China, Beijing 北京

Beijing 北京 7^th May'2005 (Saturday)

Taking night train from Xian on 6th May'2006 to Beijing, it was a terrible night seating on a hard seat, slept in a seating position.

Visit friends in Beijing.

As it was during the China public holiday, the train was fully packed with people, all the beds were full and the seats were full, the worse thing was even the pathway was also fill with many people standing and seating around, there was no room to walk to washroom, it was so horrible packed. While I was seating inside the cabin, one young man seating along the pathway started to smoke, no one stop him (non-smoking area) or say anything about it, I don't like the smoke so I've ask the young man to go outside to smoke, he got no choice have to make his way out.

Seating in the train for many hours, from 6^th May'2005 evening till the next day noon, it was more than 10 hours in the train seating, the seat was narrow, in a seating possession it was difficult to sleep, I was so tired after few hours seating, after past midnight, getting sleepy and have fell asleep but couldn't fully at sleep.

On 7^th May'2005 (next day), my Beijing friend (I knew her when I was in Dali) came to Beijing train station to fetch me at noon, not only she came, she came with her boy friend, her boy friend help me to carry my heavy big bag and my friend carry my small bag, so nice of them. We took a taxi to her house, they allow me to stay in their house and I was so blessed.

After leave my bags in the house, they brought me to the near by restaurant to have our lunch, she order a few dishes and beer (青岛), talking about the China local beer it taste so good, the same brand of beer, I've try taste it in Hong Kong but it does not taste the same as in China. I'll highly recommend trying the local beer if you are in China.

After the lunch, we went back to the house; my friend knew I was very tired since I didn't have a good sleep last night, so she asked me to have an afternoon nap. While I was sleeping, she was in the same room using the computer to do her work, I slept very well, even the strong wind sweep into the room, it was so cold and windy, yet I didn't know about it, she was busy closing the windows but as for me have no reaction at all, I'd stay in my dream world for a few hours.

My Beijing friend (A friend) was busy with her work daily during the time I was in Beijing, she has to work over time most of the time. Her boy friend was so nice, he will be back home after work and brought me out for dinner most of the nights to keep me accompany.

There were two nights, my friend make time for me to went out for dinner together, one night we had steam boat in a restaurant in town, another night we had our dinner in the near by stall eating pig's intestine soup without rice, dinner without rice I felt funny, whenever I have no rice for dinner, I'll felt hungry at night around 9pm, even though my friend knew that I need rice for the night, she still joking with me saying; “don't let me eat rice tonight.” Ha…ha… my Beijing friend so naughty.

During the daytime, I'll take a bus and subway went all the way out to the city area to explore and shopping. There was one of the day, I went to the stall to look for the old friends when I was first time went to Beijing, I wanted to visit the lady shoes maker and the boss of the local hostel, when I went there, both were no longer there, the shoes maker shop has changed into selling other things and the local hostel has change management.

(To read on my first time to Beijing who I meet, click on to the link to read further.)

http://realtravel.com/beijing-journals-j2196597.html

I went to the hotel that I had stayed, the tour agent and the provision shop owner inside the hotel can still remember me; I had a short chat with them. Since Oct'2003 I had meet them and I was glad to see them again.

During my time spent in Beijing, I went visiting place I have not visit and visited those place I love to shop around too.

While I was in Beijing, I also make arrangement to meet the local lady, my former work business partner (which I’d miss to meet her on my last visit to Beijing), we had arranged to go for dinner and she has brought me to a Chinese restaurant and orders a few nice dishes, we finally meet and she was a nice lady with two kids. I never knew she was a marriage woman; it caught me by surprise when I called her home and her husband (she was not at home) answer the phone, she sounded on the phone like a young lady to me.

On Thursday afternoon (12 May'2005), my hometown friend (V friend) who has gone to Mongolia had email to me after her two weeks spent in Mongolia (She was asking me to join her when I was still in Chengdu but didn't join her), she had enjoy herself a lot and she thought that I'll like the place, so she email to me to tell me how's Mongolia like and if I wish to be there, she would extent her visa to wait for me to join her. She further mentions that since I was in Beijing, it will be cheaper to travel to Mongolia from Beijing than from our hometown.

She even email to my home town friend (J friend) to ask her to make a conference call with both of us, my J friend has manage to conference my V friend and I, we manage to communicate on the phone, my V friend told me where to get the international train ticket and she will wait for me at the Mongolia train station on the date of my arrival (Saturday – 14 May'2005).

After the call, I went out immediately, took a bus and subway all the way to the place to purchase my international train ticket to Mongolia (Ulan Bator station). After I'd bought the train ticket, I've told my Beijing friend (A friend) about it, I was so excited to go Mongolia.

Mongolia was a place I would like to visit and since my V friend was there willing to extent her stay to wait for me, I was glad to went over to join her. As my train was on Saturday early the morning, so I've only Friday to go bank to drawn some money (running out of cash) and do some shopping.

On Saturday (14 May'2005) early the morning, my Beijing friend was too tired to get up from the bed, since it was off day (no work) for her, she needed rest, even though she couldn't see or sent me off, she was nice to have her boy friend help me to get taxi and sent me off to the train station.

When we reached the train station, the gate was already open for boarding, I quickly check in and on board the train, my friend's boy friend was very nice to sent me off all the way to the train cabin and the train was about to leave, have no time to say any further, I've said; a big thank you to him. He has been very nice to allow me staying together with them and make me feel at home. My Beijing friend is so bless to have him as boy friend.

To read on my trip to Mongolia, click on next.

If you wish to read other journals, please click on the link below:-

http://realtravel.com/member-m652835-afa.html