2011 - NZ To SF - Day 98

Day 98: (19 August 2011):
- Woke up ~1hr before train is to arrive in Beijing. Wonder what the NKs on train think. Pass through South station. New ??? (rail? bld? coal?).
- Called dad & parted with Kiwis @ subway. Say bye to ppl in taxi line-up.
- Didn’t see dad @ subway stop, no coin public phones, blew 30RMB on a 20RMB phone card. Shower, rest, talk to mom in hotel.
- Check out on time, with some scanning, etc. time for shipment stuff.
- Drop off stuff @ uncle’s.
- Tour of Qianmen. Very tired. Prob was sick. Well-constructed in old style. Some Beijing youghert & delicious shaomai with chewy flour. Other snacks, etc. Visit some famous old shops.
- Didn’t stop @ bar street.
- Large screens at Tiananmen.
- Skipped dinner. Stopped & talked to uncle.
- Go to west station. Buy dad’s trip to Suzhou.
- Large station, as expected. I go sleeper, dad seat, as can’t buy sleeper. Rule changes for purchases. Worried of difficulty getting tickets. Scalper selling sleeper tickets. Some try to make on train with platform tickets.
- We’re not going as far as most. Train from Tianjin to Inner Mongolia.
- Sleep ASAP after getting on train @ 11pm. Tired & lack of sleep. Upper bunk.