The weekend trip to Tongren Guiyang - part 3

Well the day started at a hotel in Tongren.  I checked out and was met by Meng.  She took us both to her office, then to a taxi.  Taxi rides are always interesting.  He drove around for a while and stopped near anyone with a suitcase.  We were going to the station and he wanted four passengers.  Four passengers, four fares.  At the last pick up we stopped so Meng could buy some noodles.  Then we stopped a bit later so the driver could buy some buns.  He ate them whilst driving.  He then took  opened the passenger window and threw the empty bag out into the street and continued on the journey to Tongren Railway Station...Tongren South Railway Station, which is about an hour taxi ride from Tongren, but it is the stopping point of the high speed train.  Apparently this was the best site for it as the rest of the county is so mountainous.  Also, and I am not sure why, Tongren North does not sell train tickets and we needed to buy some tickets.   We got to the train station and there were queues.  Always, everywhere in China, if there is 'something' there is a queue and not always an orderly one, as poeple often just walk to the front.  In this case there was a little security guy barking out instructions and pushing people around, manhandling people from ne queue to another and shouting loudly at them.  In England he may have got some interestin reactions, but this is China.   He wore a uniform and people accepted his behavious and authority.  I've never yet met an angry person in China, and when from time to time I get frustrated and raise my voice or become animate, they seem to have no idea how to react!

At the ticket office we both had to show ID cards before we could buy tickets.  Then show both again before entering the station, put our bags through the scanners and have a pat down search and a scan with the metal detector wand.  Then we entered the station waiting area.

 Meng bought us some snacks.  Not sure what was what, but the was a packet of slicked beef cubes and some cheese (like) crisp things and some other stuff.

Meng and Mike

Just Meng

We ate. The board lit up our train number and we went to queue.  Again we needed our tickets to get to the platform.  On the platform, Meng explained that the numbers on the tickets told you where to stand on the platform so that when the train stopped you would be by the carriage that contained your seat.  Highly edficient unlike British Trains...plus you were guaranteed a seat and it was your seat.   It worked perfectly and traveling around 300 kph, we got there in about an hour and a half. 

 The countryside here is amazing, but not easy to record from the train.  Everywhere there are small mountais densely covered in foliage and tree, almost like hills, but smaller and almost everyone a perfect upturned 'V' shape.
Guiyang station was huge and new. It took a while to find out how to get out!  But on the way I took a photo of two strategically placed riot police.  The blue reflectio form the chest of the officer on teh right is not a reflectio from my flash.  He is wearing a badge that flased red and blue.  Most official things have either a badge that flashes or a microphone .....or both!  Actually that goes for most things in China, official or otherwise!

Riot Police at Guiyang station