I hope it’s not like this
Autumn Festival in China is next week so it’s time to make travel arrangements. The smart thing to do is to leave the country as in-country travel will be overcrowded, but we don’t have multiple entry visas, though we asked for them. Thus we’re here and this is the only vacation time so we need to make the most of it.
A friend and I decided to visit the Longmen Caves near Luoyang. They’re massive Buddhist sculptures carved into the sides of caves. That won’t take a week to see so we wanted to seek some sights in neighboring Kaifeng.
Last Wednesday I asked for the train tickets. In China you can’t buy tickets more than 10 days in advance. We planned to leave on the 30th. On Friday the Foreign Affairs assistant called from the travel agent. All the overnight sleeper cars were sold out. It’s an 11 hour ride to Kaifeng and more to Luoyang so sleeper makes the most sense. We asked for October 1. Sold out. The 2nd? Only hard seats. Really? Really.
Flying isn’t an option because there are no flights to Luoyang from Jinan. We’d have to go via Beijing or Shanghai, both of which are completely out of the way.
Well, okay. We don’t want to miss a chance to explore more of China. You’d think you might be able to to book the return ticket, but you’re wrong. Since it’s more than 10 days till the Saturday we want to return we have to wait till this Wednesday. Thus we live with that nagging question of can we return in time for school?
So we’ve got our hard seat tickets and await news on our return tickets. I’m praying for soft sleeper. Dare I?
smkelly8
No Fixed Plans 
Hi smkelly8,
I hope this reply to your post isn’t too late, but just wanted to post a comment in case you were still pondering the limited options of traveling to Luoyang over Autumn Festival. I am a resident of Luoyang (originally from Texas) and thought I could lend some insight as to the best method for getting here.
You wrote that there aren’t any flights from Jinan to Luoyang, but if you can catch a flight to Zhengzhou, there is a good shuttle from the airport to Luoyang that leaves the airport every two hours I think (ditto for going back to the airport in Zhengzhou from Luoyang). Every time I travel domestically from my home in Luoyang I leave and land in Zhengzhou. The airport in Luoyang isn’t just small, it is WAY out of the city and takes twenty or thirty minutes just to get in town.
Anyhow, I hope this helps. If you do decide to come to Luoyang and need any help just let me know! My name is Mike and you will have my email with this comment. Godspeed and have fun!
Mike
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Excellent. We’ll see about the train tomorrow. It’s good to have a back up plan.
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Sorry for the double post- my browser has a mind of its own.
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No problem. Do you have a blog called The China Pendulum or is that something else? I love reading China blogs.
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Glad to read that you got at least some of your transportation plans worked out. Yes, I do have a blog titled ‘China Pendulum’ but I scrapped it some months back. I used to write about the political back and forth between the U.S. and China and my feeling of being caught between those two governments, but got sick of the inherent negativity so I decided to wipe the slate clean and start anew. I haven’t gotten around to writing anything yet but stay tuned! If you need any assistance while you are in Luoyang (let’s hope there are no problems) you can contact me via email or QQ. If all goes well, have a pleasant trip and record your thoughts and pictures here so I can follow! If you want some tips on where to eat or go, please feel free to ask about that too.
Best,
Mike
QQ: 1943182464
Email: michael.hilliard21@gmail.com
P.S. If you need my phone number, reply via email and I will be happy to provide it.
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