A few days ago I took the overnight sleeper from Hong Kong to Beijing. I have been on the old green train sleepers before in mainland China, but this is my first experience of a high speed sleeper.
I arrived at Hong Kong West Kowloon High Speed railway station about half an hour before the scheduled departure. As a local with all the right documents, the check-in, immigration, customs and immigration checks went smoothly.
Fifteen minutes before departure, we boarded. The sleeper carriage was split into several four berth compartments. I luckily bagged a lower bunk. The layout reminded me of a soft sleeper compartment on a green train with a table next to the window. On it was a teapot, box of tissues, boxes of complimentary snacks and a wash kit for each passenger. I bought my own wash items so I left mine unused. The pillows and duvets were fresh and neatly folded.
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| wash kit |
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| snack box |
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| my nightcap and bedtime story |
After checking out the toilet (clean but bizarrely without soap, soap is available on outside sink), I decided to lie down. The bed was surprisingly comfortable despite the thin mattress. I read my book for a while and then nodded off. It wasn’t a great sleep but it was good enough. The duvet was warm enough and it didn’t feel cold as we rolled into a chilly Beijing.
I brushed my teeth in the still relatively clean toilet just before the train arrived on time. I got off and went in search for a full Beijing breakfast.