长白山: Part 5

The Changbai Chronicles, as continued from part four.

After our lovely day on the north slope of Changbai Mountain, we grabbed our shuttle back to the hostel and proceeded to the train station to see what our options were for returning to Beijing. We had actually gone to the train station at 6:30 that morning before we left for the mountain, but the ticket agent said she wouldn't sell our type of ticket until 8:00. Since our shuttle was leaving at 7:00, we had to wait until we returned at 5:00 that evening to see if there were any available trains to Beijing from 长春 Chángchūn.

Unfortunately for us, there weren't any trains available for the next few days. And unfortunately for me, the trains from Beijing to Nanjing were all sold out as well. So by the night of the 31st, all we had secured was one bus ticket to Changchun leaving at 6:10 AM the next day.


With no other choice, Barney and I decided to book plane tickets from Changchun to Beijing leaving the next day. The tickets were actually only $70 or so on the domestic travel site qunar.com, but the site only accepted domestic credit cards. So naturally we turned to Orbitz, where the flight was $170 instead. After booking our flight and me being super mopey and angry at myself for not buying the train tickets sooner (sorry Barney), I succumbed to the residual effects of jet lag and passed out super early.

The next morning, I hurriedly packed my things and was ready at 6:00 to go catch the bus that Barney and I thought was leaving at 6:20. As we were walking the two blocks from our hostel to the bus station, Barney suddenly told me to hurry up. When I asked why, he said, "I think the bus might be leaving at 6:10." Luckily we were literally sixty seconds away from the bus station by that point, so we hustled over there and boarded with about five minutes to spare.

The bus ride itself was uneventful, just long and hot and uncomfortable. We got to Changchun around noon and pulled into the shadiest bus station ever. We immediately tried to go to an internet bar to double-check Barney's flight confirmation number, but the bar didn't allow foreigners. I had forgotten that some Chinese internet bars do that. Next we tried a McDonalds, which sometimes has wi-fi. No luck, but I did get an Oreo McFlurry. While there, Barney realized he still had his email inbox pulled up on his iPad, and was able to check his flight confirmation number. From there, we had a brief struggle finding a cab, then finally made it to the airport shuttle station on the east edge of town. One hour-long shuttle ride later, we were at the airport, getting our boarding passes, going through security, and waiting with two hours to spare.

Aside from a brief ninety-minute wait on the tarmac, the journey ended without incident, for which I am thankful. Barney and I parted ways at Dongzhimen subway station. He was off to check into his dorm, and I was off to stay at a friend's apartment until I figured out how I was getting to Nanjing.

Even though this series was about 80% complaining about China's transportation system, I had a great time. I learned a lot through my mistakes, and I saw one of China's more beautiful natural wonders. If Barney hadn't suggested we go, I might never have seen it, so for his suggestion (and companionship I suppose) I'm grateful.