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Published: October 3rd 2013
I arrived in Beijing about three hours ago, it's the first time that I have been in the shortest immigration queue. There were only about a dozen of us foreign nationals entering China from my train, T98.
The train itself took 23 and a half hours, but the time went surprisingly quickly, especially since I slept pretty soundly (though it took me a while to get used to the motion whilst lying down). I was in a room all to myself, the other three bunks being empty, but that was alright, the noise from next door kept me company, and I went down to dinning carriage, where I am pretty sure I order vegetables but ended up with vegetables with grey chunks, which looked to me like frogs legs and bits of spine. Good times.
The landscape changed quite dramatically over night. The south of China was pretty rugged, mountains jagging out of the ground, but then when I woke up this morning the land was completely flat as far as the eye can see, and dusty, very dusty. Tiny ramshackle villages were interrupted by twenty-first century tower blocks (most were being built, or would have been being built
were it not the holidays here - National day... which lasts a week....). Still getting used to my new camera, so most of the images I took were blurry, I miss my Holga already, going to load her up tomorrow when I head out.
Had spicy 'drunken nuts' for lunch as I couldn't face another plate of amphibians.
It is quite noisy here in the room at the hostel I am staying in (not far from Tiananmen Square), but doesn't feel half as bad as Hong Kong. I am fairly certain the taxi driver overcharged me, but did not feel able to confront her as also in the taxi was her husband/lover/pimp. Loving the clothes, Beijing.
Had some dropped egg soup for tea, and about to settle in for the night; I am shattered!
Side note: In Hung Hom station (HK) you are not allowed to 'hawk, doubt, question or exhibit materials against the government'. Always love the image of 'hawking', I always see a giant bird with watches tapped under it's wings but I think that's because something misfires in my brain 😊
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mirela
non-member comment
:)
Good to know you got there OK - love the photos and miss you already! Enjoy!