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October 6th 2010

Published: October 13th 2010

Train to Dalian A is Changchun B is Dalian

Yes, I know I don't write frequently enough. And I leave some stories unfinished. It is a combination of lazy, procrastination, and actually teaching, the reason I am here in the first place. I will cover the most recent events first and if energy permits I will try to fill in the blanks.

October Holiday!

In China there is a national holiday the first week of October each year. In idea of a holiday is a little different. Typically it is mix of days off work, and days of work rescheduled. In my case that means I was free from work after completing my classes on September 29th. Classes for the 30th will be made up this Saturday the 9th. Some other local colleges will also have class on Sunday and might have had additional classes the weekend before the holiday, to make a longer holiday. It is a very different system.

If you saw my pictures from last October in Shanghai you can sell there are many people, even more than usual in China. This year I decided to stay closer to Changchun. I much prefer train travel (with a seat) to riding on an airplane. The

Occupied Seat

After standing, you may find your seat occupied.

train is slower, but there is an ongoing feeling of progress, plus plenty of things to see out the large train window. The Chinese airlines have managed to squeeze more seats in a plane by shrinking the legroom, unbelievable it is possible to have less leg room on a plane. So train it was.

In my previous travels I have never spent a holiday on the Pacific or a Sea connected to the Pacific, so I picked the closest coastal resort city, Dalian. Over the summer you might have heard a news blurp about a refinery explosion and oil spill in a city named Dalian. Yes it is the same place, but without the pesky EPA or other environmental protection groups, the resort was in full swing again in no time.

Train Tickets

Due to the huge population, geographic spread, and limited access to technology in some areas, the Chinese train tickets are offered for sale 10 days before departure. This always makes planning a holiday very interesting. After waiting for about 30 minutes in line for tickets (I did not go at the exact opening time....the wait then would have been multiple hours) I happily discovered that

The Chair

How did it end up in this hotel room? Feel free to post your explanation.

tickets to Dalian were still available for October 1st. Only problem was a 6AM departure and the corresponding 4AM wake-up call.

October 1

• Wake-up at 4AM: Double check my backpack. Load-up and take the walk out to the main street to find a taxi. Luckily Changchun has plenty of taxi's 24 hours a day. Get a ride to meet Lisa (my girlfriend) on her school's campus.
• 5AM: Lisa arrives. We find a taxi waiting to take someone else to the train station. After a 10 minute wait we are off to the train station.
• 5:30 AM: A very smooth loading process begins. I am shocked at how quickly and orderly things are moving this morning. We board the train and find our seats on the upper level of a 2 level all seat train car. Probably the most comfortable seat I have had on a mid-level train in China. Cost 150 RMB ($23 US).
• A little more than 7 hours to Dalian: I spent most of the trip reading a biography of JP Morgan, the founder of the famous investment bank. I managed to finish the book before arrival at the station. A seemingly great accomplishment,

The Sea

Taken October 1st in the evening

except when you are aware their were little more than 70 pages left to read. It would have been a great YouTube video. I did some slumping over forward, some my head is jerking back. And maybe an hour of standing to stretch. Shortly after standing, I glanced back at my seat. I was surprised to find it occupied see photo
• Arrival: We arrived in Dalian and unloaded from the train. Lisa commented on the better air quality almost immediately. The sea breeze definitely added something to the air. There was a noticeable difference in the amount of dust and sand blowing around in the wind. Dalian is probably just more humid, but it does appear much cleaner because the dirt is not blowing around.

The Hotel

• In the description online: Very close to the sea.
• On arrival: The elevated train is much closer, as in just across the narrow road in front of the hotel. Scenes from the original Blues Brothers movie flashed in my brain. I suddenly hoped the hotel room was free from all pictures and shelved items. As a teenager, my older brother had thrown things at me in my sleep. So I

In the Ferris Wheel

Lisa in the Ferris Wheel. She did not like it when I rocked the car.

know the feeling of a sudden surprise blow to head to interrupt your slumber, I hoped to avoid this kind of thing during my holiday.
• Room 408: "Two small beds" they weren't kidding. I joked during the reservation that it would be okay if they were beds for adults. Just barely. The furnishings were spartan. The bathroom.......I will describe that later. I would be interested to hear an explanation of how the chair ended up in this hotel room. Feel free to post your proposed explanation.

A walk in the park

There was a major thoroughfare on the other side of the elevated train. An a park on the other side. After relaxing for a few hours in the hotel, we took a walk to see what we could find. That park continues right down to the sea. It is not a sand beach, it was mostly flat rocks, but still offered a nice walk. We found a carnival just off the boardwalk and took a ride in the Ferris Wheel and that was the end of day 2.

October 2

Why pay more for a western bathroom?

The hotel was a deal only 198RMB

City at Night

A picture of Dalian at Night taken from the Ferris Wheel

per night during a high travel season. Can you find a hotel for $30 and just a walk away from an coast on Fourth of July weekend? There are always compromises. I didn't mind the lack of a western toilet. I came to Dalian for the sea, not for the bathroom. However, as I prepared to shower I realized the situation was more complex. In the small bathroom as I faced the shower, the sink was on my right, and on my left there was the Chinese squat toilet. The shower knob and hose came out from the wall directly between the 2. A picture would really help this description I know. Strangely enough I don't typically take a camera to the shower with me, and I forgot to take the picture later. The door was on the other side of the sink, and just outside a 6 inch step down to the main room floor. I took a second to imagine just what it would feel like if my left foot slipped down into the trench. Another hilarious video, but one I hoped to avoid. Things went fine and I survived. If you are traveling in China, I recommend

Artic Wolves

2 Wolves in the Arctic Hall

you ask about the bathroom layout before you book.

Sun Asia Ocean World

Dalian's Version of Sea World is about about 1 mile down the boardwalk from the stone beach and the carnival. This venue consists of 3 halls, each with its own admission ticket. We decided to go for the whole package, but travelers on a limited budget could pick any one, they are similar. Face value is 190RMB ($28) we found a "guide" who could arrange tickets at group ticket pricing for only 150RMB ($21). Here is how it works...I give the guide 150RMB she goes to the window, buys the ticket, and returns to me. We walk to the front of the line, she says hello to the gate agent and I enter the first exhibit quickly through the group entrance line. Yea! I am sure that someone in management position had a different idea of "group" tickets, but this is how it was implemented for us.

Each hall was basically a group of animals exhibits arranged along a long path, at the end of the path there was a large hall for a show featuring the animals, music, etc. The first area was Arctic World

Polar Bear

Not much here, a rock island and small pool to swim around the rock island.

with penguins, sea otters, sea lions, arctic wolves, and a polar bear. From my visit I get the impression that the animals have smaller habitats than they would in the US. It seemed worst for the polar bear and the arctic wolves, in the wild I am sure they roam hundreds of acres but here the are confined to a few square yards.

The show was outside and we packed into the amphitheater. I took a photo of my feet, so you can get an idea of how much room we had. Just before the show it started to rain and the crowd trying to stay dry pushed again those trying enter. Luckily we had an umbrella and decided to wait it out. A few minutes before the show I thought all the umbrellas would make it very difficult to see, luckily the rain stopped and the show went on. A sea lion and a walrus did some cool tricks.

The second hall featured all kinds of ocean life, with a focus primarily on tropical animals. The show at the end included a mermaid, a prince, and pirates. I she swam very well with the large costume covering

Crowded

My foot was bigger than the area for feet, so I had to put my toes on the row in front of me. Seating here was tighter than bleachers at a sold out college football game.

her feet. You might be able to see the dolphins in the pictures.

After both shows, the animals were made available for pictures with visitors for about $8 each. Similarly sea turtles were taken from their exhibit and placed on a tiny beach for photographing with visitors. I don't think PETA is very big in China.

The third hall was more fish and coral, there was no show in this hall. To give you an idea of how long it takes to write this blog...I have been at it now for at least an hour on this one entry.

In the evening on the 2nd, we walked around a huge square called Xinghai Square. It was great until the rain started. We walked probably 1.5 miles back to the bus stop...for some reason there were no buses around the huge square, and also no taxis.....Bring a big umbrella to Dalian, when it rains it pours!

October 3

I am getting tired of writing here...so I will make this quick.

We took a city bus over to a long street along the coast. It seemed similar to Highway 1 in California, only the speeds

Can you spot the American?

I wonder if I stood out in the crowd

were slower and there was a wide sidewalk the whole way. It is called Bei Da Street (I think) and I have included a couple cool pictures.

Once we tired of walking, we found a scenic bus route that comes along this road from the train station. Unfortunately it only goes in one direction. I think it would be a great day trip for only 10 Yuan (less than $2). It seemed you can get off at each stop and take the next bus, but we were tired and chilly by that point, so we rode all the way to the last stop.

October 4

Arrived in Changchun at 4AM, unloaded the train, grabbed a taxi back to my apartment and slept for 5 more hours to recover from the long journey.

The End (It took me 4 days to get back to finishing this thing

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