Jiangsu, part 5: Wangting

Sitting on a train. Sitting on a train sitting on the tracks. Sitting on a train sitting on the tracks sitting in a small town east of Wuxi.

Sitting in Wangting.



Scheduled stop. Very long stop.



On the overnight train from Huangshan to Shanghai, our train stopped and waited in Wangting for our turn to get into the big city. Other (express) trains zipped by. Each time, I thought, "This is the train we were waiting for. Now it's our turn."

The other train would always disappear. We would always continue to sit.



If we had thought to arrange a transfer in Changzhou, we could have arrived in Shanghai by then. Three hours of waiting, it must have been, all told.



Breakfast was eaten. People roamed the train cars, getting hot water from the dispenser for their morning noodles, going to the toilet, etc. Quiet conversations.

Another train bounced us sideways.

Was it our turn?

No.



Chunlin's feet and legs were sore, so I took it as a blessing we weren't running around Shanghai already. Forced rest and relaxation.



Chunlin asked me, "Are you getting tired of this train?"



I replied, "It'll probably be another hour before we mov--"

The train jolted forward, cutting me off.

Seriously. That's how it happened.

Look! The scenery is changing!