Last week, we accepted the gracious invitation of a dear friend to come and visit him in the nearby city of Dali. This gave us (and our niece Amy) our first opportunity to ride a Chinese train. As you can tell from the large billboard in the train station, Dali is a popular destination:
We joined the mob exiting for train K6910 and boarded for the 6 (to 7) hour ride westbound:
There are two seating options on this particular train: “hard seat” or “hard sleeper.” Since the hard seat compartment is usually tightly packed and has insufficient legroom for tall foreigners, we spent the extra few dollars for the sleeper car:
Each door along the left wall opens to a separate compartment holding six bunks, providing a reasonably comfortable spot for resting or reading:
Each compartment has a pitcher of hot water to prepare your lunchtime noodles. Of course, we were the only ones on this train eating sandwiches:
The best part of a train ride (during the daytime) is the chance to enjoy peaceful views of the Chinese countryside:
Was riding the train cheaper than taking the taxi?
At about 100RMB for a hard sleeper, the train is about 50% cheaper than riding the bus or hiring a taxi for four people. The train takes longer (6.5 hours vs. 4 hours), but it is certainly more comfortable and far less likely to cause motion sickness.