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<\/a>The “Butterfly” table tennis shop<\/p><\/div>\n
Some of the neighborhood sporting goods stores<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n Next stop is the Beijing Railway Station for our Friday tickets to Shanghai. I arrive after a short subway ride. I guess many of the Beijingers are already trying to get out of town because there are tons of people standing in line and sitting around on the ground, waiting for something? Heavily armed police are also abundant. With APEC in town, there\u2019s great concern that there will be a terrorist attack in Beijing. I purchased our tickets ahead of time and have a reservation number. I just need to show someone our passports, and our numbers, and I should be able to get the tickets.<\/p>\n Beijing Railway Station<\/p><\/div>\n If only it were that easy! I found an area with machines for \u201cinternet ticket redemption\u201d, but it won\u2019t accept passports. I end up standing in a really long (and slow) line to physically show someone my passport. There is only one line for \u201cEnglish\u201d, but it\u2019s not \u201cEnglish only\u201d, so there\u2019s really no advantage, except maybe they\u2019ll speak a little English when I finally get to the front.<\/p>\n The “English” line<\/p><\/div>\n As I stand in line, I begin to learn a few things. Many of these people are still trying to buy their tickets for the upcoming holiday, and there aren\u2019t many seats left. A huge electronic board at the end of the hall shows the various trains\/departures, and how many seats are remaining. The next four days are almost sold out, and there are many trains on the schedule. The people buying tickets are frantically searching for some kind of a ticket and it\u2019s taking forever while they look. Many are walking away empty-handed. I\u2019m also beginning to figure out I\u2019m at the wrong station. Oops! I think I can still get our tickets here, so I wait out the line.<\/p>\n Finally I get to the front, and as expected, there\u2019s confusion. First, I\u2019m told \u201cno trains\u201d. Then I\u2019m told, \u201conly standing room\u201d. I finally make the point, showing them my tour company print-out that I have a reservation #. The clerk leaves for a long time and eventually returns with a supervisor who eventually gets me the tickets. As I finish, I check to make sure, and yes, this won\u2019t be our departure station. This is the Beijing Railway Station. Apparently most of the \u201cbullet trains\u201d go out of the Beijing South Railway Station. So much for trying to get my bearings and figure out the station layout ahead of time. There are 4 large railway stations in Beijing, and I guessed wrong.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I\u2019m feeling better today. The cold is just about non-existent. I\u2019ve decided to go pick-up our train tickets in advance, trying to avoid a frantic rush on Friday morning. Since we\u2019ve never traveled on the trains here in China, I … Continue reading <\/a> <\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/a> <\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/p>\n