Wednesday 29th April, 2015                        1230

Lunchtime and little to do.

I went downtown for breakfast yesterday - I need to make early rises a routine this week as I need to get up early on Friday for the trip - miss the train and that’s it as there is only one a day.

As I was eating my breakfast a diminutive woman and what I assume was her granddaughter entered to order a takeaway. The granddaughter was three times the size of Gran and by her manner of speaking clearly had some form of mental disability. They took forever to order and once they did they sat at a table and waited. I have absolutely no idea what they spoke about but both ended up in tears. It rather affected me for some reason and in so doing took away any enjoyment of my food. It was most sorrowful.

I did my shopping and came back. I had promised Mulan and Joan enchiladas for dinner. Joan helped and was a little over enthusiastic with the hot chilli peppers. I was able to eat them but only just. They were nonetheless delicious and will definitely form part of our next communal meal, although quite how I will fit eighteen of them in the two trays is a mystery as yet.

After a short thunderstorm last night today is bright, sunny and in the mid-twenties. As usual though, when I am going away the forecasters take some perverse delight in predicting heavy rain. At present (if they are right) I should be able to get to the hotel without getting soaked on Friday but Saturday will be grim. Sunday in theory will be dry.

Thursday 30th                      1730

Quite a hot one today and hopefully the rain will hold off tomorrow until the sanctuary of the hotel is achieved in the early evening. I am absolutely exhausted today, due mainly I think to sleeping with the big windows open. Quite possibly the barking dog interfered with my sleep and certainly the school loudspeakers playing music at 0715 did. On the plus side it means I will be able to retire early tonight, I need to be up for seven. Actually I don’t but as Joan is taking the same train I have said we could go on the bike and have breakfast first. The train leaves at eleven but Chinese train stations are unlike the west.

You have security screening, ID cards to produce on arrival then a hike to get to the waiting area. Next comes a long trek once they open the gates to actually get to the train, followed by struggling along with what seems like half the population of the city to find your seat. As it is the Labour holiday tomorrow I am not hopeful that the first leg of the journey (to Tongling) will be as quiet as it was before. If there were business or first class seats available I would have booked one of those - at least they recline and you can try and sleep.

My packing checklist is done for the morning, I have just discovered I have 1,000y less in my account than I thought (the coin jars may well be raided next week!) and I am about to prepare a simple dinner of ham and cheese quesadillas.

Have a good weekend folks.