We will follow a compressed version of the itinerary we plan for the students when we go to China next month. Most of our overseas travel will be on commuter trains, which are cheaper than planes and afford more contact with locals. Now that we all have our visas, we booked on the train. This way, we avoid the rush and crush of a Chinese booking hall (see below).
Alas, on our longest train ride-- the 16 hour journey from Weihai to Beijing-- we could not obtain the most desirable sleeper compartment with the so-called "soft beds." We're having to settle for hard. This ensures us a culturally authentic, but not entirely comfortable, experience. The bunks in these cars have three levels, and since there's no guarantee we'll be assigned to the lower ones, Drs. Hogan, Lewis, and I may be climbing up metal ladders to our nesting spots
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People in "hard bed" compartments are less reserved than the upper class people who can afford the "soft beds." Last summer, I made an eight hour trip in a "hard bed" compartment, and Dean Lily Wang, who was worried about me, informed the train personnel that I am a teacher. The Chinese have deep respect for their teachers, especially old ones, and my fellow passengers took excellent care of me, plying me with fish-filled buns and hard-boiled duck eggs. I was glad I had some granola bars to share with the lady sitting across from me when she insisted I accept an ear of corn on the cob.
