分类： China

Buy Train Tickets in Lhasa – $1 only

Cost: 5 yuan service charge, 0-2 yuan bus fare

You could buy your tickets at Lhasa Railway Station which is in fact not in Lhasa. It’s not only far away from Lhasa, but also far from the train station bus stop. You need to walk at least 1km from the bus stop to the railway station building itself after strict security checks.

So the best place to buy train tickets once you are in Lhasa is at No. 19 De Ji Zhong Lu.

Bus No. 2/3/7/8/13/24/25 all have a stop nearby. The bus fare is 1 yuan per person per way.

Most tourists can use No.8 or No.7 bus on Beijing Road to reach the ticket office.

Ce Men Lin bus stop on Beijing Road.

Train Trip to Lhasa

It’s quite easy to get a hard-sleeper ticket to Lhasa at Xining West Railway Station. I asked for a middle berth, the train station staff sold me a more expensive lower berth ticket which sucks. Why? Because cigarette smoke and carbon dioxide are heavier than oxygen, I felt short of oxygen while sleeping in the lower berth.

The train does allow passengers to smoke and a lot of people happily practice their such rights. Only during the section between Golmud and Lhasa, passengers are not allowed to smoke although some still do.

The train has squash toilets. Users are supposed to press the green button to flush the toilet. Some passengers may not be aware of it and water is not always available, so the toilets can be messy at times. Also, don’t forget to bring your own toilet paper.

Train attendants sell Chinese magazines on board. A Tibetan man failed to find any magazine that’s printed in Tibetan language. He was simply told, “Nowadays, everybody studies Mandarin.” No apology, no sympathy.





继续阅读Train Trip to Lhasa

Xi’an Trip – $5/day

HOSTEL:

I rebooked my accommodation in Xi’an 2 days before my arrival because I found a special deal of 15 yuan for a bed in an one-bed dorm. The hostel also promises free pick-up from the train station.

A hotel staff did come to pick me up on time. I was escorted to a public bus no. 41 instead of a private vehicle. The hotel staff paid the bus fare of 0.5 yuan.

Upon arrival at the hostel, I was put into a 6-bed dorm which appears to have one bed occupied already. Of course, they wouldn’t give me a one-bed dorm for just 15 yuan. I was fine with the arrangement by then.

The hostel’s name is Hanwood Youth Hostel. The location is pretty good. It’s just east of Big Wild Goose Pagoda and there is a bus stop right outside the hostel. No. 500 bus can take you to the train station directly from here although No. 500 bus always seems overcrowded.
继续阅读Xi’an Trip – $5/day

Wudang Mountains

The Wudang Mountains in central China´s Hubei Province has long been known for its traditional Taoist culture. Originally called the Taihe Mountain, it is believed to be the place where Xuanwu the Great, a Taoist patron saint, was enshrined. It was renamed Wudang Mountain in the Song Dynasty some 1000 years ago.

GETTING THERE & AWAY:
Air
Xiangfan Liuji Airport(XFN) is the nearest airport. Take a train or bus to Wudang Mountains from Xiangyang(former Xiangfan).

Wuhan Tianhe International Airport(WUH) has more flights. You can take a train to Wudang Mountains from Wuhan.

Train
Wudangshan train station is 16km from the entrance of Wudang Mountains. There is shuttle bus service to cover this leg.

Bus
Take a bus from Xiangyang or Shiyan