I took the high speed train in China today
๐จ๐ณ ๐I took the high speed train in China today
We booked business class tickets, which was relatively cheap, just $90 for 3.5 hours
You could get 2nd class tickets for just $20 by the way
Also this train is the fastest train in the world now, faster than Japan's Shinkansen that I took a week ago
Here is the business class lounge, it's a special entrance at the station with its own security, and free coffee and snacks, it does have a bit of a 1970 North Korea aesthetic which you honestly don't see here a lot, everything is modern. I think because the train company is state owned? But then the station itself does look hypermodern, any Chinese know why?
Of course the video starts with a cough ๐๐
Today was a bit of an ordeal, we went to the station before, we didn't get tickets because there's so many "official" restrictions on luggage and we already lost so many things (like powerbanks), and gf was understandably scared to lose more stuff
So we thought we'd first try enter the station and pass security and if we got through fine then by tickets on Trip app
But then the Didi driver drove us to the dodgiest entrance of the station called West Squate (not the most popular one) where it was a crowd of ppl trying to enter, we were stopped and couldn't enter and the old man started yelling Chinese at us
A group of Thai behind us were also yelled to leave by him
So then we and the Thai were outside
We then discovered it was because you need a ticket to enter the station in the first place, which again is pretty unique to China
In Japan, you just walk in, buy a ticket 20min before and board, not in China
Anyway a lot of lessons learnt again today, and that's why traveling in China is hard but also fun, but once you get it it's actually easier than abroad, like there's no train tickets at all, not even digital! You just scan your passport as it's all tied to your ID
Very cool
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