manage to get a taxi from the station to the hotel. There is nobody at reception, which is no surprise as I discover the trains all run on Beijing time and Urumqi is two hours behind. Hence arriving at the hotel at 05:00!!
Still no ticket for the train into Kazakhstan tomorrow, apparently it will be delivered to the hotel at 13:00 tomorrow. This is a ticket that has been paid for 6 weeks ago. Now it’s fingers crossed time hoping they get the ticket to me before I have to leave the hotel. Also the train time is advertised on Beijing time so the ticket will actually get here at 15:00 Beijing time.