I took my first overnight train from Xi’an to Xining. It was not as bad as I thought it would be. I was fortunate to have a bottom bed in a soft sleeper car. My cabin-mates were nice, did not try to speak to me, but did try to give me cookies. It appeared they were all together. The (one I assumed was the) father had the bottom bunk opposite me. He coughed nonstop all night which kept waking me up. But other than that, not bad at all.
I make it out of the train station. I attempt to walk down the steps. There is a ramp on the right side of the steps, intending for you to roll your luggage down it as you walk down the steps. I could not figure out how to use it. Neither could the woman in front of me. Unlike me though, she kept trying. This was holding up everyone. Except that this is China so by “holding up everyone” I mean “making everyone smash into me to get me to go, but I couldn’t because she wasn’t.” Next thing I know, I am pushed really hard, I still don’t want to knock the woman in front of me down, so I try to steady myself and end up falling backwards. No one stops, they all keep continuing down the steps. Sigh.
