If you follow my blog posts then you know that I am quite used to train travel by now. I spent 8 nights sleeping on the Tran Siberian on my way from Russia to China. But I would like to state that the Tran Siberian was a bit of a “pampered” experience for me as I was with a tour and the same people on each train ride.
Well, all those comforts are gone. As I write this, I am lying on the top bunk (third level) of a hard-sleeper train on my way from Shanghai to Guilin. Hard sleeper is another word for third class. Contrary to what I thought, the beds are actually quite soft. This is the first sleeper train ride that I have ever taken on my own - and it has been quite the experience. There are around 70 people in my train car and all are Chinese except for me and this Western couple whom I haven’t spoken with yet. Directly across from me there is a young Chinese teenager attempting to sleep in his bunk. In the 4 bunks below me there is a Chinese mom, dad, and their two children laughing and playing cards. They have World Expo souvenirs littered around them and they seem to be quite excited and happy from their visit to the city.
Getting to the train was easy. Thankfully my train was numbered and it was easy to tell in the station where to get on, even though everything was written in Chinese. I’m also glad that my destination is the last stop on the line so I can’t really mess that up. While I was waiting for the train, I had the nicest experience with this Chinese family that attempted to practice their English with me. They kept encouraging their 11 year old daughter to say “pleased to meet you” and “what is your telephone number?” They kept looking up English expressions in their phone to say to me. I really wished I knew more Mandarin and could communicate back. Seeing the little girl attempt English was the cutest thing ever.
Getting on the train was a bit hectic. I managed to make my way on with my heavy bag but then had difficulty getting it to the high shelf to store it on. I eventually had two Chinese men help me as they laughed the entire time. I suppose seeing an American girl with an enormous backpack probably could be quite the amusing experience. I climbed to the top bunk and waited out the storm as the train car filled up with the hustle and bustle of the Chinese. People glanced up at me as they walked by and giggled. I can only imagine what they found so funny.
After the train started I was able to get a small collapsible seat by the window and I watched the sun set. I drank vodka that my friend Johan gave me as a birthday present mixed with orange juice. I had instant noodles for dinner. It started to set in that I would not be speaking with anyone for the next 24 hours and I honestly didn’t mind too much. I just hoped that my brain wouldn’t go too crazy with all of the thinking that I am sure I was going to do.
What amazes me the most is how civilized everyone is considering the tight quarters and the large volume of people. When I was on the Tran Siberian, I had to listen to westerners on tours complain about the poor conditions of the trains and how bored they were. Everyone seems to be in good spirits here, even though the quality of this train is far inferior to that on the Tran Siberian.
The cleanliness on this train is unfortunately lacking to the other ones I have been on. The floors are covered in crumbs and wrappers and bits of fallen food. The toilets are quite disgusting. There is a closed room with a hole in the ground for some squatting fun. I can’t tell you how many times I have wished I was a guy while in China. There is an open room with two sinks where you can “wash up”. Every time I use this area I run back to my bag and apply lots of hand sanitizer. Also on this train there are women that roll up and down the aisles with a cart of home cooked food to buy. I was so very tempted to try some but then was reminded of the last time I tried train food and had a stomach ache for 4 days. There are also people that come on selling fresh fruit and toys for the children.
As the night when on, about 6 Chinese children decided to have a little party in the beds underneath me. They were screaming, laughing, and hitting the bunks. They were climbing around as if they were on a playground. Somehow, their parents were sleeping through all of this. Part of me was incredibly annoyed, but I couldn’t help but understand that being on a train like this would have been so fun for me when I was their age. The fun and games stopped when the lights suddenly cut off at 10:30 and we were all left in darkness.
In the morning I was woken up at 6:00 as most of the people got off the train. I am happy for the quiet now, but am missing the interesting people to watch. It’s amazing how what was a simple train ride for them was one of the craziest adventures I have had yet.
