We were on a "hard-seated" class carriage, but with our
cheaper standing tickets. It was not a very hygienic place - Cathy you would
have hated it! There were people spitting in the aisles, smoking, a man allowed
his son to urinate in the bin, people were drunk and there was a woman crouched
nibbling nuts like a squirrel in one of the sink areas! All very bizzare! Stu
and I played chess on one of the shelves in the other sink area! I managed to
not use the evil smelling toilets for the entire 6 hour journey. The man who
swept the carriages every coupl of our or so was like watching somebody sweep a
rubbish tip!
However, the locals very still very friendly, and before long
Stu and I were offered seats and had an audience for communicating with the
locals! Two hours in a very drunk man "Lu Tung Tzrai" and his friend befriended
us, bringing in two other locals and two more chinese people as interpreters.
They tried to offer us tomatoes, cucumbers, beer, fruit, cigarettes, manky
under-fed chicken wings and so much more. Lu is a taxi driver from Datong, who
offered us a cheap rate if we decided to use him - though we doubted he would
ever be sober enough to do so! After a further two hours the attention got
tiring, and we willed the end of the journey on. Luckily, Lu was falling asleep
towards the end!
The views from the train were amazing - mountains, quarry and
tree plantations. None of the photos I took from the dirty train window did it
any justice.
