The train station is about a 45-50 minute cab ride away.......and only costs about 40-45 RMB (or about $6 Cdn!....how nice is that?????). However, the real cost of a cab ride is in terms of your health. I estimate that each cab ride scares about 2 or 3 years of life out of you. In fact, here the top 3 scary things about China (in order)
1) cab rides
2) crossing the street
3) strange meat and other unknown foods sold by street vendors
The cab drivers in Qinhuangdau rarely seem to follow ANY rules of the road up to and including: yellow lights, red lights, turning lanes, lane markers, speed limits, pedestrian cross walks (see item #2 above) etc......in fact, on the way to the airport we passed a fricken cop car (with it's lights and siren going). I can honestly say that I have never experienced that. Having said that, in a way, I guess it kind of makes sense, if the police are already going to an emergency, they are obviously too busy to stop you!
As a further aside, the police cars here ALWAYS drive with their lights flashing. If they are on the way to an emergency, they turn on the siren. This seems strange at first, but is actually not a bad idea? They are much more visible when they are just on patrol, and yet you still know when to get out of their way if they are on an emergency (unless you are a cab driver, in that case, the siren just signals that you are in a race!)
Anyway, the train ride was cool, and again I have to thank Miranda for the trip advise. I booked the same train rides as she did and stayed in the same hotel as she did when she went to Beijing (the Howard Johnson - Paragon Hotel). I booked through expedia and the cost was $60cdn per night including taxes. The hotel was about 20 steps away from the Beijing Central Train Station and is not your typical "Howard Johnson". It was great to have a real shower and king size bed (pictures below)!
I got into Beijing at about 8pm, checked into the hotel, grabbed a bite to eat and then headed to Tienanmen Square (again, see pictures below). Overall, I found the city just awesome in terms of getting around - very simple and straight-forward.
Basically, the Forbidden City/Tienanmen Square is the "center of Beijing". All the roads radiate from there and go either North-South or East-West. There is a major road about every KM, and about every 2.3 km's, there is a major ring roads (which unlike in Calgary, actually form a true ring). Further, the road planners were even nice enough to name these ring roads so that they actually help you know where you are at i.e. 2nd ring road, 3rd ring road, etc.....
Anyway, in very short order you can understand the lay of the land. Further, the subways (finally) have English and are very easy to navigate and use (although they cost you a hefty 2RMB or 28 cents...TWICE as much as the buses!). The buses are slow, but there are maps at each station and so these are also really easy to use.
The only downside is that both buses and subways are very crowded. In fact, my first subway experience was kind of funny. I walked to Tienanmen Square, but on the way back jumped on the subway to see if I could understand how it worked. I was a bit nervous and unsure, and so thought I'd best stick right stick by the door (which is also where the "station maps" are most visible). These maps light up as the train is moving and tell you where you are, what is the next station, etc. etc.
Anyway, I jumped on "my train" at Tienanmen East Station (going West) and stayed by the door. Mostly because of my "strategic location by the door", at the very first stop (Tienanmen West Station.....about 4 "street" blocks down) I promptly found myself deposited on the subway platform.
A little old Chinese lady, I think she was only about 5'2", got here shoulder into the small of my back, and out the door I went!....In my defense, she was pretty solid and had a lower center of gravity than I do. Anyway, lesson learned, if you are by the door, you are getting off. Plus, no real harm as the trains come every few minutes and so fortunately I made it back to the hotel (without any further incidences).
I also have to say seeing Tienanmen Square was very eerie to me.....there are only a few events in my life that I can remember the news pictures as clear as if they were shown yesterday (i.e. 9-11, The Shuttle exploding, etc.) and the pictures of those students lying down in front of tanks is burned into my mind...and seeing it for the first time in real life absolutely sent shivers down my spine!!!!
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