China
Taiyuan

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    • Day 5

      Heading West

      September 23, 2018 in China ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

      I woke, finished packing and checked out of the New World Beijing Hotel. Sad to leave such a fantastic room, but satisfied enough with my time and experience in Beijing and ready for the next experience.

      Today I'd head about three hours west by Bullet Train to Taiyuan (initially). Getting there was about a 20 minute walk with pack and daybag to Ciqikuo metro station. From there, about a 30 minute metro ride on line 7 to Beijing West station.

      A bit about Beijing metro - In short, its fantastic. Colour coded, numbered, well laid out, regular trains, easy to navigate and understand, no different to the Tokyo or London systems. The trains run every few minutes and have that designated automatic door docking spot behind glass so you know where to wait. There are just seats along the carriage walls so most of the time you'll be standing!

      A unique feature of the train network was advertising screens outside the train, on the inside of the tunnel wall, visible through the windows as the train speeds by. The major annoying part of the metro was every entry to a station required a full security check with scanners for bags.

      Once I arrived at Beijing West my challenge was to find the place to pick up tickets I had prebookee for my bullet train. With previous advice, I exited at B South, went outside and guessed where the ticket hall was near a blocked off/ closed down ticket area.

      After a brief wait in a "business class lounge" (free orange drink and cookies) I headed to carriage 8, seat 1a for my business class (highest class) train ride. This ticket cost me around $100aud. It was pretty deluxe! 5 seats to the cabin, set apart that recline into beds. The trip came with lunch which was OK.
      The train whizzed us off to Taiyuan mostly travelling around 300km/p/hr.
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    • Day 9

      Wrapping it up.

      September 27, 2018 in China ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

      I woke this morning for my final day in China. With my bags 60% packed, I met family downstairs for breakfast around 8.30. I'd begin the long journey home around noon, still leaving a little time for a couple morning activities.

      Jared and Yuan met us in the lobby at about 9.30 and we piled into a couple cabs. First up, a trip to the local Xinzhou market. This place was huge and crowded. There were plenty of weird and wonderful wares for sale; fruits, vegetables, animals, cuts of meat, clothes, furniture and more. As always, we received plenty of stunned looks.. and my efforts to befriend a young local child went awry, bringing them to tears, their nightmares to reality, and potentially traumatizing them for life.

      We each picked up an assorted souvenir or two, before walking a few blocks to the Xinzhou gardens. These were a small but pretty gardens, with a few pagodas, ponds and ornate bridges - a popular spot for people to exercise.

      By a little after 11 it was time for me to catch a cab back to the hotel to finish packing and check out. Yuan, Jared and Ba (Yuans dad) would escort me on a 90 minute drive to Taiyuan airport, for a domestic flight to Beijing.
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    You might also know this place by the following names:

    Taiyuan, تاي يوان, Тайюен, Tái-nguòng, Тайюань, Tchaj-jüan, Ταϊγιουάν, Tajuano, تائی‌یوان, טאי-יואן, ताइयुआन, Tajjüan, TYN, 타이위안 시, Taiyuenum, Tajuanas, Taijuaņa, थाय्युआन, Thài-goân-chhī, ਤਾਈਯੂਆਨ, تائی یوآن, Таијуан, ไท่หยวน, تەييۈەن شەھىرى, تاییوان, Tayyuan, Thái Nguyên, 太原, Daiyienz

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