The first trip of the 202 1 Gan train came to an abrupt end.
Another special thing I'm looking forward to this trip is that we will take the Gansu train across the vast hinterland of Australia. This railway line runs through the north and south of the Australian mainland, showing a panoramic view from the hills of South Australia to the central desert and the northern tropical rain forest. The train started operation on 1877, which is a symbol of Australian trains and one of the top ten scenic routes in Astrotrain in the world. The luxurious facilities and intimate service on the Gansu train have always been praised by passengers. Many Australians think that taking the Gan train is the most ideal trip in their life. As National Geographic magazine said, the Gansu train is an experience that can't be missed in life.
Pacquelin Railway Station is small, and it is a special station for Gansu trains. When we arrived at the station waiting room, there were already many people inside. Orange juice and wine are provided free of charge in the waiting room, and people play and sing. Most of the passengers are elderly couples, and everyone's face shows expressions of excitement and expectation. To our surprise, some old people came with crutches and wheelchairs. It seems that even disabled people don't want to give up such a lifelong trip. I checked in at the counter and checked two pieces of hand luggage.
In the center of the waiting room, there is a full-size Australian cuneiform statue, which is the largest eagle in the world and symbolizes the freedom and adventure spirit embodied in the great train travel in the world.
The picture below shows the Gansu train we will take. This train looks a little old. I heard that it has been forty or fifty years. There are camel designs and the English letter "THE GHAN" outside the carriage. GHAN is the abbreviation of Afghanistan in English, to commemorate 100 years ago, the first Afghan camel team crossed the Australian mainland.
Gan train consists of 44 carriages and 2 locomotives, with a total length of 1.2 km, which is the longest passenger train in the world at present. Because the station platform is not that long, the train should be divided into two when it stops, and stop at two platforms respectively. The train runs at a speed of 85 kilometers per hour, and the fastest speed can reach 1 15 kilometers. The train carries 190 passengers and more than 70 crew members. Train carriages are divided into platinum class and gold class. Platinum is more luxurious and much more expensive. We chose the gold level and felt comfortable enough. Each gold-class car has 8-9 boxes, and every two cars have a living room car and a dining car. The starting point of the train is Adelaide in southern Australia, and the terminal is Darwin in northern Australia. According to the train schedule, the train leaves on June 23rd 12: 10, and arrives at Alice Springs Railway Station in central Australia at 2: 25pm the next day. We'll get off there and take a tour bus to Lu Lu badminton.
We got on the train at 1 1:50. We have nine cars in this car. We are in Box 1, which is smaller than the soft sleeper box in China. But there are four people in the soft sleeper box in China, and this box is just the two of us. Unlike the double bed in the platinum box, the bed in our box is a bunk bed. Put the upper berth away during the day and open it before going to bed at night. There is a bathroom in the box with toilet and shower. The conductor told us that the water brought by the train is limited, so we should save water when taking a bath, and the washing time should not be too long. He also introduced us to the wardrobe, safe and fire-fighting equipment. In a word, although the box is not big, it is fully equipped, just like a pocket-sized hotel room, which is very comfortable for long-distance travel. I asked the conductor if there was Wi-Fi on the train. He said no, it seems that the carriage is really a bit old. As the train is driving all the way in a deserted place, it is estimated that there is no cell phone signal. In this way, we can enjoy the scenery along the way and enjoy our journey life without interference.
Our box is near one end of the carriage, next to a small kitchen. Inside, a faucet provides cold water and boiled water for drinking. There are all kinds of tea, coffee and milk on the table. Passengers can make tea and drink coffee here.
The living room compartment is called "Inland Explorer's Lounge". This is a place for tourists to rest and socialize. Wine and drinks are provided free of charge on the train, where passengers can drink, chat and enjoy the scenery. I counted the seats on the sofa in the carriage, which was enough for two passengers in the box. When we arrived, everyone went to the restaurant, which was empty. Then a waiter came over and asked us if we wanted to take a group photo. We sat on the sofa and asked her to take this photo for us.
You can reach the dining car through the living room carriage. The decoration of the dining car has a strong retro mood, which makes people feel very warm. It has a nice name "Queen Adelaide Restaurant". Our lunch time is 13: 15. I thought the passengers went to the restaurant in batches, but when I arrived at the restaurant, I found that all the passengers were eating here at the same time.
The waiter brought us a menu of lunch and drinks. All meals on the train are included in the fare, and passengers don't need to pay extra. My wife and I ordered salmon and chicken chops. Food was served in less than 20 minutes. The dishes are exquisite, beautifully placed and delicious. There are all kinds of wine, liquor, beer and drinks on the wine list. We don't know much about wine, and the waiter recommended us a red wine made in South Australia. The staple food is freshly baked pumpkin bread, which is soft and delicious. The waiter saw that we had a good meal and asked if we wanted more. Each of us asked for another one. At this time, the train started slowly, and we enjoyed the scenery outside the window while tasting wine and food. There is dessert after dinner. We ordered an ice cream and a cake.
After a hearty meal, we went back to our box. Unexpectedly, the train turned back and returned to Pacquelin Station at 2 pm. At this time, I saw on the news that due to the spread of the epidemic in Sydney, South Australia has banned Sydney tourists from entering the country. I'm a little nervous. I'm afraid the same thing will happen in the northern territory where we are going. My wife comforted me that it was not such a coincidence. We met them the first day they blocked the border. At this time, I heard from the conductor that there was a news release from the Northern Territory Government at 3 pm. At 3 o'clock in the afternoon, the conductor came to our box and told us that the Northern Territory government had issued an announcement that people who had been to Greater Sydney in the past 14 days could not enter the country, which also meant that our trip was about to end at the starting point. The conductor sympathized with us and said that he would help us as much as possible. This is something I have never encountered in my many years of travel. I was a little confused when I heard the news. I saw a passenger get off from the window, which means it's true. So we went back to the waiting room, where more than forty Sydney tourists had gathered. The service staff at the station did a good job. They quickly gave us a printed letter, expressing regret over the incident and saying that the next train fare we took would be fully refunded.
So I quickly booked a return ticket and booked two tickets on a website, but it was too late to confirm. At this time, the station staff kindly sent us mineral water and arranged a bus to go to the airport. After we arrived at the airport, we went to the airline counter and asked, only to know that the airline stopped issuing tickets to the agent three hours before the flight took off, so I really couldn't book tickets online. But I bought two tickets back to Sydney at the counter, which were more than twice as expensive as those booked online. At this time, the atmosphere at the airport is already very tense. I saw the police patrolling and urged everyone to wear masks. It was past ten o'clock in the evening when we returned to Sydney airport. Our old classmates Tian Xiong and his wife specially drove to pick us up. We stayed at his house for one night and went home by bus the next afternoon.