The Overnight Train

Last night Ned and I took the overnight train from Dalian back to dear ol' Tongliao. So far this year I've taken
(7) overnight trains of 12-14 hours in length.

They're not that bad. If I can get a sleeper ticket (which I have 6 out of 7 times) then I fall asleep before midnight, and wake up at 7am to a new day, and a new city.

Last night we were in a train car with hard sleeper seats, meaning they cost $15 a ticket, and in each compartment there are 6 beds--two rows of three. It's almost like summer camp when you board the train. There are people with luggage reaching up high to store it on racks, there are children, there are bags of noodles and chicken feet and candy to snack on through the trip. Some people bring their thermos and slippers. There is a ladder at the end of the beds, so that the person in the middle or high bed can climb up. Each person gets a pillow and a blanket. Last night our bedding was blue with printed white flowers on it. Who knows the last time it was washed.

There are two tiny chairs facing a tiny table for each compartment, and if you don't want to sit or lay down on your bed you can sit in the chair and look at out the window. There are curtains and a ceiling fan. Every body takes off their shoes and stores them under the beds. Most men are drunk with funny grins and blood-shot eyes.

Chinese trains are almost always on time, and very orderly, so the a ticket collector will come by and collect your ticket and hand you a card with your seat number on it. About half and hour before arrival, the ticket collector will come back again and give you back your orginal ticket, and you give him back the card.

I've taught myself to fall asleep almost anywhere, so as long as I don't have something extremely worrisome on my mind, I drift off to sleep. I find the rocking rhythm of the train to be soothing. Last night the windows were open and the cool air was flowing into the cabin. I was sleeping in the middle bunk. I was slightly bothered by the stink of feet and the occassional snore from below me, but I was too exhausted to stay awake for long.

I woke up at 7am the next morning. Everybody was awake in my compartment. There were a couple teenage boys in the bottom buke laughing about something. Ned was sitting in the chair looking out the window at the rolling farms going by. It was a beautiful sight to see--the corn fields and trees, farmers herding sheep and goats, a dog herding at the opposite flank. We arrived in Tongliao at 8am to heavy rain. We have 5 more days here in Tongliao, until we take the overnight train again to Beijing.