The journey to Hong Kong
I got up late at the village I was staying at. Today I had to make a dash to Hong Kong to meet Vasya there, for his arrival the following day: or so I thought.
I took a 2hr bus that got me back into Wyunan; from here I had to find a way to get to Nanchang, a 5hr bus ride, and catch a 12 hr train that went through half the country to get to Shenzhen; there I was due to cross the border into Hong Kong. When I arrived to Nanchang, I found out that Vasya was in fact arriving that same day rather than the next; so I would miss my promised pickup at the airport. I sent him an email and boarded the train to Shenzhen.
The train to Shenzhen was pretty empty. There was only one more person in my cart and it was a young girl who had already gone to bed. After a very brief attempt at communication through my phrasebook, I was more eager to try out the new green tea that my Chinese friend gave me as a present. I used my newly obtained bamboo water container and filled it with the hot water, readily available on all Chinese trains ... so bring your water container and tea! :) The tea was great!
As I walked back to my cabin, out of a corner in my eye, I saw a couple of men playing Chinese chess; I slowed down and looked at them play as I passed by, one of the men noticed me looking. Later I would walk a couple more times back and forth to refill on the tea, each time looking to see if they were still playing; but they weren't. However the elder of the two men remembered me and asked me if I was looking to play chess; I swiftly accepted. We played 2 games and they were brutal ... I got destroyed both times; I did better in the second than in the first. Our game was attracting quite a crown though ... people gathered asking me where I was from and offering their help, but non of that helped my cause. Nonetheless it was fun and I have improved my game in the process. The conductor was eagerly watching and telling me to rush, as she needed to turn off the lights, but she patiently waited for us to finish. When it was over, I went to bed.
In the morning, when I woke up, many of the passengers have already left and so I was one of few passengers in the cart; I was also probably the only tourist on the train. The conductor in my cart, a friendly woman that I met the night before, came over and sat across from me to chat. We spoke a bit, mostly using my phrasebook. Not long after a few more conductors joined in and before you knew it, there were four of them. We spoke about many things; mostly about me, my trip and where they were from, etc. It was a pleasant way to spend the morning before the train arrived in Schenzhen. They were all so friendly and had a friendly look on their face; the kind that said these were really good people ... sometimes you can tell.
When the train arrived, I rushed on a bus and then walked to the border, before boarding a train on the other side that took me to Hong Kong island.
I took a 2hr bus that got me back into Wyunan; from here I had to find a way to get to Nanchang, a 5hr bus ride, and catch a 12 hr train that went through half the country to get to Shenzhen; there I was due to cross the border into Hong Kong. When I arrived to Nanchang, I found out that Vasya was in fact arriving that same day rather than the next; so I would miss my promised pickup at the airport. I sent him an email and boarded the train to Shenzhen.
The train to Shenzhen was pretty empty. There was only one more person in my cart and it was a young girl who had already gone to bed. After a very brief attempt at communication through my phrasebook, I was more eager to try out the new green tea that my Chinese friend gave me as a present. I used my newly obtained bamboo water container and filled it with the hot water, readily available on all Chinese trains ... so bring your water container and tea! :) The tea was great!
As I walked back to my cabin, out of a corner in my eye, I saw a couple of men playing Chinese chess; I slowed down and looked at them play as I passed by, one of the men noticed me looking. Later I would walk a couple more times back and forth to refill on the tea, each time looking to see if they were still playing; but they weren't. However the elder of the two men remembered me and asked me if I was looking to play chess; I swiftly accepted. We played 2 games and they were brutal ... I got destroyed both times; I did better in the second than in the first. Our game was attracting quite a crown though ... people gathered asking me where I was from and offering their help, but non of that helped my cause. Nonetheless it was fun and I have improved my game in the process. The conductor was eagerly watching and telling me to rush, as she needed to turn off the lights, but she patiently waited for us to finish. When it was over, I went to bed.
In the morning, when I woke up, many of the passengers have already left and so I was one of few passengers in the cart; I was also probably the only tourist on the train. The conductor in my cart, a friendly woman that I met the night before, came over and sat across from me to chat. We spoke a bit, mostly using my phrasebook. Not long after a few more conductors joined in and before you knew it, there were four of them. We spoke about many things; mostly about me, my trip and where they were from, etc. It was a pleasant way to spend the morning before the train arrived in Schenzhen. They were all so friendly and had a friendly look on their face; the kind that said these were really good people ... sometimes you can tell.
When the train arrived, I rushed on a bus and then walked to the border, before boarding a train on the other side that took me to Hong Kong island.
posted by Alex Pilchin at 6:48 AM
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