Then our plans started to go off the mark a little! I have
already mentioned that train tickets were very scarce. We managed to get tickets
to Datong, and then onto Xi'an. However, tickets after that were looking
impossible to get, and it looked like we may have to change our intinerary to
fly directly from Xi'an to Shanghai - a disappointment!
We left ourselves (we thought!) enough time investigate other
options at Beijing Central station, check out of our hotel, and get to Beijing
West for with at least an additional 40 minutes to spare. But some real "unknown
unknowns" came up. A catalogue of events tried to stop us from catching our
train... and they succeeded! The three worst offenders being:
1. that line Metro line 9 on our map to get to Beijing West station did not exist and added a 40 minute walk to our journey (taxi queues were huge)!
2. As we ran for the train, one of my bags broke and lots of stuff fell out (Ushma/Tom, I am sad to say that the Wallaroo hat fell victim to the frenzied race for the train)
3. Worst of all, when we arrived on the platform, with the train waiting for us, just in the nick of time and some last people getting on. The evil woman who was checking tickets and seeing our distresed, shook her head vigorously and blocked us from getting on!
Sweating and despondent (see pic!), Stu and I joined various
queues where it seemed we had valid claim for a refund for not being let on the
train, and had to re-book a 6 hour standing ticket for the next
day!
We treated ourselves to a nice hotel right next door to make
sure we would make it to Datong the next day instead... a disappointment to have
one less day in Datong though.
The bad news continued... due to the problem getting permits
in Tibet, the tour company that I was looking at suggested I should cancel or
postpone my cross-himalayan adventure. I will now have to start to look at other
options :-(
