To Beijing
Tuesday Evening…

Going to the train Station:
We really were not sure what to expect as we arrived at the train station this evening. While we have been living in China we have discovered that some times we assume certain things and don’t really even know the right questions to ask. Lucky for us a friend has taken the train before and gave us some pointers. One of the most important…..the bathrooms are closed while the train is in the station and continue to remain closed for ½ hour after departure…I won’t go into the details around this rule…but the same rule applies when you are approaching your destination. This is the type of information that is “good to know”!!!

The train station in Shanghai.

At the train station:
Lesson 1 and "Note to self": No need to arrive early next time....good thing we brought books and cards...

Playing cards while we wait for the train

We are really not sure what this sign means??? Maybe....buy your ticket here if the train station is closed??? That is our best guess.

Got bored with the cards....moved on to drawing little creatures in their sketch books.

After boarding the train:
We are pleasantly surprised about our “home on the train”. It is very cozy (translation: very small) and very clean and smoke free (except for certain areas that have good ventilation). I am so happy!!! The kids explored the other cabins and discovered a little restaurant in car #9 where you can watch the cooks prepare food. Tucker said he would never eat there…..so….we are happy that we brought snacks. In fact we happen to have a bottle of wine, cheese and crackers, and plenty of chocolate. What more could you ask for??? We are all settle into our bunks and about to watch a movie on the computer.

Our reflection in the mirror that is hanging on the door of our train car.

Abi on her upper bunk

Picture from the upper bunk

Cozy train car....

Our train car was equipped with slippers....Tim's were a little too small.....imagine that!!

Next Morning:
Most of us slept pretty well last night.....the beds are a little narrow but overall comfortable. Tim and I ordered coffee to be delivered at 6:00am this morning....we were really looking forward to a cup of Java.....but...it was really bad coffee... I took the first drink and everyone else enjoyed the sour face I made as I tried to swallow... nasty nasty coffee.. Next time we will order tea.

Tucker told us this morning that he called Kim while she was in San Francisco (1:00 am Shanghai Time) and she told him that someone had stolen her wallet somewhere between Portland and San Francisco. Luckily she still has her passport so she will have no problems getting into China.
Train Station in Beijing

Our tour guide for Beijing happened to be in Shanghai this week and was returning to Beijing on the same train...same car too...so just before we rolled into the station she came to our "room" and introduced herself. We followed her out of the train, through the station, and to the tour van.

Lesson 2: You need your train ticket to get out of the train station....oops!!! We left ours on the train. Who Knew? Lucky for us...Tim remembered that our travel agent made a photo copy of all the tickets and we used that to exit the station. The sky is blue and the temperature is bearable.

Our hotel is close to the train station and everyone is taking a shower and putting on fresh clothing. We will explore the area around the hotel until it is time to get Kim from the airport.

After Showers:

Tim and Abi went exploring and found that our hotel has a beautiful swimming pool, a Starbucks AND a Subway. We may never leave the hotel...