Shooting across the country at 349 kilometers per hour is no problem in China. The bullet train takes people inside the Olympic bubble from Taizicheng Hill Station to the capital in 50 minutes. The Qinghe station in the north of Beijing is currently only open to Olympic employees, the waiting area alone is 23,000 m² in size, and there are only two train lines.
It should be easy to change places at the Olympics: just now in cross-country skiing, now already on the bobsled track. Well, the only problem is the connection: if the train from the biathlon arrives in Beijing around noon, unfortunately the tobogganing train left five minutes ago. Next alternative: Two hours later.
At least there is enough time to study the bus schedule, which is posted in the press centers in Zhangjiakou. 17 different colors have been found to connect everything up there, the snowboard halfpipe with cross-country skiing or the Olympic village with the train station.
In the first few days, the direction in which the ring lines travel was only revealed when you spotted the bus driver: If he shot his index finger up, it meant: up the mountain, finger down meant: off to the accommodation. There are now signs, but getting off is still done by intuition. The bus then stops somewhere in the middle of nowhere, without an announcement, in the dark, minus 12 degrees. So stumbled out, somewhere in the middle of nowhere the next bus will be leaving. Most certainly.
You could walk the distance between the hotel and the press center – if you could
But: No reason to whine, the heroes are the little helpers in Olympic dress who, at least in some places, endure hours in the cold to whisper the correct numbers to disoriented media people when asked. The only difficulty is exchanging ideas about the right abbreviations. If you wanted to go to ZBC, Zhangjiakou Broadcast Center, spoken: Si-Bi-Si; or to the ZPC (Zhangjiakou Press Center/Si-Pi-Si) or perhaps to the ZMP (Zhangjiakou Medal Plaza/Si-Em-Pi)?
It could all be much simpler, with the colors and the abbreviations, especially with the buses that have to squeeze backwards into the narrow hotel entrance every time. You could even walk the distance between the hotel and the press center – if you could. But you’re not allowed to because you’re a potential virus slingshot.
The walking speed with which one finally rolls through the area does not make it easier to forget that. So you sneak off, freezing in your seat, there is no heating. Oh, if only you could take the train. Connection doesn’t matter.