Train Trip and New Hotel

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Judy Manton and I finished our TESOL symposium yesterday around 5:30 and then in the lobby of the Jing Shi Hotel at Beijing Normal University we met Wendy Wen and her husband Brad and her brother and his wife. Brad and Wendy are visiting her family during July...we left NYC on the same day but arrived different times/days...we walked to a local student canteen on campus since we had some meal tickets left over and just made it in time to get a few dishes ...then went to this place that I found in the morning for coffee and a drink. It was a pleasant evening...not to hot not to cold and it was pleasant to see Wendy and Brad in a different venue.

We went back to the hotel room afterwards...not too late around 10:30 pm and packed and I just passed out after a shower. Judy stayed up a while longer but I couldn't...I woke up around 5 am...then again around 5:30 and then finally got up and got my things together and went downstairs. Tried to get on the internet there but there seems to always be a problem.

It's a good thing I brought my computer because there is no wifi so I haven't been able to use my iPad to get online since Japan. We're in West Linxian, a small city in the same province where we were teaching last year. WE're in a nicer hotel...the rooms are a lot nicer except I've got the worst luck...my toilet is leaking around the seam again this year -- the same problem as last year -- and in addition to that there is the strong smell of feet all around the bed...either someone vomited or a dog was sleeping there or the carpet is just very very dirty after so many years of dirty feet. It's pretty stinky. I've asked for another room but nothing is available tonight so...I''m going to sleep with my head at the foot of the bed tonight and hope for the best tomorrow .

We have a nice young woman Sally who just graduated from college who is volunteering with us this year. Liulei is back helping us make these arrangements for the hotel and food and transportation. He's quite a wheeler dealer and seems to know the system in China and be able to work around it quite well. We were supposed to teach in Lankao near Kaifeng this year but on June 21 the local government backed out or something (i'm not sure about the details) and Liulei had to come up with an entirely new program in a different place in 2 weeks. It's pretty remarkable that he was able to do this.

We took the train from the West Train station in Beijing this morning at 8:40. It was a miracle that we actually got the train. We left the hotel at about 7:30...that was only an hour to get there....and the ride was supposed to be 20 minutes...it turned out to be 50 minutes...we jumped out of the taxi with 6 suitcases...Judy managed to figure out that the porter could not come out to help us ...we had to life the bags over the barricade, he put them through the security machines, and we walked through with our tickets...then he loade dthe luggage on a cart and we had to pay at a window and then we all ran ...luckily he took us directly to the train platform which was already closed but the guard let us run down the escalator...the porter was already piling our luggage on a car, the doors were closing Judy jumped on draggin her bag, I was pushing my bag on and trying to get on but the bottom piece of metal between the door and the platform was being retracted and I thought I would fall right through the crack or that I would be caught in the door...all those freak accidents went flashing through my mind. But the guard on the platform pushed me in..and then the workers on the train helped us get to the very last car where our reserved seats were. That was also a nightmare with all the bags that we had.

When we did get to our seats, they were fabulous. The train is completely new, comfortable seats, clean, bathrooms and toilets that flush with paper, the girls are circulating with snacks and coffee, there is hot water that you can get from a tap for tea or coffee yourself, there is a foot rest and there was a foldout table for the coffee at each seat. There was also a video in the aisle with subtitles for entertainment.

When we got to Taiyuan at 12 noon, we found a couple of porters who helped us get downstairs and out. And then we were trying to figure out how to get in touch with Liulei when he suddedly appeared with Sally, the volunteer. He got the porters to help us carry the bags to the cars and then we went to meet Wenxian's family -- the brother of Jiang Liang who is the wife of a Chinese poet -- they lived with Judy for 6 years in the States. Now she is taking care of the girl this month and Wenxian will accompany us when we travel later. She wants to improve her English -- she's quite shy and I'm not sure that she has traveled much if at all so I'm not sure how good a tour guide she wll be but...it'll be another experience.

We drove here to Linxian in 2 cars on one of the best highways ever. It's amazing how much infrastructre has been set up for development. The highway was incredible....all new...the embankments along the way reinforced with arched concrete. Along the way there are newlconstructed service rest areas...huge parking lots with incredibly clean bathrooms with running water and a restaurant and supermarket and gas stations...the gas stations were not yet operating but the gas dispensers had been delivered and were still in boxes. The cafeteria was empty as was the supermarket but the shelves were up and there were some tables in the restaurant. It's amazing how quickly this country is moving towards long term goals of devleopment.

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