In 2014 I revisited Beijing after an absence of some 20 years. I knew it would be different. I knew progress rightly would have made it's mark. Back in the 90's one could see the beginnings of this change; and the Beijing Olympics would have mightily pushed things along.
In the early 90's I used to travel up by train from Guangzhou ... by hard sleeper ... hoping the boiler at the end of the carriage didn't run out of hot water before the next filling station; hoping I had the middle or top bunk so I could stretch out when I wished. How long was it? 26-30 hours perhaps back then? I loved watching the locals enjoy the story telling time that was put through the PA system just before lights out. Chinese have loved that over history ... listening to storytellers over the evening meal. I loved the way we would rattle and sway into country stations in the middle of the night. I would drowsily awake and try to peer out the window from my bench-like bunk into the quiet darkness of another world. Listening to the muffled footsteps of the few disembarking, the carriage door closing, finally home in the wee small hours of the night; and occasionally the sound of a distant steam train haunting my dreams. Life was slower then; and although I was always pleased to arrive at my destination, I enjoyed those journeys.
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AuthorSamthoughts.com is authored by an Australian, who recently discovered a love of writing. CategoriesArchives
December 2019
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