Wuhai Airport with flights to Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and other cities. Wuhai lies on a major Yellow River train route, connecting a large number of cities in Inner Mongolia, central and southern China. Travel time from Beijing by train is approximately 20 hours and prices range from 350 yuan (US$50) for 2nd class "hard sleeper" ticket to 480 yuan (US$75) for the 1st class "soft sleeper" ticket. Tickets from neighboring Baotou cost approx 53 yuan (US$8.6 as of 2014/09/15) for a 4-hour train journey. Transportation within the city is very simple and affordable. Almost every other car is a taxi. Meter starts from 5 yuan (US$0.8) for the first 2 miles and 1.2 yuan (US$0.19) for every mile thereafter. Buses are very frequent and cost 1 yuan per person. Beijing PanAm International Aviation Academy (BPIAA) Although Wuhai in general is lacking large higher educational institutions, in the early 2007 a major foreign investment was injected into the development of a local flight training base for Chinese airline cadets located in Wuhai Regional Airport (ICAO abbrev. "ZBUH"). The flight base has 8 to 14 Diamond DA40 light training aircraft providing flight lessons for over 130 students designated to train at this base. Convenient airport location close to the city, low levels of pollution and relatively fair weather/visibility factors allow flight training approximately 300 days per year (subject to military restrictions). The arrival of Beijing Panam International Aviation Academy also laid a foundation for the first ever foreign community in Wuhai, composed mostly of foreign Flight Instructors from various ICAO countries working on annual contracts for BPIAA. At the end of 2008, following the World economic recession, the company, previously belonging to an American AIG Insurance Corporation, fell into financial difficulties and stopped operating awaiting injection of the new investment funds either from the Chinese government or independent investors. Dining, Entertainment and Night Life Wuhai's dining scene consists of numerous small bars and restaurants, catering for a range of Chinese, Mongolian and western cuisines. Popular dining choices are: Hot pot serving a type of Chinese meat and vegetable fondue in a traditional "uni-pot" way or a modern "personal pot" styles. Pots are filled with either creamy or spicy soups and set on fire which is built into the table. Thinly-sliced meat, vegetables and flat noodles are served uncooked. It is up to the customer to add the ingredients to the hot-pot sitting