Xian is up next, but along the way;

Travel in China is an adventure in and of itself. Subways, as I had already found out in Beijing, are ridiculously crowded and in some instances they were physically demanding. The pushing and shoving that takes place in order to get on a train is baffling, and even entertaining if you’ve got the right sense of humor.

The Beijing Railway station, which would be my exit point from Beijing, is one of the more overwhelming places to travel from. It felt like a gigantic, hectic airport; so busy that there was no place to sit but the floor (so we did).  This was authentic Chinese travel!

Xian, some 1200km away, would end up being a 17 hour train ride not including the initial ~5 hour delay suffered at the Beijing train station. Along the way, the opportunity to see parts of China I would have not otherwise seen. This countryside that seems so distant from the modern china you see in parts of Beijing, yet there are still 700 million inhabitants that live in rural Chinese society. Here’s a few pictures of the trip from Beijing to Xian.

Not uncommon for rural chinese “city” planning – A highrise in the middle of farmers fields. More effecient you see, less land used on housing.

Sleeping cabin in car number 7.

Hill shelters quite common in rural China

Closer to Xian, rural China is transforming into a highrise suburban expanse.