Well that’s the adventures over for now.
When I woke up this morning I was so weary I decided to eschew breakfast and just bask in the lovely soft bed. Until that was, I turned my phone on and a message arrived from Alice.
She was worried that a 59 year old man who has travelled the world extensively would be completely unable to catch his train from Wuhu to Chizhou. She would come to the hotel to help me and while she was at it, she would partake of the breakfast Anna wasn’t there to have. Anna of course has emulated Dustin Hoffman in Little Big Man, gone home to die with her family and is still very much alive…….
Shit. Now I had to get up!
So I did, Alice came and we went for breakfast. Well, I had two yoghurts and a croissant but Alice had a Chinglish breakfast. It was my fault for not taking her down early enough so that more items were on offer - the later you are the more things they run out of and if you really want them you have to ask. I would have asked for Alice but she seemed happy with boiled rather than fried eggs although she wasn’t too keen on the dumplings for some reason. I should have asked why.
Afterwards we sat in the room, me reading the news websites and Alice laughing out loud at some funny Chinese programme on TV. Each time she laughed she glanced across at me, which was pointless as I had no idea what was going on on-screen. Then it was time to leave. The hotel organised a taxi and Christ it was windy and freezing when we went outside! Alice went off to take a bus home whilst I took refuge in the station and smoked an illicit cigar in the toilets before the train boarded.
Standing on the platform waiting for the train was enough to chill your very bones but there wasn’t long to wait and the carriages are gloriously heated. I also noted people with standing only tickets having to vacate the seats they had squatted in when people with tickets got on and later I saw a first. A guard came around checking tickets and those who didn’t have a first class entitlement were ordered out of the carriage. Normally people snaffle empty seats and nothing is said, however I am not being snobbish (at least I don’t think I am!) when I say that when I pay a lot extra for first class travel I don’t expect the scruffs to be loitering in the aisle by my seat or indeed paying a sixth of what I did and still getting the same seat.
As for here, it is also cold and snow is forecast for tonight. I can do without it settling as tomorrow I really have to go to town for emergency wine, beer, jing jo and food rations. Kevin is also worrying because he is now here in the Dong Rong hotel, his flight home is in the morning and he is concerned about driving to the airport.
Maybe it won’t materialise.
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