mel jacobson on thu 20 apr 06
after doing several days of tourist type activity in
beijing, po decided that we should take off for jin/da/gin
the porcelain city. `hey, great, wow..yes, let's go.`
but, the plane only goes three days a week, the bus
is no good, only three of us...`let's take the overnight
train?` great idea.
so, the next day we head to the main train station. po
books us first class tickets...it is a twelve hour train
ride, overnight. so.
we haul our luggage over about twenty barriers, no ramps,
no slides, just curbs and steps. not bad, linda as always
is in control of her stuff, po has a suitcase as big as a steamer
trunk, and i have my junk. off we go for the lounge of `soft seats`.
no kidding, that was on the door. you should have seen the lounge
for `hard seats`. like the bleachers of a small town football stadium.
about three thousand people in that lounge. ours was plush.
really big, overstuffed chairs...we got a nice grouping/conversation
area for us. had about an hour to wait.
soon, our train is called...we move to the door to the tracks..ours
is to the right, track 7...the last one.
as we went thought the door, track 1 was called and about 600
people from the hard seats rushed the hallway...the three of us moving
right, 600 moving left. we were going upstream on the colorado river.
no return.
i pushed forward, looked back and there was linda, looking like a drowning
fawn....but, alas...she rallied, pushed forward and made the dash
to the open space. phew...we made it to track 7.
but, we had to go down 81 steps to the train. po said, put your
luggage on that railing/ concrete and let it slide down..hold tight
to your bags...down we went.
the train was shiny new, blue and white...we found car 12, pushed and
pulled ourselves onto the train. a lovely cabin attendant handed us our
room and bed numbers...i got a lower, linda was upper above me, and
po was next door. we shared with two young business women...the four
of us all night together. it was very funny. you just make the best of
it. 12 hours. the five of us sat on the lower bunks, facing each other
and chatted in pidgin english, chinese...laughing a great deal.
the train starts up and away we go. about ten thirty we all get
tired, linda jumped up to the top bunk, po went to his room and the
girls tucked in. i ran down the hall to pee/brush my teeth with orange
soda. three areas...a room with a hole in the floor...and you can see
the ground wizzing by, a western stainless steel toilet, and a
wash up area. i used the stainless. and then again four hours later
and then again after that. the girls like the door locked, so getting
out of that room was a challenge at four a.m. in the dark.
we arrived at a city about 90 miles from jin/da/gin. out we go at
5 a.m. looking for a mode of transport to our city...we found a cabbie
and he said he would take us...close. `what does that mean?` close.
just what he said. close. well three of us, bags, luggage and stuff
take up the entire cab...with one bag on each of our laps. but, at
least we did not have to walk.
we arrive at our four star hotel at 7 a.m. just in time for breakfast..and
wonderful it was.
the three of us had just had a wonderful experience. it was not easy, not
for the faint at heart....but it was waking to china at sunrise, across farms
and villages, seeing from a train window. a car ride as the sun rose to
rice fields, farmers planting and plowing with oxen. mustard fields bright
yellow. china, as few see it. a special time, a special place. not a
sour note, not a harsh word from the three of us...po, linda and mel
on the go, smiling and having the time of our lives. friends on an adventure.
in fact at breakfast linda said...`let's do that again.` so we did, a few
days later.
mel
"Luck is prepaid."
from: mel/minnetonka.mn.usa
website: http://my.pclink.com/~melpots3
Kim Overall on sat 22 apr 06
WOW! Mel,
I almost felt I was there with you all from your writings.
It would've been fun indeed seeing and experiencing it all with friends
and strangers and all of it positive like remembering a happy childhood.
Makes me wish for something I've had, and now miss.
Kim in Houston
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