长白山: Part 1

As explained in my previous post, my friend Barney* and I had planned an excursion to 长白山 cháng bái shān, or "Eternally White Mountain," to begin our year in China. Our itinerary was to be as follows:

8/29     Leave Beijing Train Station on the K215 bound for Tumen
8/30     Arrive at 延吉 Yánjí, take the long-distance bus to 二道白河 Èrdàobáihé, check in at the hostel
8/31     Visit Changbai Mountain
9/1       Check out from the hostel, take the bus from Erdaobaihe to Yanji, board the K216 to Beijing
9/2       Arrive in Beijing
9/3       Take the bullet train to Nanjing from Beijing (me alone)

Beijing to Yanji 

Yanji to Erdaobaihe

Long story short, our itinerary was not followed. It was much more stressful than we were anticipating, but it also made for a much better story. So here, in parts, are the Changbai Chronicles, beginning with our twenty-four hour train ride from Beijing to Yanji.

In the interest of being succinct, I'm simply going to post a record of my activities on the train:

1:00   After some confusion with the many platforms, we manage to board the correct train.
1:01   We look at our home for the next 24 hours. Barney observes that he is jealous of my small stature.

1:10   The train lurches to a start while we try to figure out if anyone is in the beds above us (for storage) or below us (for sitting).
1:30   After twenty minutes of empty beds below, we commandeer one of the lower and more spacious bunks. We break out our respective Apple products. Barney listens to Bill Simmons. I listen to a mix of Mumford & Sons and Fun.
1:33   This random passenger commandeers the other lower bunk, then decides to offer it to Barney (so that he and I don't have to sit on the same bed...?).
2:06   Barney and I note the completion of our first hour with pride. Just 23 more to go!
2:18   Bored and curious, I decide to go explore the rest of the train.
2:30   I begin to read a work of non-fiction on the Cultural Revolution trashy romance novel on my Kindle.
3:30   I chat with Barney.
3:44   I take a nap.
4:15   I pick up my Kindle again.
5:03   We watch new passengers get testy over a seat mix-up.
5:04   I go back to reading.
5:45   I take a longer nap.
7:00   Barney wakes me up. I go back to sleep.
8:30   Barney wakes me up again. We talk to pass the time. I show him my artsy photos that I'm putting up in my room, which uses up approximately five minutes.
9:27   I settle back into my bed and begin to listen to Katy Perry.
9:32   I suggest to Barney that he come visit Nanjing because of its historical significance. He sasses me.
9:33   I tell Barney I'm blogging about him sassing me and he sasses me again.
9:34   I start reading through my recently acquired, thousand-page Lonely Planet guide on China.
9:51   The train lights go out; I go to sleep.
2:50   I wake up, go back to sleep.
3:27   I wake up, go back to sleep.
3:57   I wake up, go back to sleep.
4:42   I wake up and notice the sunlight starting to peek through the curtains.
4:58   Barney wakes up briefly and tells me about how he got this girl's number in his dream. 
5:05   I go get in line to brush my teeth and wash my face.
5:30   Since I'm hopelessly awake, I pull out my most recent Chinese textbook and start reviewing for my placement test.
6:00   I read my China guidebook.
6:16   I put on some Lady Gaga and play Settlers of Catan on my phone.
6:35   I win Settlers and shift my attention to the train window. Then I read my China book some more.
8:00   Barney and I prepare to poach the ground-level bed from the passengers who are getting off the train.
8:30   Ground-level bed acquired, Barney and I watch The Lucky One, which I had bought in Sanlitun the night before. It's not the greatest movie, but at least it has Zac Efron.
10:00 I read my China book some more and make plans to visit Guilin, Qufu, Vietnam, Huangshan, and a score of other places.
11:00 I read the latest issues of Time on Barney's iPad and gleefully show him the pictures of Kearney Little League players in Time's Little League World Series slideshow.
11:46 Barney finds out I'm including his dream in my blog and becomes somewhat indignant. He requests that I not mention him by name.
12:37 We pack up in preparation for disembarking in half an hour.
1:07   We disembark and go to the ticket office to buy our return ticket.

That was when our itinerary lost all meaning. 

*Name has been changed

part two