China Day 2, Trains and Rain

China Day 2, Trains and Rain

Monday June 28^th

We checked out of our hotel by 8:00 and walked two minutes to the subway in the rain. This is the first time in a long time that I wore my raincoat. We took the subway two stops and then got off and boarded another train on the other side of the same platform. We were on this train for 40 minutes as we rode to the Chinese border. The smiling Chinese man on the left of the first picture is our 29 year old guide Allen.

We checked out of Hong Kong easily and then walked further along the tunnel to the Chinese immigration. This is the city of Shenzhou. After passing inspection there we continued on to another train platform to catch our third train. This was a bullet train and was capable of travelling at 200 kilometres an hour. It was very comfortable and we rode that for 90 minutes to Guang Zhou. This brought us to the station from which we would catch our overnight train. But we had two hours to kill, so we left the station and walked with all our luggage to a Chinese fast food place called Kung Fu with Bruce Lee's photo everywhere. Allen helped us order a meal. It came with rice and chicken in one bowl, soup in another, a wilty soggy lettuce salad in a third and a little plate with two chicken wings on it. Not particularly yummy, but it had to do for now.

When we left the restaurant it was pouring rain and we had to walk five minutes back to the station. One of our group, Abby, didn't want to carry her bags, which we big and heavy, so she hired a baggage handler and then promptly got separated from him in the pouring rain and the crowds of people. This caused her a lot of stress and Allen too, as the group got separated, and the train was leaving shortly. He sent us on ahead and fortunately for everyone they found her luggage.

We boarded the night train by 2:30pm and it won't arrive in until 5:30am, if it is on time! We have bunks on this bed, but they are different again from the ones in Egypt, Turkey, Thailand and Vietnam. This time there are six bunks in one compartment, three levels of two, and there is no door or end wall on our 'cabin'. The hall just goes past our feet. I have one of the top bunks and I can sit on it but have to hunch a bit or my head hits the roof. In the hall there are small fold down chairs and the train workers push small carts of drinks, snacks and food up and down the aisles. It is a very crowded environment.

We settled in and passed the time talking and watching the scenery out the window. We drove through a couple of big cities, but mostly through the lush green countryside. The area is very hilly, with lots of water everywhere, lakes, rivers and pouring out of the clouds. Makes for a good travel day. We saw lots of paddies of rice and fields of other crops. The land looks very well utilized. We had a noodle dish for dinner and then stayed in our bunks to read or listen to music. Most people were ready for bed by 8:30.