My train didn't leave until after midnight and although I was pretty tired from my hike to Big Almaty Lake I wanted to make best use of the daylight and my limited time in Almaty. I decided to head up Kok Tobe, a popular place to watch the sun go down over the city, accessible by cable car from fairly near the city centre, which suited my energy levels.
On my stroll to the cable car, Dina, a local girl of European descent crossing the same road, struck up conversation. We immediately hit it off and I got a big lift from her energy and enthusiasm, soon forgetting my tired feet as she'd persuaded me that local bus and then by foot was the best way up Kok Tobe, not the overpriced cable car.
We spent the next 4 or 5 hours together chatting each others' ears off, eating ice lollies and other snacks, puzzling over the (unrecognisable as) Beatles statues that grace the top of Kok Tobe and watching the sun go down over Almaty.
As the evening wore on and my departure drew near, we both agreed it was a shame I wasn't here tomorrow when she could show me more of the city. Dina asked why didn't I stay another couple of days? Good question! Why not? Because I have a train booked for tonight was the obvious answer, but of course train tickets can be rearranged... it just depends on how difficult or expensive it is to do so. I hadn't even thought of the possibility. My mind span, trying assess the implications of taking on her suggestion and what that meant for my onward travel to Beijing.... was it as simple as arriving two days later?
Certainly my Kazakh and Chinese visas could accommodate the two days, I wasn't tied to fixed departure or arrival dates, but my trains from Almaty to Urumqi and from Urumqi to Beijing were booked. I wasn't convinced it was possible or my best plan of action, but I was intrigued by the idea because we were having such a good time and, due to my illness, I'd spent less time in Almaty than planned. If it turned out not too complex or costly, then maybe I would stay.
We set off to the station to enquire about changing my ticket to Urumqi. Dina being a native Russian speaker made the enquiries painless and to my extreme surprise there was only a minor charge for changing my ticket until nearly the last minute! Two days later was my only option short of a week as the Urumqi train only runs twice a week. A bit stunned at how easily the first hurdle was overcome, I approached the next: my Urumqi to Beijing train ticket, the Urumqi agent who held it, and my hostel reservation for my first four nights in Beijing – all of which were perhaps best dealt with the next day as it was pretty late by this point but, thanks to the rotation of the Earth, there was still a chance I could get in touch with Sundowners or STA representatives to try gauge how difficult any changes would be. I tried ringing the few numbers I had on my various documents, but late on a Saturday afternoon is not the sort of time you'd expect the office to be full of people fighting to get to the receiver.
No one answered.
By this point, the mental and physical tiredness that Dina had earlier banished, was coming back strong and fairly overwhelmingly – I was struggling to think straight and teetering along the decisions edge – should I stay or should I go? I rang a 24hr (anywhere in the world) STA number but since I didn't really regard my situation as an emergency I didn't get past the automated system to a human being. I tried again, trying to convince myself it was an emergency...... the line rang out! Good luck to those in a real emergency!
I couldn't do it. I'd tried all I could.
Back in the UK, my information was that Chinese long distance trains are booked far in advance and so I had no reason to believe I would be able to change my Urumqi-Beijing train at short notice and was anyway reluctant to give up my original arrival day of Thursday – just in time for the weekend. I was too tired to deal with the possibility of a delay longer than the two days I was contemplating and perhaps having to pay for tickets twice.
I made the decision to go.
Dina and I exchanged emails and hopefully we'll see each other again.
What an evening! What a shame! For the second time already in my travel, fixed plans had become more of a hinderance than a help.
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