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Published: April 29th 2006
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So we made it out of Mongolia, though it took a bit of work. Last we wrote, we were on our 5th bonus day in Ulaan Baatar with no prospects of getting out. The last day we went to the station at opening as per our daily regimen, and were denied for the 4th straight time. A few days earlier, when the agent couldn't find us a ticket we thought we heard her mention something about going directly to the Station Director for help, but being one step above deaf and dumb when it comes to Mongolian, we passed it off as misinterpretation and never bothered. But now we were desperate and were willing to try any angle, so we tracked down the Director's office and went in. It was quite nerve-racking-- here we were, face to face with the Wizard herself. So we explained our situation as best we could without a proper hold of Mongolian-- "We-go-China?". It took 2 minutes for her to find 2 sleepers to Erlian.
So we were going the long route. We'd have to first train to Erlian, then to Jiniang and then finally to our destination, Datong. We didn't know the schedule or
prices of the latter legs, but that didn't concern us- as long as we got out of UB. In the end, we made all three trips in one day. The Erlian leg was cake. Got a sleeper car and shared it with 2 friendly Mongolian businessman. But then to Jiniang, we rode the lowest class for the first time.
There are 4 seat-classes to the Chinese Rail System which range from the ultra-luxurious to the is-this-even-legal? condition:
*if you have money to burn, you opt for the top of the line Soft Sleeper. These are grand. 4 plush beds to a cabin, a locking door to ward out thieves and wafting smoke. They serve you hot tea and biscuits;
*next, and probably the most economical is the Hard Sleeper. 6 bunk beds per cabin, no enclosure, essentially a 36-bed dormitory in a single carriage, cramped enough to feel like a human file cabinet but you get to stretch out for long 12 hour journeys. They sell you instant noodles;
*then there's the Soft Seat- ok for trips of 6 hours or less- upright chairs but padded, the key here is assigned seating. They serve hot water (bring your own
tea);
*last and most certainly least is the dreaded Hard Seat- you do not want this one. Unless you have $2 in your pocket and you need to travel 800 miles. This is a free-for-all, knock-your-own-grandmother-down-to-get-a-seat, smoke-filled, feet-up, socks-off, spit-directly-on-the-floor foul cabin. I suggest you don't eat while in 4th class).
So we rode Hard Seat for the first time but being that the trips were only 4 hours each, it was pretty tolerable. And once you get over the smell, riding 4th class is a bit more lively. No frolicking or gaiety like in Titanic, but our companions were very friendly. Though in 4 hours of "conversation" we only got to "what is your name? what do you do? how old are you?", it was still quite amusing. We have to get accustomed to 4th class now anyways as we'll be traveling more frequently among towns that are only a few hours apart and it wouldn't be economical to pay for, nor do they even offer, anything beyond Hard Seat. Besides, we've quickly learned the best move to push to the front of the line: a little hip swivel that, with our 20 lb. packs, can clear out
Hard Seat-- No Way to Travel
Only the white-girl is smiling. But she doesn't yet know any better. the equivalent of a healthy male up to 195 lbs. or 2 elderly ladies and a toddler. We're also getting better at communicating. It used to be we'd approach the ticket booth, shout full English and pray to God that it be reciprocated. That, or point straight to our book at the Chinese characters. But now we've actually started to learn a bit of Mandarin to help better our chances-- "how much is the sleeper car?"-- "What time does the train leave?"-- "That train station uniform really accentuates your beauty"
But we made it to Datong in the end. It's a pretty comfortable city. The guidebook describes it as a stopover- best to use it as a jumping-off point for the Yungang Grottoes (thousands of amazing stone/cave carvings of buddhist shrines, including a huge 17m sitting buddha), and Hanging Monastery (a temple from the 14th century, suspended 15 stories in the air off the side of a cliff to avoid being washed-out by floods in the river basin), but recommends leaving the mining town as quickly as possible. I think it's an alright place though. Not much to see in the city itself, but it's the first place we've
Hard Sleeper
Best get to know your neighbors- you'll sit with them, eat with them, and if lucky, see the flabby guy strip down to his undies come bedtime gone where we're not hassled. I think in some of the bigger cities, they receive more tourists and people have learned to swindle in English. So far, in every town we hear the same "HEL-lo, taxi?" or "HEL-lo, map!", but here it's just an honest "hello". Really do dig this town, wouldn't mind staying a bit. But it's getting cold and Carolee wants to hurry down south. Last night the temperature dipped to about 40. I woke up and came out of our room to gesture to our floor attendant that the room had no heat and we were freezing (a simple crossing of the arms and spastic shaking does it). So she entered our room and pointed. We were looking for the heat switch, but she pointed to a chest containing more blankets. Thanks. Yeah, I think it's time to head down south too.
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Lauren
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Glad you're out
So happy to hear from you! I was getting worried. Thought you'd be in Mongolia for Christmas. Stay safe!