I woke early, nervous about over-sleeping. I walked out the door at 5:05 am, arriving at Taiyonggong Station in time to catch the first train of the day at 5:20. It was as empty a train as I’ve ridden since we arrived in China. After transitioning to another train, and a few more stations, I arrived at Beijing South Station at 6:15. Found the McDonalds, had a sausage sandwich, and headed to the gate area. The gate opened at 6:30 and people began flooding in. I waited till the crowd cleared, then walked in and found my seat. The train seemed full. As we traveled to Suzhou, we made six or seven stops (less than 2 minutes each stop). Every time someone got off, someone else got on and filled the seat. The trains here have their act together. It’s hard to imagine a high-speed train in Texas connecting DFW/Houston/San Antonio, etc., wouldn’t be a huge hit. The people fighting it probably would have opposed the interstate highways.
Got off the train in Suzhou right on time at 12:10 pm. Walked to the nearby subway, and boarded, heading to the hotel. Suzhou only has 5 million people and two subway lines. Beijing has 15 lines now, I think. The trains here are really new, and they just finished the line that goes to the hotel and the Expo Center where the World Table Tennis Championships are being held.
Suzhou city sites
I really enjoyed the table tennis today. I checked into the hotel, hurried back to the train, and rode over to the Expo Center. I had reserved tickets online last week, so I picked them up. There were two sessions today, and I’ve missed half of the afternoon session. I thought seriously about buying tickets from some scalpers for tonight’s session (sold out last week when I checked). I’m glad I didn’t. By the time I got back to the hotel at 7:00 pm, I was beat!
Video Links for short Championship clips of high-profile Chinese players:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/r6scukvm5l593m3/15.4.28.Suzhou%20TT1m4v.m4v?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/843767f6h3klp6q/15.4.28.Suzhou%20TT2.m4v?dl=0
I was so busy getting to the site this afternoon that I didn’t eat lunch, and my stomach is screaming for something. We’ve been staying in so many hotels the last two years, I decided to try and accrue Marriott points. We finally reached “Gold” level. This Renaissance is a Marriott property and Gold status means a room upgrade and access to the Executive Lounge. They advertise snacks and drinks, but by most people’s definition, it was a full-blown meal. It included salads, fruits, vegetables, several main course items, and desserts, more than enough to get me full. The room is a suite. I wish I wasn’t so tired so I could really enjoy it.
View from the room
