23 hours, and one flat behind later!

Ok so this morning I got up and jumped on the bus to the station, had a quick KFC breakfast and found my platform.
I got on the train to find my carriage was 150 20 year old students at the end of their term on a 56 hour journey to xinjan (sp?) in the very north near the mogolian border, ouch!
I settled down and found I was the only white guy on the train. i read my book in 3 hours and then was really bored! I started to drift off around 11pm when I felt a person poking my arm, I woke up to find a group of the children asking me to speak english with them! They were really nice kids so I did and stayed up till 2am talking with them about life etc. They are not allowed to even sit near girls until university at 21 and are seperated for their entire school life it seems! They are very restricted and seemed very interested in what I was doing and how I was getting around.

I ate one pack of noodles in 23 hours and drank a little water, mainly I was just so bored!

While I was speaking to the kids the train manager asked the chinese guys where I was going and they told him and so he said he would look after me and make sure I made it! I managed around 3 hours sleep in 10 minute snoozes which was a little painful! but now I can siesta so that is ok!

Whilst on the train I must have seen more building sites than I ever have before, I must have seen more than 250 giant fields of apartment towers in 5 groups, sat there freshly built an unused, an amazing site, new bridges, roads, whole new towns being created everywhere! Its so different from the UK! Was a definite adventure going the back way!

Made it ok to Xian and was met by Dave, a lovely bloke and we went for dinner and met his girlfriend who is lovely....until she mentioned the worldcup!! haha.

siesta now then back out after the heat has passed! also finally managing to do some washing.

Checked into a very touristy hostel in Xian but it is nice just not quite so authentic, despite trying to look it! not met the room mate yet but managed to book my train, soft seat this time! to beijing for wed evening. More soon!