Foundinchina.com

You can’t beat travelling in China for fascination and frustration in equal measure. Ideally I’d have packed a slimline, lightweight laptop to record and publish on the go, but my current antiquated heap of electronics is too bulky to lug around the provinces. Thus, we catch a few fleeting moments here and there and give vent to some highlights.

First off was the flight to Guangzhou courtesy of Xiamen Airlines, my pick of the domestic carriers for its acceptable in-flight refreshments and more leg room than most. And the airline is not to blame for the comedy sketch that ensues within a nanosecond of contact with the destination runway: dozens of passengers ignoring instructions to remain seated and belted as they compete to recover luggage from the overheads while making calls on phones that should be switched off. One guy was trying to disembark before the stewards had strapped themselves in for landing.

Guangzhou was a quick stop to visit some relatives of KY’s, wander round one of the old town areas, get caught in a deluge, and hit the station in time for the overnight to Changsha.

Overnight trains can be fun. Or not. Our carriage seemed to be a relic of the 60’s (a condition with which I can increasingly empathise) and provided less room on the top bunk of a six-berth hard sleeper than I remember. There are several ways to clamber up and down, none of which could be described as elegant unless executed by a diminutive gymnast.

Wake-up calls come early on trains in China, in this case shortly after five in the morning. This is followed by a wholly undignified race to the toilet at the end of the carriage. While not wanting any part of this stampede, it is partly understandable - being the last person to visit the facilities the morning after stomachs have been shaken up by a night’s rocking and rolling is not for the faint-hearted.  

Changsha was very hot and humid, and typically hectic and bustling for a provincial capital. We took in a couple of local sites in the afternoon that included the most rigorous security checks imaginable for entry into a museum (Beijing’s Olympic killjoys organisers would have been proud), then made ready for the next morning’s bus to Zhangjiajie. More to follow.