Two Days on the Train

We awoke at 6 am so that we could shower and eat breakfast and get our things together, in order to leave for the station by 7:00 am.  Our train was scheduled to leave at 8:48 am, so we gave ourselves plenty of time to spare.  We finished breakfast, and grabbed a cab back to the train station.  This would be the third time we had been at the Xian Railway Station.   We arrived via cab around 7:30 and entered the crowded station.  We found our way upstairs only after asking a local for directions.  The sign above the room read Tibet waiting area and there was a line that seemed to be moving very slowly.  We looked around and deciphered that we had to show our Tibet Travel passes, and our Passports.  The man who was taking them was handwriting each into a log; he asked us to sign and date.  Upon entering the waiting room we noticed a mural on the back wall, which displayed several recognizable characters.  Sleeping Beauty, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, Astro Boy (John told us about this one), Donald Duck, and several other characters.  We also seemed to be the only Westerners in the entire room, so we found a spot in the back corner and waited.  Our train was scheduled to depart from Xian at 8:48 am, and the time was 8:30, we were a bit worried because the Chinese always seem to run on time and we did not feel like being left in the Xian train station.  We attempted to walk through the gate but were stopped just on the other side.  When we returned to our seats we noticed a pair of westerners carrying backpacks and approaching our seats.  They sat down in front of us and unloaded their things.  We also noticed two adorable little Chinese boys who were displaying teamwork at it’s finest as they pushed a wooden table from one spot to the next to the next. 

After another five minutes we decided we should try again to enter the gate and assess the situation.  We were again flatly refused, so we returned to our seats a bit confused and worried.  I finally mustered up the courage to introduce myself to the fellow westerners.  I found out that their names were Dan and Susie; they were traveling from London and were on a yearlong trip around the world.  They also did not speak Chinese but reassured me that the train was scheduled to depart upon arrival from Beijing.   After another five minutes or so, everyone in the room stood up, lined up and began entering the gate.  We boarded the train, we were in car number 6, and Dan and Susie were in car 5.  We quickly learned that it is always a great idea to board a train from its originating point and not along the route.  We opened our train cabin door and it was a wreck; sheets, pillows, and bedding strewn about and disheveled.  We found one of the train employees and did our best to point and display that we needed new sheets.  It must have worked because a few minutes later he returned with all new sheets. We would have to deal with the pillows, and bedding. 

We were relieved to find that we would be the only three travelers in our cabin and as the train pulled out of the station our 36-hour jaunt to Lhasa began.  For the first several hours the landscape was tiered hills, and a lot of greenery.  It was nice to see the sun and the mountains.  Time actually was passing fairly quickly.  David and John slept most of the first day, while I talked with Susie and Dan about their travels, and listened to music.  John, David and I attempted to play cards but instead decided to eat lunch.  We ordered the chicken and vegetables, and rice, and two Budweiser’s.   Soup came with the lunch and was fairly bland.  John and I tried to sauce it up a bit and attempted to decipher which container held the Soy Sauce and which held the Vinegar.   I asked the waitress and she replied “You Try “ and pointed to my spoon.  So I tried the first one, pouring a bit into my spoon and it was definitely vinegar. I passed this to John and then put some of the soy sauce into my soup.  Soon after our chicken and rice came out to us and we were all munching away.  After lunch we decided we were too tired to play cards and instead fell into our “MSG Coma’s”.  John by this point had dubbed our train the Ether train because he seemed to be sleeping the entire time. 

Over the course of our 36 hours we passed the time with a combination of sleeping, writing our blogs’ for later posting, reading (I am reading The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, David is reading A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, and John finished The Boy in the Striped Pajamas) talking, sharing stories about each other, watching movies, playing Snood and Tetris, talking to Susie and Dan, and also using the restrooms on the train.  The later proved to be a bit more challenging at times because the toilets would not always flush.  I was able to finally see “Sex in the City” the movie thanks to a pirated version purchased in Beijing by David.  My review from the train……”I loved it, I actually cried at the end”  I also watched Varsity Blues on the train.  In addition I was able to upload and edit all of my pictures for later use.    36 hours on a train does not necessarily go by quickly, but it does give you a chance to decompress and be alone with your thoughts.  It is an illusion of sorts that you are on an adventure, traveling as they have for years and years, while avoiding the luxuries of planes.  It also allows you unique experiences such as landscape and scenery of China.  Afterall, this is the highest train in the world. 

Around Midnight all three of us had fallen asleep for the night.  It was sometime around 2 or 3 that I awoke to a bright light.  I looked out the window and focused my eyes and was greeted by one of the most spectacular nighttime skies I had ever seen.  You could see Orion clearly along with millions of other stars.  I poked David but he was already awake taking in the same scene.  I just watched the stars for some time as the train chugged along through the night.  Sometime over the next hour I fell back asleep and remained sleeping until I was awoken by the intense sunshine coming through our train cabin window.  We were in the mountains, clear blue skies and bright sunshine all around us. We began to notice little mountain villages along the way as well as the occasional inhabitant of the town who would wave to the train as it passed by.  We also noticed heards of sheep, cattle, and horses as well as yak lying in the river streams.  The scenery was beautiful, lush green hills with snowcapped mountains peering over the top.  WE all agreed that the train had definitely been the way to go. 

 The rest of the trip has been essentially the same and as I am writing this I have about an hour until we reach our destination of Lhasa.  We will be meeting up with two women, Fran and Mirjam, who worked with David during the games in Beijing, and doing our tour of Lhasa over the next five days.  We are all extremely excited to be in Lhasa, and I look forward to sharing my experiences with all of you.  David and I realized that this was Labor Day weekend in the states, so I would like to extend to everyone a safe and joyful holiday weekend.  Normally for me it would feature bar-b-que and something outdoors to mark the changing of the seasons.  I wish you all the best, from Lhasa, Tibet, China.