The 24 hours leading up to our arrival in Shanghai were action packed to say the least...
That morning as I previously mentioned we walked around some of Beijing's hutongs. Before lunch we went to a supermarket so Maja could get goodies to bring back to Canada, we then rushed to eat something before heading to the airport. I'd say the best way to describe the following events would be by calling it a work out? We dragged our luggage through the subway (which lacked in elevators and escalators) to get to the airport and then our last minute plan of going to Shanghai meant figuring out a train that left that night. Just a side note- the chaos and last minute is what I love about travelling so this did not bother me at all, instead I knew a great story was in the midst of being created! At the airport after Maja was checked in, we went to the train counter to figure out our options. In what turned into lost in translation/hoping somewhere in there we understood each other, we booked an overnight train.
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At the Beijing Airport!
Morgan, me, Maja, Danielle |
After a hard goodbye (I hate saying bye, especially because this one meant Maja wasn't joining us) we went back to the subway to go to the train station. Now I know many of you are familiar with the term rush hour, but until you've seen rush hour in China in the subway, you just haven't experienced it. We were at a transfer point, just 3 stops away when we realized we wouldn't make it on a train. So plan b, we'd grab a cab or find out if walking was an option. I asked a police officer if it was far and if it would be possible to walk, you must know the people of China were very friendly and always so helpful, but in this situation both I and the cop were convinced we understood each other, which is what led to the next event... Three stops turned into about a 45 minute (maybe more) walk. We just hadn't realized the distance between each stop and dragging our luggage of course slowed us down. Thank god we are all positive people so our spirits remained high throughout the ordeal. Finally we made it to the train station, Hallelujah!!! BUT the story does not end here haha
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| The most beautiful thing we could see after an hour of walking |
After eating something quickly and hydrating, it was time for boarding. This train station was bigger than most airports, people began crowding the boarding area and then all of the sudden shouting and pushing happened, it turned into a small riot, and we stood to the side completely lost by what was happening as we just didn't understand what anyone was saying. Finally a girl tells me that people with fake tickets were trying to get on, which led to fighting between them and the guards (the issue here is much deeper as the girl was trying to explain to me however I cannot say I am educated enough on socio-political issues in China to make any commentary). We needed to get on that train, we were drained, we had no other options. Danielle and Morgan just started pushing their way through, I followed. Guards took notice and surrounded us to help us navigate and get through the gate. Finally we made it through, when suddenly I lost hold of my suitcase and was swarmed by people, the guards again took charge and helped me and my luggage through. We quickly found our cabin sat down and the locked the door. We just starred at each other in disbelief and exhaustion of what had happened in the previous hours. Again I am so grateful these girls are so positive, we ended up laughing it off, remarking that all that walking and lugging around definitely counted for at least a week in the gym and in the morning we'd be in Shanghai!
Everything on Shanghai tomorrow....
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