[GM]

Here is the last thread about my train journey, in July 2010, from Moscow to Beijing.

The links towards the first threads :
Moscow
Across Siberia
The Great Baïkal
Going to Mongolia !
Ulan Bator and the surroundings
Experiencing the Gobi desert

1- Waking up on board, after the exhausting crossing of the Mongolia-China border (see the sixth thread) :

2- It's amazing how the lanscape has suddenly changed so much in one night while previously, it seemed that it changed so slowly day after day.

3-Passing by Datong. Huges Appartments blocks going up :

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5- Yes, we can see it... the Great Wall of China !

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7- The train passes by a lot of industrial zones in northern China :

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11- Little houses and new appartments blocks :

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13- No idea of what that means... but as an european tourist, chinese characters seemed so exotic, that I had to take the pic !

14- Trucks... I love them.

15- Another stop in a train station :

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17- First bicycle seen in China. I had to take that pic !

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20- A huge catholic (?) church in the middle of chinese countryside. I didn't expect that.

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22- Chimneys. We see hundred of them in China on the way to Beijing :

23- The most striking difference between China and Mongolia, as soon as we crossed the border, was that quasi-permanent fog due to high level of humidity.

24- Before arriving at Beijing, the train passed through a spectacular valley :

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28- Workers along the tracks :

29- The outskirts of Beijing :

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35- After 9,001 km on a train since Moscow..., here we are, Beijing !!! Goodbye the train !

36- Outisde the Beijing train station. Lot of people... and the heat, plus humidity, is unbearable.

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39- Beijing's sky... a subtle mix between humidity and smog. Positive side of it : we can stare at the sun, in the middle of the day, without any risk.

40- Mao and the Forbidden City :

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47- Visiting the Great Wall in the middle of this fucking mist :

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51- Visiting the Forbidden City. I think it's the greatest pic of all my trip :

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54- So many people. So much heat and humidity. Not the greatest conditions to enjoy the visit :

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60- Beijing is like the clash between extreme modernity and extreme dereliction :

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63- Grandpas playing dominos in the park :

64- Grandmas dancing on sino-eurodance music in the park :

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67- Beijing's alley :

68- Seeing a Kung-Fu Shaolin show at the Red Theatre :

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71- In the subway of Beijing. Extreme modernity :

72- Just a pic of the hotel where I stayed for three nights :

73- A night bar near my hotel. They didn't have Heineken actually.

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75- In front of a restaurant, early in the morning :

76- Don't look at me... I'm just a tourist ! Listen to your Chef !

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89- Here is the view from my hotel room, on the 6th floor :

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That's all ! It was time to fly back to Europe, after three days in Beijing.

Some funny personal facts about my stay in Beijing :
- I eated in numerous chinese restaurants, but also, for the first time of my life, in a KFC.
- ....and for the second time of my life, I eated in a Burger King (first time was in London back in 1997). I have to say they have particularly tasty burgers. Why there isn't any BK in France ? well, whatever...

 

[Maipo Valley]

great trip in ejoyed a lot your pics

 

[Jennifat]

Excellent conclusion to your trans-Eurasian journey, GM! Did you have trouble breathing in Beijing? It looks hellaciously smoggy.

Some funny personal facts about my stay in Beijing :
- I eated in numerous chinese restaurants, but also, for the first time of my life, in a KFC.
- ....and for the second time of my life, I eated in a Burger King (first time was in London back in 1997). I have to say they have particularly tasty burgers. Why there isn't any BK in France ? well, whatever...

Who knew you'd have to go to China to try American fast food? Trust me, France is not missing out. I saw a news piece a while back on the introduction of fast food to China and how the Chinese are seeing a shocking surge in obesity rates. Such are the drawbacks to increasing capitalism and modernization...

 

[GM]

Excellent conclusion to your trans-Eurasian journey, GM! Did you have trouble breathing in Beijing? It looks hellaciously smoggy.

No, I didn't have any trouble breathing... but the weird thing is that the smog was so thick, that we could really stare at the sun.
The true unbearable thing about Beijing was the heat and the humidity.

Who knew you'd have to go to China to try American fast food? Trust me, France is not missing out. I saw a news piece a while back on the introduction of fast food to China and how the Chinese are seeing a shocking surge in obesity rates. Such are the drawbacks to increasing capitalism and modernization...

There are actually numerous fast-food restaurants in France, including some KFC... but I had actually never tried KFC before going to China. And strangely, there isn't one single BK in France.

 

[Jennifat]

^^Yeah, I've tried some French fast food while I was there for foreign exchange in 2003. Quick, as gut-clogging as it is, was one of my favorites.

 

[veoveoveo]

Interesting although you entirely ignored the better part of the city, well in your photos at least maybe because of your location of hostel in a poorer area. Quite real I have to say and I kinda like those half naked hot guys. Beijing is still that lifeless in the street bu the park...which park were you in? Did you encounter any gay people there?

 

[swifty78]

I enjoyed ya series from Moscow to Beijing and looking at all diff countrysides etc and realised no matter where in the world ya go there will always be slummy and run down looking places. Once again GOOD WORK

 

[christos-greece]

Indeed amazing and very nice photos and from the this thread

 

[El_Greco]

Fantastic report and quite a trip, I always wanted to do it too.

BTW if you dont mind me asking how much did you pay for the Russia-China train tickets and how do you go about buying them (book online or go into railway station)? Once youre out of the West even simplest of things get very complicated! :lol:

 

[GM]

Interesting although you entirely ignored the better part of the city, well in your photos at least maybe because of your location of hostel in a poorer area. Quite real I have to say and I kinda like those half naked hot guys. Beijing is still that lifeless in the street bu the park...which park were you in? Did you encounter any gay people there?

Well you know, I only stayed in Beijing for three days. It's not a lot of time to explore a huge city like Beijing, especially cinsidering the fact that I was a bit exhausted at the end of my trip.
And actually my hotel was not in a poor area but in a pretty modern one, near a subway station, and not that far from the Forbidden City.
The park you can see in some of my pics is the Tiantan park.
I didn't really understand your reference at these half naked hot guys...
As for your "gay people" question, I wasn't especially looking for gay people during my trip, but if that can answer your question, I don't remember seeing any openly gay couple in Beijing. But again, I stayed for only three days in the city and I only explored a tiny part of it.

Fantastic report and quite a trip, I always wanted to do it too.

BTW if you dont mind me asking how much did you pay for the Russia-China train tickets and how do you go about buying them (book online or go into railway station)? Once youre out of the West even simplest of things get very complicated! :lol:

I can't really answer your question because actually I passed through a travel agency which ordered for me my train tickets, but also my plane flights and most of my accommodations.
There are several European-based travel agencies specialized in travels in Siberia and eastern Asia by train. As far as I know, train tickets is not the most expensive part of the trip and it's more convenient (and not more expensive, if not cheaper) to get them by a travel agency. But I guess you can also get them directly at the train station... in that case, speaking Russian can be very useful.

 

[fragel]

nice, trans-Eurasia train travel, what a great travel log.

I hate hot and humid days, so I totally understand your feeling in Beijing. but it is not the worst, try such days in Shanghai or Nanjing:lol:

 

[Svartmetall]

Ahh Beijing. The photos look great! It's amazing to see how far China has come and how it continues to improve.

 

[Amrafel]

Wonderful trip! It my dream to experience something like this! Thanks for great photos and comments