The train ride from Beijing to Guilin was definately interesting! It took 29 hours. I was in hard sleeper, so the cabin consisted of about 24 rows of bunks stacked 3 high. The bathrooms left something to be desired. There were 2 for approximately 70 people. It was a squatty potty. In other words, a hole in the floor that emptied onto the track. And the floors were constantly wet and sticky. I don't want to think about what made the floor so nasty! And since the bunks were stacked 3 high, there wasn't enough head room to sit all the way up. It definately wasn't my favorite train ride, but it got me here! Guilin is beautiful! Full of karst formations. My hostel was so noisy last night that I could barely sleep! And it wasn't drunk co-eds, but some strange banging that came intermittently throughout the night, so I'm looking for somewhere else to stay. On the plus side, there's a cute kitty here that I bonded with. She followed me into my room and kept me company. Also I get a free welcome beer. Can't beat that! It's hotter here then in Beijing. Low 80's during the day.
