AAAAAAaaaaaargh!
Want my Ibex back. Now. *grml*
as I had bad news two days ago like: sorry, the train is fully booked within the next ten days!(well, this is the 'translated' version: originally the woman threw only a "no!" in my face) I was trapped in Chengdu once more and decided to be a little more careful. (Well. Plan B works as far as I know: My Bus departs tomorrow 6.30 in the morning to songpan.)
At the same time I am a l-i-t-t-l-e afraid that the trains to Beijing could be as busy as the ones to Xining, that I wanted to take. So I went right today to the office for booking train tickets. but all I received was once more a "No!" with chinese comments. I asked another woman, standing close to the nearby park entrance, if she could help me, and she explained why "No!": it was because - and now listen - it is NOT possible to get a train ticket at Chengdu with departure NOT at Chengdu. So it is NOT possible for me to buy a train ticket going from Lanzhou to Beijing. And it's NOT possible to buy a trainticket departing from Chengdu and then just to get on the train some stops later. Welcome to China.
The girl from the youth hostel was nice to me, and invented a solution: make a reservation at a hotel at Lanzhou, give them a deposit and ask them to buy the trainticket for me. Not possible, because all Hotels in Lanzhou mentioned in LP (have to check internet now)
- have wrong telefone number
- accept reservations only ONE day before
- are toooooo expensive (4*)
and now? don't ask me. I'll manage this. somehow. *sigh*
maybe booking a flight from lanzhou to Beijing, even if I, somehow, was looking forward to the 19h-journey by train.
Maybe go to Beijing right the next possibility, and passing my time over there.
My mood was so good today, managed to do so many things, including fetching my passport at the Embassy (got my visa!) and now once more all turned round. gonna go to haeagen dazs now.
Next year I'm gonna pass my holidays in Austria. as I'm gonna pass the "year" not there, maybe a good choice:
less pollution, more friends, more english-speaking persons (even if not necessary).
btw: thank you for your calls the last days, Martin, Dagmar, David, Mama, Papa and Andy, I really enjoyed my "holiday break", even if I got to bed only at 4 am. sorry for not having answered all messages in a proper way, but phoning and chatting at the same time is not a thing I appreciate. So Sorry Christoph, Mathieu, Stephan and Denis for not chatting much with you.
Kathi, thanks for thinking of me, things like that better to talk about when I'm back, as it's not possible to lend me your books earlier ;)
Gerd, if you read this, please let me now, where and how you are, I'm missing the answer to my textmessage.
Susi, are you ok as well? missing your comment like: "and what about Tibet?!? :(" however, have a good time in Italy! Goditi il sole italiano - e non solo ;) e non dimenticare le stelle cadenti in questi giorni!
Don't know, when I have Internet for the next time, this time at the youth hostel, but beginning with tomorrow I will stay at smaller places, and I don't know how the hotels are equipped.
Angi
as I had bad news two days ago like: sorry, the train is fully booked within the next ten days!(well, this is the 'translated' version: originally the woman threw only a "no!" in my face) I was trapped in Chengdu once more and decided to be a little more careful. (Well. Plan B works as far as I know: My Bus departs tomorrow 6.30 in the morning to songpan.)
At the same time I am a l-i-t-t-l-e afraid that the trains to Beijing could be as busy as the ones to Xining, that I wanted to take. So I went right today to the office for booking train tickets. but all I received was once more a "No!" with chinese comments. I asked another woman, standing close to the nearby park entrance, if she could help me, and she explained why "No!": it was because - and now listen - it is NOT possible to get a train ticket at Chengdu with departure NOT at Chengdu. So it is NOT possible for me to buy a train ticket going from Lanzhou to Beijing. And it's NOT possible to buy a trainticket departing from Chengdu and then just to get on the train some stops later. Welcome to China.
The girl from the youth hostel was nice to me, and invented a solution: make a reservation at a hotel at Lanzhou, give them a deposit and ask them to buy the trainticket for me. Not possible, because all Hotels in Lanzhou mentioned in LP (have to check internet now)
- have wrong telefone number
- accept reservations only ONE day before
- are toooooo expensive (4*)
and now? don't ask me. I'll manage this. somehow. *sigh*
maybe booking a flight from lanzhou to Beijing, even if I, somehow, was looking forward to the 19h-journey by train.
Maybe go to Beijing right the next possibility, and passing my time over there.
My mood was so good today, managed to do so many things, including fetching my passport at the Embassy (got my visa!) and now once more all turned round. gonna go to haeagen dazs now.
Next year I'm gonna pass my holidays in Austria. as I'm gonna pass the "year" not there, maybe a good choice:
less pollution, more friends, more english-speaking persons (even if not necessary).
btw: thank you for your calls the last days, Martin, Dagmar, David, Mama, Papa and Andy, I really enjoyed my "holiday break", even if I got to bed only at 4 am. sorry for not having answered all messages in a proper way, but phoning and chatting at the same time is not a thing I appreciate. So Sorry Christoph, Mathieu, Stephan and Denis for not chatting much with you.
Kathi, thanks for thinking of me, things like that better to talk about when I'm back, as it's not possible to lend me your books earlier ;)
Gerd, if you read this, please let me now, where and how you are, I'm missing the answer to my textmessage.
Susi, are you ok as well? missing your comment like: "and what about Tibet?!? :(" however, have a good time in Italy! Goditi il sole italiano - e non solo ;) e non dimenticare le stelle cadenti in questi giorni!
Don't know, when I have Internet for the next time, this time at the youth hostel, but beginning with tomorrow I will stay at smaller places, and I don't know how the hotels are equipped.
Angi
koerndl - 11. Aug, 13:13
