Guiyang to Tongren to Jiangkou.
So off to Guiyang railway station...Sounds easy enough. Waited by the side of the road, got a taxi and headed out! Simples! But the driving...Oh my goodness! Everyone constantly hitting their horns is only part of it! Motorcycles doing U turns in a four way carriageway and driving the wrong way up the road at oncoming trafibc, incessant beeping. Families and their dog helmet-less on motorcycles...Wow! But everyone takes it in their stride. No shouting. Just the incessant Beep! Beep! Beep!
Got to the station. HUGE building...Like an airport...And yes, you need a passport to buy a ticket. So queue, passport, buy ticket, show ticket, bags into x-ray machine, and finally into the station itself. Massive...almost the same size as Dorchester town centre! Hundreds maybe thousands of people in the hall and loads of numbered gates, some with queues. Just like an airport! Your train is called and you go and queue at a gate. Ticket is inspected and you are allowed down the stairs to the train.
Meanwhile, I was with Wendy, my 'guide'. I went to fill my water bottle at the free water machine. I didn't. I presume that someone(s) had been making instant noodles...bits of veg everywhere...I hope it was from instant noodles that people had been making using the hot water tap which was on the left of the cold water tap. If that wasn't the case, then I don't want know how the bits of vegetables got there! When I got back, Wendy went off to buy something and came back with two McDonald's #star. Whilst she was away , I got talking to another Chinese girl called Angela. She appears later in the story. Her English was excellent!
Our number was called we queued, went down the stairs got on the high speed train. Next stop Tongren. Got off the train and Cathy was waiting for us. She was a supply teacher working at the school. Wendy left at this point as she lives in Tongren. I would have liked her to come with me and Cathy, but she couldnt. Sad to see her go. So into the car of the school driver and off to Jiangkou. Had a long chat with Cathy on the way. I told her some of my ideas and she seemed keen to work with me in them. Excellent!
Got to the station. HUGE building...Like an airport...And yes, you need a passport to buy a ticket. So queue, passport, buy ticket, show ticket, bags into x-ray machine, and finally into the station itself. Massive...almost the same size as Dorchester town centre! Hundreds maybe thousands of people in the hall and loads of numbered gates, some with queues. Just like an airport! Your train is called and you go and queue at a gate. Ticket is inspected and you are allowed down the stairs to the train.
Meanwhile, I was with Wendy, my 'guide'. I went to fill my water bottle at the free water machine. I didn't. I presume that someone(s) had been making instant noodles...bits of veg everywhere...I hope it was from instant noodles that people had been making using the hot water tap which was on the left of the cold water tap. If that wasn't the case, then I don't want know how the bits of vegetables got there! When I got back, Wendy went off to buy something and came back with two McDonald's #star. Whilst she was away , I got talking to another Chinese girl called Angela. She appears later in the story. Her English was excellent!
Our number was called we queued, went down the stairs got on the high speed train. Next stop Tongren. Got off the train and Cathy was waiting for us. She was a supply teacher working at the school. Wendy left at this point as she lives in Tongren. I would have liked her to come with me and Cathy, but she couldnt. Sad to see her go. So into the car of the school driver and off to Jiangkou. Had a long chat with Cathy on the way. I told her some of my ideas and she seemed keen to work with me in them. Excellent!
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