A quick stop in Shanghai to visit my friend, before embarking on my Trans-Mongolian train journey in Beijing.
It was my third time in China, and also in Shanghai (it was always cheaper to fly there from Manila) so I had explored much of the city on previous trips. However, there was a new attraction that had just opened last year – Shanghai Disneyland! Who wouldn’t want to go? Lol!
Check out Shanghai Disneyland post.
Of course, a visit to Disney would take one day of your life. So the remaining days were spent eating out and watching a movie in the cinema.
Now, the start of my train journey.
I was supposed to take the slower train D322 from Shanghai at 7:53 PM, arriving at Beijing Station at 7:45 AM the next day – more than enough time to catch the Trans-Mongolian train K23 at 11:22 AM.
Unfortunately, there were no more seats available, so I had to take the bullet train G152 that departed Shanghai at 4:19 PM and arrived at Beijing South Railway Station at 10:20 PM. That meant I had 12 hours to pass 😭 I thought about looking for a hostel nearby, but it was the same either way – I would just tire myself going there and back. Thankfully, I brought a power bank. It was the first time I had one, and it was primarily for the 3-day train ride. I didn’t know I would use it before even starting lol.
Finally! It was nice to be back, even though we always struggled to navigate this place on each visit. Very few people spoke English, and we didn’t have a translator back then.
Go to Trans-Mongolian post to know more about this train journey!
