Datong Train

This overnight train to Datong, No 1676, was at least 17 hours of grueling country stops quite unlike the sleek and more pristine T27. We are loath to complain and did find the sleeper charming and a tad more roomy. There were no other visible foreigners. Asking our trusty guide prior to departure "why are there no farangs", she simply said "They fly". "Oh", we said. We found this area uninspiring in comparison to the snow clad peaks of Tibet. Since this was more mundane we decided to 'shoot' inside the train. Actually this is more difficult than when one tries to capture the everyday tourist. It seemed as though everyone stared as soon as we strolled through the carriages. Few candid photo ops. We were trying to be polite. Melt into the human scenery. Ha! We stood out. So gentle readers , there are not as many pictures as we would like. Winning no beauty contest, Datong does not need to compete with the likes of Beijing. Datong's claim to fame is all her outstanding Art. So come along and visit this unusual border town.

OK, this picture's not too great, a country road and a wall with Chinese graffiti. Maybe the goal in taking this was that the wall was topped with broken glass, which surprised us.

One problem taking pictures of the countryside here is that it was hard to see through all the smog. This is probably some of the most polluted parts of China. Datong is one big coal mine and the air was often unbreatheable.

We promised you a shot of a Chinese train "squatter" and here it is. Yep, that's the potty, actually looking pretty good by Chinese train standards. If you need toilet paper, that's something never found on the a train, i.e. all passengers know to carry their own.

There were charming aspects to this local sleeper that we wanted to share in pictures. The railcar passageway was like the steps of an old New York tenement, with people lounging around smoking, little kids running everywhere, and guys with no shirts. Women would wear their nighties the whole time and hang out in each others' compartments like a middle-age slumber party. It seemed like the real China, just that we couldn't share in it as we didn't know the language and were always stared at as if we had eyes in the middle of our foreheads. Strangers in the Middle Kingdom.

That wasn't too long a ride now, was it? Let's go ahead and pull into Datong!