Notes From Beijing: Point A to Point B

China has a well-funded rail system spanning most of the country. It is fast (over 90 mph) and cheap (about 6 cents per mile), making it ideal for short and mid-range trips. Getting the tickets for the train was maddening, but only because of my own ignorance. Once I figured out where I was actually supposed to go, it took all of five minutes.

My only previous experience with long-distance train travel was a family trip to Chicago courtesy of AmTrak. It was not good. There's nothing wrong with AmTrak trains...when they're moving, anyway. The bloody things were late going both directions. I hope you're not in a hurry, because those trains take their sweet time leaving. The Chinese trains, by contrast, leave and arrive exactly (let me emphasize: exactly) when the schedule says. If your ticket says the train departs at 3:18, then that's when it leaves. And yes, the schedule is that precise.

The trains themselves are rather nice. The seats are comparable to those on an airplane, but with much more leg room. There was more than enough space to store my overfilled messenger bag without intruding on my neighbor's space. As far as the service goes, I've no complaints. However, you may wish to bring something to eat as there is apparently no meal service to the second-class seats. Carts will occasionally pass with snacks and fruit for purchase, but a wise traveler will pack his own edibles. Hot water is available and many people opted to bring cups of noodles aboard. Personally, I would recommend bread, which travels well, is filling and can likely be obtained in or near the station.

As you may expect, the area outside the station is swarming with hawkers, though they are a bit different than those I'm used to. People dispatched from the hotels wave laminated pictures of hotel rooms, trying to draw in those travelers who did not arrange for accommodations in advance. (Good luck getting a room at 10:00) And then there are the car services. These are absolute clip jobs, though they at least know where they're going. As for the cabs? Well, we'll be getting to that later.