May 14: Erenhot – Beijing
I think I updated the last entry while I was on the train heading to Jiningnan.
As the train got closer to Jiningnan, more passengers boarded, even though there had been very few people when I first got on.
The train arrived on time at 4:00 PM. After getting off, I saw many taxi drivers outside, so I took one of them. At first, it took a little time for the driver to understand where I wanted to go because I showed him the station name in English. However, as soon as I showed him the Chinese characters, he immediately understood and drove me there.
The ride only took about 15 minutes, and the fare was just 30 yuan (about $4–5). Taxis are incredibly cheap here. In Japan, the same ride would cost much more.
During the ride, the driver was talking loudly on the phone with what I think was his family. He mentioned having a daughter, too. Even though he spoke loudly, he seemed like a very kind person.
When I got out of the taxi, I only had a 50-yuan bill, so I gave it to him and left without taking the change back. I felt that he was probably working very hard to support his family.
After arriving at the station where I would transfer to Beijing, I still had about two hours before boarding the high-speed train.
The station itself was huge, although there was not much to do there besides buying snacks and drinks from a few small shops.
The high-speed train reminded me a lot of the Shinkansen in Japan. The appearance and atmosphere were very similar once I boarded, but the price was completely different. I only paid about $33 to travel from Erenhot (Erlian) to Beijing.
In Japan, taking the bullet train costs much more.
The ride from Jiningnan to Beijing only took about two hours, and the seat was very comfortable.
I arrived in Beijing around 8:30 PM.
There was a restaurant I wanted to visit in Xidan, so I took the subway there. The subway was also extremely cheap, costing less than a dollar.
However, on the way there, I realized that I had misunderstood the restaurant’s location. It was actually far away, so I decided to head to the hotel I had booked beforehand instead.
The problem was that the hotel was also far from the station.
I tried waving my hand to stop taxis, but none of them stopped even though their signs showed they were available.
Because Japanese kanji are derived from Chinese characters, I can understand or recognize some Chinese writing. From looking around and asking people, I realized that I needed to use the taxi app DiDi instead.
Unfortunately, I could not use the app because I did not have a Chinese phone number for verification.
At that point, my only option was to give up on the hotel reservation and find somewhere nearby to stay. I canceled the reservation, and luckily I received a full refund.
I asked one of the police officers or security guards, who seemed to be everywhere in the city, if there was a nearby hotel. At that point, I did not even care about dinner anymore. I was simply exhausted and wanted to sleep after moving around all day.
He suggested a few places, but they were too expensive for me, so I asked if there was anything cheaper. He then recommended a hostel about 15 minutes away on foot.
I confirmed the address and started walking there.
On the way, I noticed another hotel and decided to ask if they had a room available. Unfortunately, the front desk staff told me they were fully booked.
So I continued walking toward the hostel.
The streets felt a little unsafe at around 10 PM, and I started wondering if the hostel actually existed.
Eventually, I found it.
Praying that they had an available bed, I asked the young Chinese staff member at the front desk if I could stay for one night.
Using Google Translate, he showed me a message saying there were no single rooms available.
At that moment, I seriously thought, “I’m finished. I’m going to have to sleep outside in Beijing.”
Seeing the disappointed look on my face, he quickly translated another message saying that there was still a dormitory bed available.
I was incredibly relieved.
I finished checking in and entered the room. There were four beds, and luckily nobody else was there.
Since it was already 11 PM, I assumed no one else would come that night.
I took a shower and immediately fell asleep.
May 15 : Chinese Phone Number
In the morning, I woke up around 7 AM.
After packing my belongings and checking out, I headed to a large mobile carrier store, China Unicom.
By that point, I had learned that having a Chinese phone number was essential for creating accounts on many apps in China.
At the first store, a staff member told me that I needed to go to another branch to get a phone number. He even wrote down subway directions for me.
When I arrived, I realized the store was actually located in Xidan, the same area I had been in the previous night.
After entering the store, I had to wait because there were several other customers.
Eventually, I successfully got a Chinese phone number for only 55 yuan (about $8). All I needed was my passport.
So, if you ever need a phone number in China, it is actually very easy to get one.
By then, it was already around noon, so I headed to downtown Beijing for lunch.
There were so many people that the streets felt chaotic. I also noticed far more tourists there.
I entered a random restaurant that looked good and ordered beef noodles and dumplings.
The meal cost less than $10.
It was delicious, but next time I want to try another type of noodle dish that came with lots of vegetables and sauce. It looked amazing, and almost everyone around me was eating it.
After lunch, I headed to the hotel I had booked.
Even though it was far from downtown, it was cheap — less than $30 per night — and it had a washing machine.
This time, I used the DiDi app to call a taxi.
The ride cost only about $10 for 18 kilometers and took around 45 minutes.
Although the hotel staff did not speak English, we communicated surprisingly well using Google Translate. I finished checking in and entered the room.
The room was much bigger and nicer than I expected. It even had a refrigerator, washing machine, and other amenities.
After relaxing for a while, I went out for dinner.
I found a Chinese restaurant that looked nice and decided to try it.
I ordered Peking duck and the noodle dish that I had missed earlier at lunch.
Even though it may have been too heavy for my stomach, it was absolutely delicious.
The two large dishes only cost about $15 in total.
After returning to the hotel, I realized there was also a gym inside the building, so I decided to work out.
It was my first workout since leaving Japan, and it felt amazing.
I trained for more than an hour, took a shower afterward, and called it a day.
