We left our apartment at 11:00 AM on Thursday morning headed
to Beijing. We walked a short block to the bus depot. We rode the bus for about
15 minutes to a metro stop. We rode the metro, changed lines, and stopped at
the furthest North metro station in Suzhou. It only took 90 minutes. This meant
we arrived at the station approximately three hours before our train was
scheduled to depart for Beijing. Whoops.
I like to be early. I like to have my ducks in rows. I had
never been to the Suzhou North Train station, nor had I ever rode on the bullet
train. I wasn’t sure on the situation. Needless to say, we had plenty of time
to get our tickets and find our platform. We also had plenty of time to realize
there was limited snacks and only one restaurant that had no Halal or
vegetarian food to feed us. I knew the train would have limited food, expensive
food, and crappy food. So far our trip was off to a pleasant three hour wait in
the Suzhou North Train station.
We boarded the train like giddy school girls. I was so
excited to ride the bullet train. I adore the Indian Railway, and this was sure
to be a step up! The comfort of space, ability to walk around, affordability, and
get a great view of the countryside are perks to trains that America lacks. We
found our seats quickly. I took some snaps and sent SnapChats to all my friends
telling them how fast we were going. I tried to take a picture of something
once and missed it. Then we started watching movies as it was getting dark and
the view was limited in my seat because I didn’t have a proper window to look
out.
Hunger began to settle on us. We ventured to the “dining
car”. In the movies you see these dining cars and have views of a first class
dining experienced followed with High Tea. Instead we found TV dinners of the
sort that were covered in plastic and literally warmed in the microwave. After
a long discussion, an exchange of money, and a return of money, we went back to
our seats with no food. Anwer later gave in and spent $5 on six plums. They
were the best plums I’ve ever eaten… or most expensive.
We arrived in Beijing right on schedule. It took us five
hours and fifteen minutes to travel 740 miles (or driving from Minneapolis to Lexington, KY). Hana and Lorena met us at
the train station, and we began another public transport journey to their home
in the central part of Beijing. We took three different metro lines and walked
about 20 minutes to reach our hotel and dinner spot. What a relief it was to
see a decent meal and know sleep in a bed was in my near future. We had spent
about 11 hours to get to that place (granted three of those hours were spent
sitting idly due to my over preparedness).
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| feels like Mussoorie, looks like Mussoorie |
It was a strange but familiar situation seeing Hana and
Lorena in Beijing after spending the last year as neighbors in India. They had
not planned to return to Beijing where they had spent 12 years living before
coming to India, but it was a feeling of warmth when we reunited with them in
their Chinese city.
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| crop pants make for great travel! and I am still in LOVE with my Minnetonka Moccasins |
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| Menus come on iPads |
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| #ourcityiscoolerthanyours |
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| #beijingfashion |
Due to the National Holiday, Beijing was even more
overpopulated than usual. Most tourist sites were closed, and getting around
the city was a logistical nightmare. The sidewalks moved as huddled masses,
never allowing you to stop, speed up, or slow down without a near collision
with a person, bike, car, or food cart.
The area that we stayed in and that Hana and Lorena live in is a very
hipster-esque, tourist loving area, but they assure me it was nothing like this
when they first moved to the area twelve years ago. As China is in love with
building, constructing, renovating, and progressing, it’s no surprise that
their neighborhood is slowing being destroyed.
Things that I enjoyed about Beijing in no particular order:
1.
Toilets everywhere! In India, you go out of your
way to find a clean restaurant where you can use a toilet. In Beijing, they
have toilets on every block and sometimes every 50 meters. It was brought to my
attention that many homes do not have their own toilets and plumbing. They use
the public toilets! Imagine! Another thing I did not enjoy about the toilets
was the lack of doors. There are sectioned off areas, but everyone and anyone
can still see your business. Lorena assured me it used to be worse, and there
was just a big hole and no dividers. Ick.
2.
Tourist groups everywhere following flags and
wearing matching baseball caps. Obviously, I don’t live in Beijing, and I can
enjoy this as an outsider.
3.
Cute shops and cafes that sell all of those
useless things that you would never need but would love to buy. Weird household
objects in shapes of vegetables. The kind of shops that I love to wander
through on State Street in Madison with Lisa in the summer.
4.
Being with Hana and Lorena. Our experience
living at Oakland Getters was magical, and being with them again was
refreshing. Also, being in Beijing with locals was a much better experience
than being tourists. They speak Chinese and know all the best shops and
restaurants. I can’t wait to go back and explore more!
5.
The character and style of the homes there. The
alleys and streets are romantic and magical. Nothing like living in
manufactured Suzhou.
Could I live in Beijing? I don’t know. The lack of blue
skies and constant pollution would be difficult. And the -20 degree
Celsius weather in the winter are
concerns. I know. I’m from Minnesota. Reminder: in Minnesota we have central
heat and properly insulated homes. Although the citiness of the city and
character are inviting, I’m happy in Suzhou for now!
