Did you hear that, Amtrak? Okay, it's not always faster, but just lookie here: The train in Pakistan goes from Rahim Yar Khan to Karachi in 10 hours. That is 386 miles, or 621 kilometers. Meanwhile, I have been on the "Carolinian" between Charlotte, North Carolina and Washington D.C. about 50 times. The route, which does… Continue reading The train in Pakistan is faster than Amtrak
Tag: public transportation
Stuck in Pakistan
I wasn't stuck in Pakistan; but someone I knew was. Let's call him Jassim. Jassim went to Pakistan for two weeks to attend conferences at two different universities. Just so you are aware, purchasing a regular tourist visa to Pakistan, at least for Americans, costs almost $200, but because Jassim was going for conferences, it… Continue reading Stuck in Pakistan
Amtrak’s clever plan for getting from Houston to Chicago
Let us first examine the map, so we know what we're talking about: See that, Houston to Chicago, a straight shot north across the United States. Here's Amtrak's proposal: Step 1: take the Sunset Limited train from Houston to Los Angeles. Step 2: take the Coastal Starlight from Los Angeles to Portland, Oregon. Step 3:… Continue reading Amtrak’s clever plan for getting from Houston to Chicago
The Concord, NC buses are not always 10 minutes late
The last time I rode the Orange bus on a Saturday - same bus stop, same time - it was 15 minutes late. So I thought there was no harm in now showing up 10 minutes late and still catching it, but it would appear that I missed it. Shucks. And one time, I was… Continue reading The Concord, NC buses are not always 10 minutes late
The purple bus
I had to go to the license plate office to pay the car registration. It is in a very dangerous part of town, as far as driving goes - the streets are busy and scary, and cars zoom about like masterful bullies - but luckily, I found out I can take the bus there! I… Continue reading The purple bus
Nothing to eat by the station
I was supposed to have a simple 4-hour trip by public transportation from Chapel Hill to Concord: Step 1, bus from Chapel Hill to Durham. Step 2, train from Durham to Kannapolis. Step 3, bus from Kannapolis to Concord. First, I showed up to the bus stop in front of Carolina Coffee Shop in Chapel… Continue reading Nothing to eat by the station
The bus in Concord
They have something called the "Rider" bus system here. I think it's six different routes, all color-coded. I needed to get to the train station last week, and I hate driving, and didn't want to leave my car at the train station anyways, so I decided to take the bus. My train left at 10:55.… Continue reading The bus in Concord
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