Things We Liked About China, Part Four

 The sleeper trains!

Why don't Americans use the modern miracle known as the sleeper train more often to traverse our large Country? That is the big question we were left with after using sleeper trains for three legs of our travel in China (1. Beijing to Xi'an; 2. Lijiang to Kunming; and 3. Guilin to Hong Kong).  We saved hundreds of dollars in China by using sleeper trains to cover long distances.  You get transportation for 700 or 800 kilometers and a place to sleep for as little as about $40 (the most we paid for a sleeper train birth was about $65).  The third thing to consider when you buy a sleeper train ticket in China, which is even more important than the money saved by traveling and sleeping at the same time, is that you are paying for an authentic and unique experience each ride as well.

There are two common classes of sleeper train cars in China - We rode in the roomier Soft Sleeper car our first ride, which has four beds, a door, AC, and personal reading lights.  Our second and third sleeper train journeys were in the much cheaper and  "inferior" Hard Sleeper class. We discovered that the extra money for a soft car wasn't really worth it.  In fact, we found that the hard sleeper cars gave us more for less money, since they connected us with people that better represented the average Chinese traveler.

The worst part of the first trip was getting the tickets at the train station, Beijing West.  The station was hot, loud, crowded, and chaotic.  We spent over an hour in what seemed like hell trying to find out where
to go (the English counter was labeled in Chinese, naturally) and waiting in line.  Lines all over China are subject to major cuts-ies.  People in China are just starting to get the (forced) hang of lining up for things, and cutting (especially foreigners) is still totally acceptable (probably because it isn't considered cutting, but just getting to the window before the other guy did).  But we left the train station a bit exhilarated, chattering about the experience.  It was miserable while we were there, but it turned out to be a very memorable and telling Chinese experience.

The second train trip was a really crappy night of sleep.  That was due more to the herky-jerky nature of the ride than the beds or our roommates.  The third trip was no problem at all. In fact, it was probably our best night of sleep even though it was in a "hard" car.  We enjoyed going to sleep in China and waking up so close to Hong Kong that all we had to do was walk through customs and across the border!


Some may scoff at the sound of someone actually liking Chinese sleeper trains.  Yes, you have to try to go to the bathroom over a small hole open directly to the tracks below while you are tossed around like a cow in a tornado.  And yes, you have to share small, cramped spaces with people unaccustomed to Western formalities and manners, which means loud, guttural hacking before bed and in the morning, sneaked cigarettes and the foul smell that follows, and loud talking into all hours of the night.  But the beds were more comfortable than some of the hostels and guesthouses we stayed at in China.  Plus, you can't forget that you are killing three birds with one stone (traveling, sleeping, and getting a new, authentic experience). The third bird was our favorite bird to kill.  Without a doubt.  Jeff has a marvelous image stuck in his head from our third sleeper train trip.  It is of  little kid, probably three or four, cuddling up in a cramped bed that suddenly seemed enormous. He was super cute since he was much too small for the bed, pillow, and blankets. And he watched his family get ready for bed in their tiny compartment with a look of pure happiness on his face.  He wasn't just comfy in his huge sleeper train bed, he was at home. 

We absolutely preferred the "lesser" hard sleeper cars, as we enjoyed traveling with so many "regular" people.  Seeing how Chinese people, many with far less money than a typical American, travel their enormous country became an experience in itself.  Sure, we had six total beds and no door, but we also felt like we were as close as we could get to the people we traveled so far to connect with.  And that's the point, isn't it?