Back to Hangzhou
Another fun trip to Shanghai. As promised, here's my seat/bed for the trip back to Hangzhou.
No, feet were not hanging over the edge. Yes, I'm a giant in this country. It's rare I see anyone taller than me. Mine was the top bunk first bed on the left. There were tiny pull down seats on the wall down the right side. I was able to camp out there for a bit as I debated my options. It only took me a few minutes to decide that I needed to make the climb to on high and check out the comfort level.
Not bad. Pillows and a thick blanket awaited me. Immediately I felt this was going to be cozy. Need to double check the space issue. Yes, I guess my foot actually was a smidge over the end when I got stretched out.
Small cultural issue worth noting. A few minutes after I crawled into my bunk I could smell cigarette smoke. It's certainly an issue here in China for adult men. About 80% of Chinese men smoke. Only about 5% of women. Those are stats I found online. They seem realistic. It's been a bad issue in a few taxis I've been in, but rarely has it been an issue inside any confined space like a train or restaurant. Good news. The smell went away as soon as our train started rolling down the track. I'm guessing it was a dude just outside my carriage near an air intake.
The train I was on was one of the older green trains. There are four stations in and around Hangzhou. All the bullet trains go through Hangzhou East. They're all colored white. The older stations mostly cater to the older green slower trains. There's a distinctly different vibe on the older trains. It's more the locals and people that can't afford the faster bullet trains. I don't see many foreigners in general, but way less on these older trains. I kind of dig it.
Two hours later I'm back in Hangzhou. Probably go hangout at my friend Matt's tonight as he was planning in inviting some folks over for a barbecue. Not going to pass up on the chance to hang out with friends and have some lamb.
Good times at Matt's place. He's got a great view of the river out his windows. Sat out on his deck area eating too much and chatting about random topics with several guys from school. Actually not that random. Mostly our conversations centered around cultural differences living in China. Interesting perspectives. Matt is an economist and he tends to speak with a none emotional perspective all the time. The math teacher in me can respect that, but my bleeding heart liberal side comes out a lot too and wants to debate. Again, good times.