Sunday, March 22, 2015

Cramped Quarters

We began our journey home with a sixteen hour train ride from Weihai to Beijing.  Spaces in the more comfortable "soft bed" compartment were not available, so we rode in the three tier "hard bed" section.  In deference to my age and notorious clumsiness, my companions gave me the lowest berth. Bolstered with quilts, the beds weren't really uncomfortable, and I actually prefer it to flying.




The others slept reasonably well.  I however, had developed the traveler's trots and spent much of the night squatting over a Chinese toilet, attempting to tidy things up with a whisk broom, the only implement on hand for this purpose.




What does tomorrow mean? It is 5:30 pm here, but at home it’s 5:00 in the morning. I leave Weihai tomorrow and make a stop in Beijing. ...