20 hours on a Train

We rolled into the parking lot across from the massive Chengdu Railway Station yesterday afternoon. Once the van was unloaded, we surveyed the 300 or so metres of vehicle and pedestrian traffic that we'd have to traverse to reach the station. It felt like we were the survivors of a zombie apocalypse about to make a break through the undead horde.

With a deep breath and a firm grip on our luggage, we dove into the masses, never stopping, always fighting and pushing to reach our destination. Once we made it inside, things didn't get much better. After making it through security (which included getting almost inappropriately felt up by one of the female guards), we made our way up to the densely packed waiting area and soon boarded our train.





As soon as I stepped onto the train, my senses were assailed by the hot smoky air. Luckily, I got used to it pretty quick and claimed my bottom hard-bunk. One of the first things I noticed was a metal dish right next to my head on the side table. It soon became apparent that it was intended for the convenient expectoration of the five other occupants of my compartment. I just hoped the ones on the very top bunks had good aim.

Literally spitting distance from my pillow



Having a bottom bunk has its pros and cons - you have the easiest bunk access and the most storage space, but it also means that strangers who have middle or top bunks are constantly sitting on the foot of your bed when not sleeping. The first visitor to my mattress was one of the heaviest (by Chinese standards, at least) guys I've seen so far on this trip. His appearance and mannerisms reminded me of Po, the kung fu panda. I hoped that his significant weight wouldn't be spending the night in the flimsy bunk above mine. Luckily, his bunk ended up being on the other side of my compartment - right above my sister's.

Our heavyset friend



The ride itself was pretty nice. The passing scenery was straight out of a Jet Li movie with misty rolling hills, ancient-looking villages, and mountain waterfalls. Most abundant, however, were fields upon fields of yellow-flowered plants. "So much yellow," my sister remarked. "Well, this IS China," I replied dryly.

Never ending yellow in China. And the fields, too



Getting to sleep was no problem - Drifting off to dreamland on a train monotonously chugging through Asia while surrounded by hundreds of Chinese people? Sounds like my commute home through Vancouver on the Canada Line every day. The only difference is that if I sleep through my stop on this train, I'll end up lost in the middle of China and not just at some mall on Number Three Road.

Ok, maybe even that is pretty similar.

Noodle time




A little bit of cabin fever




Breakfast




Taxi driver



Kunming