Our APEC Holiday begins today. The train departs Beijing South Railway Station at 9:00 am. Since it’s our first train travel in China, we don’t want any “surprises”, so we leave early, at 6:30 am. We’ve heard the taxis have been cut back to every other day, and maybe a little worried about getting one. We walk out of the complex, to the street, and start toward the first taxi. There are seven cabs in line, waiting for passengers. Plenty, right? The first guy waves us off, so does the 2nd, the 3rd, etc, until finally, #6 nods approval. We must have looked like we had ebola. There isn’t any traffic, and the ride take ½ hour. At the train station, security is thorough, but the line moves quickly. It doesn’t take us long to figure out our departure gate, and we manage to find a seat. We’re early, but there are many people waiting.
The board shows lots of blanks, representing no more seats.
There are about 40 gates and as the departure time nears, everyone starts queuing up. At the “active” gates, it gets downright crazy. Places in the terminal become impassable as everyone lines up. As usual, I enjoy the chance to watch the crowd and how the system operates. Our time comes, and we work our way through the line, and down the escalator to the platform. These trains are so long! We find our car, and seats, store our luggage, and get ready for a comfortable ride. It’s really roomy!
This is the section where we sat, in the first class area.
This is the “Business Class” section. (not where we sat)
The trains look really sleek!
The train ride is smooth. Most of the time, we’re traveling around 305 kilometers per hour. This is just like the Japanese bullet trains. There are about six stops enroute to Shanghai, each lasting between 2 & 4 minutes. It’s about 780 miles, and we arrive at Hongquiao Station after a 5 hour, 48 minute trip.
In the distance is one of the “ghost cities”, brand new apartments with no occupants.
Here’s a link to some video I shot as we pulled out of Beijing and rode to Shanghai. It’s about 3 minutes.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/4i5z9e3qarro16g/14.11.7.Shanghai%20Train.mp4?dl=0
We find a taxi for the 45-minute trip to the hotel. We’re staying at the JW Marriot Tomorrow Square, near the Bund in Shanghai. We decided to splurge on the room, and WOW! It’s a two-room suite, with two bathrooms. The “Executive Lounge” has food throughout the day, including breakfast. We also have breakfast privileges in the main restaurant for the huge breakfast buffet. I don’t think we’re going to hurt for food on this trip. Also, all the room snacks and drinks are free of charge. No worries about a $5 bottle of water, or a $4 Snickers Bar. The hotel lobby and restaurant are on the 38th floor, and our room is on 51. The “Executive Lounge” is on 58. There are tremendous views of Shanghai from everywhere.
Taken on the roof of the hotel (60th floor).
The director of Executive Services took us upstairs from the Executive Lounge to “The Library”, and asked us to find the hidden door to the roof
“Voila”