Today we were to begin our non-stop, 40 hour train ride to Xian.....as standing passengers. All the bunks and seats were sold out a while ago and with the time on our visa ticking away steadily we had no time to wait a week for the next available seat on the train. The Urumqi train station was packed when we got there. O No! Are they all going on our train? Yes! As soon as the gates to the platform were opened it was a massive push and shove race for the best spots on the train. It would not have been so bad if everybody had checked in their massive luggage bundles as cargo instead of carry on. Many people carried large bed rolls on their backs which took up more room than a person. Once we were on the train we got squished into a corner by the train entrance with barely enough room to sit among the other passengers and their giant bundles. The ladies around us were really funny though and super chatty, which did get a bit annoying after a while. When we pulled out the station the train was full to burst but they managed to cram more people (and their humungous luggage) on at the next few stops. We made ourselves as comfortable as we could. We sat near where our coach was joined to the next one so we had lots of fresh air coming through the gaps but it got freezing cold at night. It was hard to sleep. Very uncomfortable. The Chinese smoke a lot and we just happened to sit in the area where everyone comes to have a smoke. The trip to the bathroom at the other side of the coach was a real undertaking as it involved squeezing between and climbing over all the other passengers. After doing that once we decided to limit our water intake to the absolute minimum in order to not have to go pee. Mind you, we had only brought one litre each so water rationing was a must anyways.
There was not toilet paper nor water and soap to wash hands after using the toilet. There was no drinking water. Hour after hour of people smoking, spitting, and pushing their way thru. Nobody seemed even slightly annoyed at the situation except us. The ladies around us were rather amused when they saw us eating raw celery sticks, something Chinese people obviously don't do. Meanwhile we watched them gnawing on chicken feet and vacuum packed drum sticks. Cultural differences can be so comical. Who would guess that snacking on a celery stick could get people to chuckle, point and stare at you.
By the end of the first 30 hours in our little corner, claustrophobia was starting to creep in on us. Whenever the train stopped somewhere, it was only for a few minutes, not long enough for people to be let off. We soon felt a strong dislike for one of the train attendants who treated the passengers like cattle. Whenever he had to get through to the door it seemed like he could not spare a second to wait for people to move their belongings to let him through. We could not stand this jerk. We resorted to listening to podcasts to make us forget where we were and preserve our sanity. When the train briefly stopped at a station around lunch time on the second day I managed to scoot off to buy a can of beans and some water.
The second night was not so cold but very uncomfortable. Our buts were sore from sitting, there was no room for our legs. By now the floor looked like a garbage dump.Never again will we get a standing ticket for more than 12 hours. Getting off in Xian at 6am and being able to move again, FINALLY, was almost surreal. Is it really over?!
Note: We hope that our unpleasant experience will not deter any of you from traveling by train in China. The Chinese train system is very efficient and comfortable. Because of our time constraint we just had no choice but to get on this "L" category train (an extra train, without the regular amenities such as water, to supplement the existing train schedule due to extremely high demand). If you plan on taking an eastbound train from Xinjiang in the autumn, BOOK AHEAD!!!!
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