The Journey home - part 3 - back to Jiangkou

I did  not enjoy my two days in Guiyang.  The local people in the local businesses were friendly enough, but the vultures near the station saw 'the foreigner' as a source of money.  Endless pestering.  Easy to ignore but it bothered me after having been treated so well in Jiangkou.  My hotel had been less than I expected, and very hard to find, but comfortable enough with a clean warm bed.  The journey to and from the station was difficult for my knees dye to the myriad of steps and the final ten minutes approach to the station was down set paths with high railings on either side.  It felt a bit oppressive to be honest.  And it was Spring Break the busiest time of the year.  Everywhere was wall to wall people.  All in all I was looking forward to getting back home (Jiangkou).  There was still the journey to the station, but I knew the way and knew what to expect.  Then there was the journey through the station and to the train, then on the train to Tongren.  Most likely the hardest part of the journey would be getting to Jiangkou.  I would probably have to rely on friends booking me a didi.  Let's see what the day brings!

Well I slept long...Or rather stayed in bed until about 9.30!  My room was cold!  Eventually I got ready and headed off. No one in reception!  Looked around, called out. No one there.  I pulled some.paper out of the printer and wrote a message, left my keycard on the desk., and headed off to the station.  I'd had some fruit for breakfast but I passed a little breakfast shop....

left to right: jiaozi and spice, remains of an egg and a purple thing.  No idea what it's called but it was a similar taste and consistency to the outside  of an Eccles cake, but not so sweet.

Then it was the trip to the station...Only a short way but a couple of hundred 45 degree steps to navigate.  On the way I had a laugh with the roadside seller who Is bought a baked yam off the previous day.

The came the 'death row' March to the station.  There is just something I don't like about it....

....Only two ways to go: forwards and backwards.  I feel confined and controlled and don't like it, but with the volume of people using the station I suppose it's needed!

I managed to enter the station through the wrong entrance, and nearly ended up on the subway. However, I managed to get to the station eventually.  It is huge, but not so busy at the moment.  The video of the station is on one drive.  Link below.

https://1drv.ms/v/s!AnTXs8bPCbfPraZ0l1p7APRjCbZeUw

On the way into the station I saw this shop.  Such a good name!  Chengdu Noshery!

It still amazes me just what people carry on the train.  Buckets seem.to be very popular.  Some.full, some empty.

Sacks full of 'stuff ' are also popular.

Last time.I travelled from Guiyang they took a knife off me, but this guy has a complete tool kit including some king of pressure guage

Another bucker

Eight or so Pty buckets with one full bucket.

....But this one beats them all.  Yellow is a bag of root vegetables, blue is 250 eggs, but beat of all is green.  Not obvious in the photo but they belong to a chicken.  Chicken attached.  It was not moving so I guess it was dead...But you never can tell in China!

Anyway, I am now on the train complete with all the buckets, tools, root vegetables, sticks and chickens....And there is even a conductor! Trains not music, checking tickets.  Tickets that were checked on arrival at the station, and before boarding, and now also on the train.  There is more or less no way into the station or onto the train without a ticket, but you can't say they aren't thorough!

Anyway, the train got me to Tongren and I got ready for the onslaught of the 'station vultures.  I was just not ready yesterday. I went outside and saw them all there with their signs shouting and approaching people, but the police were there also.  O spotted a Jiangkou sign and notes it.  I walked off to a quieter place but was approached by several people asking if I wanted to go to Fanjingshan.  Others asked where I wanted to go and looked puzzled when I told them.in Chinese that I wanted to go home!  I felt on, so rather than call a friend to book for me, I walked back to the man with the Jiangou sign.  He already had three people and that usually means he is ready to go.  I chatted with the others and they seemed happy, however.rhe driver was looking for more!  He left, chatted with one of the other guys and took two of his passengers!  That made six.  Interesting!  I asked him.if he had a big car.  He said he did!  We walked of through the chaos towards his car.  O didn't know what to expect!  He had a big car...an right seater...With some, possibly three people already in it!  So we had five more, two suitcases and a pile of buckets to fit in.  Somers it is an advantage to be the big one.  I  got the front.seat, rucksack on my knee buckets between me and the driver!

We set off .  Every few miles he hocked up a greeny, wound down the window and spat it out.  I was always ready to dodge any blowback...at motorway speed , you never know where it will end up!  it was raining on the way home.and this was my view:

This was the driver:

I reckon he made a good profit on this trip!

Despite, as every other Chinese driver does, using his mobile phone and texting while driving AND spitting out of the window every few miles , he actually drive safely!  I got home ordered in some fried rice and milk tea, unpacked, dis the washing and went to bed. #sorted

All in all a lovely little trip, but in future I think I'll try and avoid Spring Break in the future!