Wow amazing. Thank you so much for sharing with us. I am terrifically jealous.

Loved you essay....you are a very entertaining writer. Those experiences in life are priceless and can never be replaced by materialism. What an amazing trip....the things you saw and the people you met...but I would draw the line at some of the bureaucratic bs. Great story.

Haha, yea. 22 hours standing.. standing (!!) was not fun!!

@Rin - I'm going to be in Handan! (Heibei, right?!) at the De-Da International Culture Centre. Wow, we'll have to meet up or something :) I worked with a woman who'd got a cheap Chinese train ticket and spent 3days sat on a CHinese man's lap. Train tickets are NOT something I'm going to economise on after hearing that!!

@honor, photos on their way!

Awesome!

After spending 22 hours standing on a train Guangzhou to Shijiazhuang (just south of Beijing) I never wanted to travel around China by train again.

You almost have me tempted!!

Where abouts are you teaching? I am in Handan.

What an amazing way to start your trip! I'm very jealous, can't wait to hear how you get on in China!

This sounds absolutely amazing - can't wait to see your pictures (please tell me you've got some of the lycra-clad babushkas, lol - I can't even imagine what that might look like!)