Well, I’ve started my trip with an overnight train from Beijing to Weihai, and am waiting around for a ferry onward to Incheon, South Korea. Weihai seems to be a lovely coastal town on the north coast of Shandong, and I wish I could stick around a few days to hike some of the mountains and enjoy the beaches, though it would be better to come in the summer when the lows aren’t below freezing.
I think I’m ready to leave China given how easily the minor annoyances of travel really grate at me. From trying to sit down in the waiting hall of the train station (“No, I can’t let you sit in this seat because I want to put my coat there”) to stowing my luggage on the train (“Sorry, all the under bunk and overhead spaces are full, you’ll just have to leave your suitcase in the alley”) and waking up in a sauna (“Could you not set the A/C to 34 degrees?”).
On the other hand, I’m going from somewhere where I am perfectly comfortable in the language to somewhere where I am going to be a foreigner again. Even if I get some decent conversational Korean under my belt, it is still going to be a constant mental strain to understand and be understood. I am starting to have some doubts about the utility of this journey/nomadic lifestyle. It would probably be better to just pick somewhere, settle down, get a job. That would be a lot more pleasant than traveling, which is mostly a mix of boredom, loneliness, and stress. Though, that sounds like the typical life for most people anyways.
Since I am without income, and it is my habit to do travel bookkeeping, I will keep a running log of my expenses.
| Train Ticket (Hard Sleeper) | 244.5 RMB |
| Ferry Ticket (Economy)* | 788 RMB |
| Bus Fare | 1 RMB |
| Hostel | 26 RMB |
| Dinner** (Bulgogi + Noodles) | 50 RMB |
| Total: | 1109.5 RMB (USD 165.20) |
*Direct flights from Beijing to Seoul cost about 1100 RMB. With the train ticket, I’m not really saving any money, but this should be more fun.
**Forgot to take a picture of dinner. Will need to remember to write about what I eat as well.