DATELINE: Beijing, China 

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Author: Lauren Cohen

Here I am at the Beijing airport awaiting my flight to Xi'an. I didn't expect to be flying so much, but apparently train tickets are impossible to book. The sleeper seats sell out a week in advance, and I'm not anywhere a week in advance of anything. None of the long-distance ticketing services have turned out to be reliable. Ah well - still haven't given up hope. I don't know what it is that I find so enticing about long-distance train travel, but I know it's something I'd choose to do if given the opportunity. Trying to make the best (read: most fun) of my traveling circumstances, I searched in vain for a bar in the Beijing airport. Ended up buying a beer from a vending machine. China can be a strange place.