Shenyang and Overnight Train to Beijing

Sometimes Chinese people will tell you what they think you want to hear so you will be happy, instead of answering a question directly, like "how long is the train trip from Dan Dong to Shenyang"? (I thought the toilet on the train would be better than the toilets in Shenyang, and I wanted to use it before we arrived. I really wasn't complaining....)

It was a very enjoyable four-hour trip, stopping at cities, people boarding and departing, exotic and interesting scenery that I tried to photograph from the train.

My brain was becoming accustomed to listening to rolling Chinese language, picking up a few words to understand the essence of the conversations around me, and then making the mental switch to English when my traveling companions spoke to me. I knew I would miss this when I returned home. Chinese language feels comfortable to the ear. Until someone answers a call on their mobile phone. Then after the very loud "wei", I think all conversations are very loud and somehow sound harsh. Interesting.

Shenyang is a capital city in Liaoning Province, approximately 42 million people. There is a Mongolian-Russian influence. It's not a tourist spot by any means. There had been recent political unrest, and I was told that the Communist Party would like to somehow get rid of Shenyang. There have been Koreans trying to seek asylum in the consulates. And taxi drivers had recently had a strike. Also, the government has been neglecting Shenyang, and government facilities have not had the money to pay their workers (well, they DID have the money, but because of the widespread corruption of high level government cadres, the money made its way into their pockets instead of to the employees). Workers were protesting that they had not been paid for weeks and months, and protesting the corrupt practices of government officials. Yes, they really were protesting. In China.

Mr. Ma really knows his way around Shenyang, and we first went to a wholesale garment market. Made me want to sell clothes on my web site and eBay! Then lunch where the food was very good and plentiful, and to the delight of everyone, very cheap. Then more shopping.

There are some very modern and expensive department stores and malls. I found tea at very good prices, and bought enough real jasmine tea to last for a year. I also found "eight treasure" or "eight blessings" tea that a friend had asked me to look for, as she missed it since moving back to the States from China. It is health tea, sometimes used as medicine that, contains ginseng, longan, licorice, lotus, lily, red jujul dry fruits, Chinese wolfberry and chrysanthemum with some rock crystal sugar. You steep it for awhile, and can use it several times. Also purchased some other tea, I don't know what it is and haven't tried it yet, but it has a phoenix on the package, so it must be good for women.
There were so many clothes to look at, and I had to remind myself that I I was buying for my business. The silk and cotton apparel is very nice quality and great prices. I did buy some very comfortable cotton pants to wear on the train, although they were a little short. And several CD's of traditional Chinese music.
Mr. Ma and Charles had discussed where we would eat our last dinner together, and I was surprised that they chose McDonald's. Mr. Ma had not eaten western food, so I ordered the classic Big Mac meal (although they don't "do" Mc Donald's like America, I had to explain some things to them). We even had little packets of ketchup. He liked it. It didn't taste like McD's in the U.S. but pretty close.

Since I didn't get my train tickets until the day I left, I was unable to get a soft-sleeper compartment. I even whined around and begged Charles to move heaven and earth to get it But "mei you" (don't have). A hard sleeping car consists of bunks three high, throughout the train car. I guess I was lucky that I had a bottom bunk. It was extremely noisy, with piped in music, lots of people, and lights on all the time. But the worst part was everyone stopping by my bunk to have a look at me. The car attendant brought some items for the "common table" between the racks of beds, which included a bottle of water, a little box of crunchy food and some soy milk. I piled my bags up and took the blanket and made a tent so I could have some privacy in my zoo. And the reason they call it "hard sleep" is because it is really hard! There is a sheet on a board, and I am sure there are no shock absorbers on the train car. I tried, but hard sleep meant no sleep for this spoiled and soft American.

The trip was about 10 hours, arriving in Beijing at 7:30 a.m. It was raining in Beijing, as it did most of the time I was there. After all, June is considered the rainy season. But it had been so hot the past three summers there and I wasn't expecting the cool and rainy weather.

The sidewalks in Beijing are masterpieces of brick and concrete, very attractive, and they seem to flow in their design. Walking areas look very even. And steps are very short. Which is why I fell down them crossing the bridge to the taxi. Gouged my leg, twisted my ankle, skinned an elbow. Arrived at the hotel at 8 a.m. soaking wet and bloody. They told me my room wasn't ready, but when they saw what a mess I was, they upgraded me again. You don't hear "mei you" at private hotels. It was SO GOOD to take a shower, get some rest again. But not for long.

Next: Kung Fu at Montessori