Trip to Xichang
It was October 12. I read from news that the government would offer public chance to view the launch of Chang'e 1, China's first interplanetary probe. A ticket costs CNY¥800.00, plus further CNY¥180.00 for bus from Xichang city to the launch site. Since the trip was actually organized by a travel agency, to book a ticket, I had to first tell the agency personal information in a telephone call on October 12, then remit them the money and sent bank's receipt by fax on October 15. After receiving the receipt, they mailed me the ticket from Chengdu, and I finally received the ticket in Beijing by EMS on October 17.
Each participant has a guide. The guide of mine is a Tibetan girl whose Chinese name is Yang Li. I received a telephone call on Thursday, October 18 from her. She told me the launch would be on Wednesday, October 24, and asked me if I want to book a hotel.
October 19 to 22 was my company's twice-a-year trip, we would spend the weekend in Shanxi province and back in Beijing on Monday morning, so I cannot leave Beijing earlier than October 22 afternoon. I perfer travelling by train, so I told her I would be at Manshuiwan railway station, the nearest station from the launch site, in the morning on the launch day. But she said I cannot go to the launch site alone, and had to be in their office in Xichang city first before 2007-10-24 10:00 CST, so I cannot go to Manshuiwan by train, where is only 12 km east to the launch site.
There is a direct train numbered K117 from Beijing to Xichang. However K117 is not fast enough to finish the 2599-km-long trip and arrive in Xichang before 2007-10-24 10:00 CST. So my plan was to take T7 from Beijing west to Chengdu, since T7 would arrive at Chengdu station at 2007-10-23 17:59 CST, so I can take either N771 or 5611 at Chengdu for Xichang.
I bought a tongpiao (multiple-trip) train ticket at Beijing railway station on Thursday evening. It was a ticket from Beijing west station to Xichang station via Liangxiang, Zhengzhou, Baoji and Chengdu, with the first part of the trip by train numbered T7 from Beijing west station to Chengdu station, and then from Chengdu to Xichang by any tekuai (very fast) class of trains. Generally speaking, the more distance a single ticket covers, the less expensive price for each kilometer, that is why I bought a single multi-trip ticket. T7's sleepers had been sold out, so I have a yingzuo (hard seat) for first part of the trip. The 2599-km-long trip costs me CNY¥257.00.
I went to Pingyao in Shanxi province with my workmates by train numbered K603 on Friday afternoon, and returned from Taiyuan in Shanxi province on Monday morning as planned. But I made a terrible mistake to mixed up the train schedules of train K603 I took on Friday afternoon and train T7 I would take on Monday afternoon. I was thinking train T7 leaves from Beijing west station at the time that K603 leaves.
I left my Beijing office at 2007-10-22 15:38 CST and thought it was still early. So I decided to go to the railway station by bus. But the bad traffic in Beijing makes the bus slower than usual. I was off from the bus and got a taxi near Chongwenmen, 8 km away from the railway station, but the decision was made too late, the train T7 was leaving Beijing. T7 leaves Beijing west railway station at 16:56, but I arrived the station at 17:16.
I checked the train schedule again, then recognized, I still had chance to go to Xichang by train and be there in time. The train numbered D131 from Beijing west to Zhengzhou is faster than T7, which leaves Beijing west station at 17:56, one hour behind T7. So I decided to take D131 to catch T7.
Train T7 does not stop at Zhengzhou. It stops at Luoyang. So I have to take another train to Luoyang after arriving in Zhengzhou by D131. I have two choices: K241 and K245. D131 arrives at Zhengzhou station at 22:43. K241 leaves Zhengzhou station at 22:50 and arrives at Luoyang station at 00:25; K245 leaves Zhengzhou station at 22:59 and arrives at Luoyang station at 00:34. While T7 leaves Luoyang station at 00:44. So I have 7 or 16 minutes to get off from D131 for K241 or K245, and 19 or 10 minutes to get off from K241 or K245 for T7.
I have to bought another ticket to get into train D131 at Beijing west station. D131 is a higher class train and more expensive than T7, and stops at Baoding station before arriving its terminal station in Zhengzhou. Its second-class seat ticket from Beijing west to Baoding costs CNY¥45.00. According to the regulation of China Railway, from Baoding station, I am able to use the T7 ticket and add the price difference between D131 and T7 to take D131 the Baoding to Zhengzhou section. After the train leaving Baoding, I paid the price difference CNY¥92.00 plus CNY¥1.00 that required if buying ticket on train, or a normal D131 ticket from Beijing to Zhengzhou costs CNY¥213.00, so I saved CNY¥75.00. This is why I do not buy a normal D131 ticket from Beijing west to Zhengzhou.
D131 arrived at Zhengzhou station at 22:34, 9 minutes ahead schedule. But train K241 was late. K241 comes from Xiamen in Fujian province, stops at Zhengzhou, then bounds for Xi'an in Shaanxi province. So the only choice would be K245. The train K245 comes from Yangzhou in Jiangsu province, stops at Zhengzhou, then bounds for Chengdu. Although it also goes for Chengdu as T7 does, but I can take this train only to Luoyang, because it is slower than T7. K245 is the same class train and equally expensive as T7. I already have the T7 ticket in hand, and K245 from Zhengzhou to Luoyang is via the same route with T7, so I do not have to pay more money. The train K245 leaves Zhengzhou at 23:02, 3 minutes behind schedule, and arrived at Luoyang at 00:44 the second day, 10 minutes behind schedule.
T7 leaves Luoyang at the same time 00:44 as I mentioned earlier. But I was not worried, because T7 must follow behind K245 on the same rails. It arrived at Luoyang station at 00:50, stopped at the opposite side of the same platform. So I finally had T7, after 813 km of rush.
Unfortunately, my bad luck was not end here. T7 leaves Luoyang station at 00:54, 10 minutes late. The distance from Luoyang to Chengdu is 1229 km. And the train T7 became later and even later in the 1229-km-long trip, and finally stopped at its terminal station at 2007-10-23 19:59:12 CST, two hours behind schedule. N771, the train I was planning to take from Chengdu to Xichang, leaves Chengdu station at 20:01 on schedule. T7 stopped at platform 3 in Chengdu station, I am lucky this time, soon discovered N771 was at the nearby platform 4, and ran through the tunnel under the tracks in only one minute. Train N771 started moving at 2007-10-23 20:01:34 CST, 2 minutes 22 seconds after T7 had stopped.
So I have no time to have a rest in Chengdu, and even have no time to go to Chengdu station ticket office to book a seat on train N771. N771 was crowded, so I decided to get off and take the next train numbered 5611. N771 does not have air-conditioners, but 5611 does, so 5611 is more expensive. I was off from N771 at Emei station, and went to the ticket office to change my ticket to train 5611. But Emei station's ticket computer system reported error, and was not able to print out the ticket I wanted, after lots of talking with the staffs, they finally agreed to sign me ticket by hand. The good news is I do not have to pay for the air-conditioner fee, the bad news is I still do not have a sleeper or a seat.
I got on train 5611 at Emei station at 2007-10-23 23:59 CST, and arrived at Xichang station at 2007-10-24 08:02 CST at last, 8 minutes behind schedule.
Light rain was falling in Xichang city. I got a taxi at Xichang railway station, and arrived at the travel agency at 2007-10-24 08:53 CST. They asked me to go to somewhere called Huoba square in Xichang at noon, and take a bus license plated "Chuan W-23949". I spent the morning at an Internet cafe to charge the batteries for my MacBook and two mobile phones, and left there at 11:52, then arrived the square at 12:00 by taxi.
1 Comments:
What an incredible journey, and what a great insight into a vast country. Can't wait to visit!
In the meantime... when, please, do we get the next installment?
Best regards
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