Train-ing Day

Hong Kong to Beijing to Xi'an to Shanghai to Hong Kong.  All by sleeper train and it only took about 67 hours and at a cost of $349.64.  Considering the distances traveled that was a pretty good price and I'd say it was more comfortable than flying.  There are two options on these trains: seat or sleeper, and those are divided into hard and soft class.  We only did soft seat and sleeper and from that we would not try either of the hard options.  The price difference is enough for the chinese but minimal for us.  The seat is a seat; either facing the back of another seat with an airplane-like folding tray or facing two other passenger that you share a table with.  No a problem, but we could not get comfortable enough in the seats to sleep restfully.  They are better padded with more leg room than an airplane, but the fact of the matter is that you are seated for 11+ hours.  We also ran into a problem with some locals that wanted to listen to some tunes as they fell asleep.

The soft sleepers sell out fast and we can see why.  You share the berth with two other passengers and each car has shared toilets and wash rooms.  No worries, everyone is courteous.  The sleeper berths have a small table and each bunk has a reading light and chinese-language TV.  Renee and I found these comfortable and easy to read/relax in.  The beds aren't the softest, but they must be softer than the hard sleepers that are in six person berths.  I would recommend booking your tickets as early as you can as these sell out first.  Though, tickets are always cheaper when you buy them at the station.  We used out hostel in Beijing and had to pay a 30-40 RMB ($4.42-6.34)fee per ticket.  Food is provided through a dining car or periodic carts.  It isn't the cheapest, so we learned to bring our own provisions in the form or granola bars one time and wine/cheese another.

After Xi'an we did not shower until we got to our hotel in Phuket.  We tried changing our clothes and washing our faces or using a washcloth when we could, but our hair was probably the dirtiest.  We had heard of a traveling remedy for greasy hair that involves baby powder.  The powder is supposed to attract the oil and make you look cleaner.  I went for it with talcum powder.  While my hair felt and looked less oily, I think I looked more like I put talcum powder in my hair than clean.