21.08.09
The Yungang Caves is today's task and it all starts off with a round trip on the bus much like my first Vladivostock adventure. Apparently the bus everyone told me to catch isn't running for some reason, so I have to catch a number 4 and then change for 3-1. I obviously have no idea where to get off and change, but charge on into the journey blind. 45 mins later and I'm back at the train station and asking people again, all of whom tell me to jump on the 4 and change onto the 3-1. The second time round I stand right next to the driver and bother him every few minutes so he doesn't forget me. He eventually tells me where to get off and change to jump on the 3-1 and I end up arriving at the entrance to the caves at about midday.
The Yungang caves are a series of Buddhist caves carved straight out of the cliff face and when you see a 17m high Buddha statue sitting in a cave that's all be carved out of the cliff face over 1500 years ago, it's phenomenal. In contrast I also take a more extensive walk around Datong when I get back and come to the conclusion that it's a bit of a rough city. I jump on my hard sleeper at night and totally paranoid that I will my miss my stop at 6am I wake up ritually every 20 minutes and freak out. Although there was no need as the attendant wakes you up when you get to your stop anyway.
Showing posts with label Datong. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Datong. Show all posts
Wednesday, 26 August 2009
Day 29 - Beijing & Datong
20.08.09
It's hard seat time! On Chinese trains, you essentially have 5 modes of travel, soft sleeper, hard sleeper, soft seat, hard seat and standing. I asked for the cheapest fare to get Datong and she wouldn't sell me standing, so I got a hard seat. I'm at the station nearly two hours early, to make sure I have no chance of missing my train and join a mass of people already waiting. As time ticks on more people arrive and they start queuing to get on the platform about an hour before the train is even leaving, I join in as I've got nothing else to do. The queue gradually turns from a line into a general mass all facing the same direction and then a general free for all once it's a few mins to go, with people pushing to get closer and what was a 50m or so reasonably ordered huddle, immediately condensed into around 15m of concentrated super eager Chinese travelers. When the gates finally open it's just pure chaos, but because I'm roughly 6ft1 which puts me at about 5ft1 taller than everyone else I join right in and make my way to the platform in good time.
Once on the train I get talking to a Chinese school student called Danny who was in Beijing studying English. She's 16, lives in Datong, her name is blatantly not Danny, but everyone seems to have a Chinese name. It's funny how everyone wants to speak to a foreigner to practice their English and when we get to Datong, she insists on helping my buy my next train ticket and then shows me around the city centre, introduces me to her family and gives me some food and tells me how to get to the Buddhist Caves tomorrow. Once again another show of brilliant Chinese friendliness and hospitality and in return all that she asks is that I speak to her and help her improve her English.
It's hard seat time! On Chinese trains, you essentially have 5 modes of travel, soft sleeper, hard sleeper, soft seat, hard seat and standing. I asked for the cheapest fare to get Datong and she wouldn't sell me standing, so I got a hard seat. I'm at the station nearly two hours early, to make sure I have no chance of missing my train and join a mass of people already waiting. As time ticks on more people arrive and they start queuing to get on the platform about an hour before the train is even leaving, I join in as I've got nothing else to do. The queue gradually turns from a line into a general mass all facing the same direction and then a general free for all once it's a few mins to go, with people pushing to get closer and what was a 50m or so reasonably ordered huddle, immediately condensed into around 15m of concentrated super eager Chinese travelers. When the gates finally open it's just pure chaos, but because I'm roughly 6ft1 which puts me at about 5ft1 taller than everyone else I join right in and make my way to the platform in good time.
Once on the train I get talking to a Chinese school student called Danny who was in Beijing studying English. She's 16, lives in Datong, her name is blatantly not Danny, but everyone seems to have a Chinese name. It's funny how everyone wants to speak to a foreigner to practice their English and when we get to Datong, she insists on helping my buy my next train ticket and then shows me around the city centre, introduces me to her family and gives me some food and tells me how to get to the Buddhist Caves tomorrow. Once again another show of brilliant Chinese friendliness and hospitality and in return all that she asks is that I speak to her and help her improve her English.
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