It was another early start, waking up at 5:30AM or so. I was running low on money, so I tried an ATM, but it didn’t work (I tried last night too). I didn’t want to take any chances so I got a taxi to take me to the correct bus station for the Yangzi River bus and hydrofoil boat. I got to the ticket office and remembered I don’t have enough money to get a ticket, so I went to search for more ATMs. I found two more. One said “Communications Error” the other said “Transaction Refused, contact bank.” I had less than an hour to figure this out and get money. It was dark, raining, and I was climbing the steps of the “City of Mountains” searching for my goal. Since I tried 3 ATMs in different parts of the city I thought it must be my card, so I had to call my bank. I walked and walked trying to find a phone where I could call the US. I didn’t want to use my mobile phone since it would probably last only 2 minutes and I’d have to be on hold at least that long.<\/p>\n
In my attempts to get to a phone, I got in a taxi, but he wouldn’t turn on the meter. I asked and asked and he said no. I didn’t want to fall into this trip, so I opened the door while the car was going down the road and he was forced to stop. I was sliding my feet along the street and got out before the taxi even stopped. I decided to walk through the city.<\/p>\n
I realized I didn’t have enough money for a ticket today and I wouldn’t be able to call my bank in time, so I had to abort my entire Three Gorges idea. Now my goal was just to call before my bank closed. I did finally found a place with pay “IP Phones.” I called, my bank said there are no blocks or anything wrong with my card. They said the ATM was the problem. At least I narrowed down the problem.<\/p>\n
I tried ATMs 4 & 5, same problems “Authorization Communication Error.” On the 5th ATM in the bank, I hear other people taking out money just fine next to me. Is my bank blocking transactions from China by accident? Finally I go to ICBC bank in the center of the city and it works. I don’t know what happened. I’ve been able to withdrawal from those banks and ATMs before.<\/p>\n
I tried and tried to go on this boat through the famous Three Gorges and to the biggest dam in the world, but I gave up. I wanted to take a train to the next city instead. The train left at 3:00PM, so I killed some time sitting in KFC (which had a Starbucks and Wi-fi next door). Then I took a bus to the train station with the help of some police officers. I didn’t see the train station, so I got on another bus, but later learned I was supposed to walk down a hill and I’d see it. <\/p>\n
It was another long wait to get a ticket at the train station. I was sure to get a bed in the train because I needed the rest and I started to get chills and felt sick today after everything I went through. I got to the front of the line they said no beds, but sold me a seat instead. This conversation is all in Chinese, by the way, so I’m just saying ok, ok, whatever to move the line of 50 people behind me along. I wish I would have asked for the train tomorrow and maybe a bed, but there is so much stress in that situation.<\/p>\n
They directed me to the “Soft seat waiting room” for some reason. Because I was a foreigner? It was nice with big soft seats, clean bathroom, and not crowded. I skipped the X-ray machine, but I was surprised when the security guard asked if I had water and made me drink some of it for some reason.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
It was another early start, waking up at 5:30AM or so. I was running low on money, so I tried an ATM, but it didn’t work (I tried last night too). I didn’t want to take any chances so I got a taxi to take me to the correct bus station for the Yangzi River … <\/p>\n