Two Days in Hong Kong

Like everything else in China, the visa system requires a round about way of giving you permission to be here. For the next two days, I am in Hong Kong. Shenzhen, actually. I made the twenty-five-hour train ride from Beijing and nearly didn’t live to tell the tale.

I said that my travels from Hangzhou to Beijing were amongst the most comfortable I’ve ever experienced. This was the exact opposite. However, I only have myself to blame. This time, instead of choosing the same, cozy soft sleeper that I had before, I decided to economize and deal with the hard sleeper. Definitely not the right pick.

Instead of a nearly-crowded four to a berth, the hard sleeper squeezes six – and with no doors. You are on display as hundreds of people walk past your narrow bunks, inconsiderately kicking your shoes aside and under the bottom bunk where you are sure to find them covered in grit and dust bunnies.

I had the very top bed and I am amazed that the other gentlemen who shared the space with me could fit between their platforms and the ceiling. I now have a rather tender bruise forming on my head and my neck feels as though it has forgotten what it’s like to be straight.

The most annoying bit was the noise. It must be obvious to readers by now how much I value peace and quiet. But none was to be found on this train. Announcements were a constant companion over the loud speakers. Between said announcements, they insisted on playing, without pause, Chinese opera music. For those of you lucky enough to never have heard such soundings, it is comparable to a midnight duel between two dying cats.

In addition to the background noise provided by our hosts, were the numerous passengers with cell phones. I must confess to being one of them. Halfway through the trip, my mother phoned from Michigan and I was ever so glad to hear her voice. Unfortunately, she could barely hear mine over all the racket that surrounded me.

I’ve decided to be smart and, on the return trip (planned for Tuesday), I will purchase the soft sleeper. There are just some things that are well worth the money spent. That is one of them.