Tianjin to Xining: The Start of a Long Journey

Yesterday (Saturday January 14) I flew from Beijing to Lanzhou. Usually I like to go by land, but the hard bed to Lanzhou on the train was more than 400 Y and took 30 hours. The flight cost 630 Y and took only 2. Plus it is very difficult to get train tickets near the end of the semester. So I decided to fly to save time and remove the hassle of getting a train ticket. I took the 5am bus from Tianjin to the Beijing Airport. The bus usually takes 2 hours, which was ok because my flight left at 8:20. However, the bus was late. It arrived at 7:45. So I hurried. The Hainan Airlines line to check in was long. By the time I reached the counter it was 8:01. The friendly man told me that you cannot check in less than 20 minutes before the flight. But when I told him I was not checking in any bags, he sent me to another line - where they quickly gave me a boarding pass. I ran to gate 39 (all the way at the end of the airport) to get on the plane by 8:08. However, I saw that the previously flight leaving from that Gate -- to Zhengzhou which was supposed to leave at 7:45 was delayed due to fog. Soon they announced my flight was delayed too. However at 8:50 we boarded the plane. Great - only 30 minutes late, right. No. We sat on the plane for more than 3 hours. Finally at 12:37 the plane took off. I arrived in Lanzhou at 2:40pm - more than 4 hours late. (Later that night I heard on CCTV9 that no planes left Beijing airport before 11am and that more than 300 flights were delayed.) Anyway in Lanzhou (capital of Gansu province) I felt a little sick in my stomach. Maybe the cold? It was a little colder than Tianjin but not bad. I bought the last train ticket that night headed to Xining - 19Y leaving at 5:49pm. That didn't leave me much time. Despite a time shortage and a painful stomach, I managed to see Baiyun Si, a Journey to the West statue, the Yellow River, a big Mosque, etc. By the time I got on the train (4 hours to Xining), I knew I was in pain. I tried to lean over and rest but not much good. After the first stop, many people got off - so some people realized I was in pain and moved so I could lay down. After I got to Xining, I bought a train ticket for the following night to Go-er-mu (Golmud). I told the lady I wanted to go tommorrow night and she said mei you (none). Then after asking again she said there was a hardbed on the train leaving in the afternoon. What time I asked? 5:49pm (yes exactly the same time the train left Lanzhou) in the afternoon she said. (Isn't that also considered evening?) When I tried to pay her the 122Y, she said no - shang po. I knew shang meant up but didn't know what po meant. She pointed up and turned me away and started talking to the next guy in line. Then I asked someone else and discovered she was just saying that the only bed available was a top bed. That was fine with me because those are cheaper anyway. After that ordeal, I got a hotel room at the Che Zhan Bing Guan (Train Station Hotel) for 50Y. It had 2 beds, private bathroom, and CCTV9 (English). Had trouble sleeping because of my stomach. Fell asleep late.