Nyo-Hey

Finally, it was the last day of the long train journey. We would arrive at the final destination, Beijing, this afternoon. Though the one week train journey had been long exactly, we felt it had passed rapidly when it was over. Though many things had happened if I thought, there's no more thing to write here because I have already mentioned all of them. Then let's enjoy the last day.

The stops of today would be Jining South, Datong, Zhangjiakou South, Qinglongqiao, Nankou and the final destination, Beijing.

Some time after my wake-up, the conductor handed out meal tickets to passengers. It seemed that we would be provided meals twice, beakfast and lunch of today, if we brought the ticket to the restaurant car. The service in China was good following Mongolia. We soon went to the restaurant car, then
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we received a bread and so on. What? I had thought Chinese service was good but what was this poor food? We had no choice then we reluctantly went back to our room and ate the bread.

When we were reluxing after lunch, something appeared out the window. That was the Great Wall of China. This was the first time for us to see the real one though we had seen the picture on a history or geography textbook.

After that, we arrived at Qinglongqiao station. Passengers got off and started to take pictures because the train would stay for a few minuites. It was not cold at all if we came here. It was no problem even if I got off without a coat. Then I went outside the train and took the above picture.

A thing I want to mention is that this Qinglongqiao station had the only switchback in China. So the locomotive moved from one side of the train to another side while passengers were taking pictures. After that, the train departed to the opposite direction on time and left for Beijing.

After Qinglongqiao, the train ran along the Great Wall for a while. Though the Great Wall was rising and falling in our view because it was built along mountain peaks Incidentally, the window had become dirtier because the train had been running in the desert in Mongolia for a long time. Then it can't be helped it's difficult to see the pictures:P

Because we had left Qinglongqiao, there was little time fo get the final destination, Beijing. Finally, this was the real last spurt. We had to pack our bags and prepare for getting off. Well, how did we have to clean up?XD

The distance was 3865 km. The time was 132 hours. The end of long journey for a week was coming. After urban scenery, tall buildings and railways with the third rail, appeared out the window, we arrived at Beijing station, the final destination of this journey. Finally, we took a picture of four of us in front of the train for memory. And we left the old man, my roommate, going to Vietnam. If we lived in the same room for a week, I would make best friend with him. I wish we will meet on a train somewhere.

After that, we went to the exit to go to our hotel.
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But we couldn't find the exit. When we were wandering, the conductors who had stayed on the train with us couldn't watch no longer and told us the exit, like "there, there". We got an assistance to the end...

We could go out Beijin station and walked to a hotel we would stay. We checked in and converted our U.S. dollar to Chinese yuan at the exchange corner in the hotel.

This hotel was different from one in Moscow and just like a copy of Japanese hotel. Then it was comfortable. That's China! The bed was normal too, and so we could sleep on a bed didn't move after long time :D

We were tired of walking from station to hotel because we had spent very long time on Trans-Siberian Express :P We didn't feel up to move once we lay on the bed, just like NEET.

We went out after shower because there was no use in remaining to lie. We left for Tiananmen by subway 1st line from the nearest station. This train seemed to use Japanese power electronics equipment judging by the sound. The sound was the same as it of Keio-Inokashira line in Japan. But the entrance gate hadn't automated yet. It had automated even in Moscow...

We got off subway at Tiananmen-East. There was Tiananmen out of the subway station. That was bigger than our thought. And there was a big picture of Mao Tse-tung on the center of the gate. The gate color was, of course, red.

And what were in Tiananmen Square were Monument to the People's Heroes (left) and Mao Tse-tung Memorial (right). Mao Tse-tung Memorial has cryonically-preserved Mao Tse-tung like Lenin's mausoleum, and we can visit. But it was too late so we would come again tomorrow.

We passed through Tiananmen but we couldn't enter Gugong because it was too late. We decided to come again tomorrow and go to dinner.

The dish we want to eat once if visiting Beijing is Peking duck. Then we went to a restaurant a senior student in my laboratory had recommended(He was from China).

We arrived at the restaurant, Quanjude, but the restaurant was crowded, and we had to wait for a while.

There was show window like this in the waiting space, and Peking duck was cooked. We started anticipating because we were shown that! But we noticed a critical issue. Each waiting group was handed a number card, and the number was called in their turn. But of course, the number was read out in Chinese!!! Though we discussed how we should do, I noticed I could recognize the number listening to it carefully. So I could understand only numbers thanks to playing Mahjong! Only I could have done it :P

We could recognize our number withiout any difficulty and seat ourselves. Because we didn't know what to order, we ordered dishes the staff recommended. First, appetizers came...... All these were appetizers. Main dish was just Peking duck

Peking duck finally came. The staff brought whole baked duck and cut it. The knife cutting was lightning speed.

Then these were placed on our plates. That's great!

How to eat Peking duck was to wrap ducks in pancake-like crepe with spices like this picture. Let's eat!

This was delicious. We often eat only skin in Japan but we could eat meat too. The skin was good but meat was delicious too. I felt grad I came to China.

The amount of meals was too big including appetizers and desert. It was difficult but we ate all meals. That was too much even for three man to eat. I thought normal family couldn't eat them and looked around but they packed remaining meals and took out. There was such an option! We didn't have to force ourselves to eat them all...

Recently, this restaurant seemed to open in Japan. but though the total cost including beer was about 3000 yen per person, it seemed much more expensive in Japan.

After we ate Peking duck, we bought tea at Seven-Eleven and went back to hotel. Here was good city we could walk even in the night! It was much different from Moscow.

We arrived at Beijing after long journey by train. I think it was pleasant journey though we had become discouraged many time because of the long-time. There were wondeful events and new discoveries. And the life on the train was unconventional life we couldn't experience in our daily living. All we could do were drinking, eating and sleeping. You might say it was more degenerate than NEET. If NEET says "I think I will lose if I work", we will answer "I think I will lose if I awake".