Train to Hanoi

The 'West' train station in Beijing was an experience in itself. It was packed. It felt like half of China was on the move and all with huge amounts of baggage. The station was divided into waiting areas for each platform. Each of these waiting areas was about half the size of a football pitch and full of seats but we struggled to find somewhere to sit. We also seemed to be the only Europeans waiting. I was a bit apprehensive about this journey which was two nights and, as there is not the facility to book a cabin for two, I knew we were going to have to share. I was looking nervously at my fellow passengers wondering who was going to be our cabin mate for the next two days and I dreaded it being the man who had tons of luggage, looked like he had been travelling for days already and I am sure he must snore. By the time our train was ready to be boarded I was beginnning to wish we had flown.
When we eventually got to the train our cabin was fine, a little grubby maybe but with those dreaded four bunks. The cabin attendant told us that indeed there would be one more person so I held my breath waiting for the chap with the luggage but nobody came. The train set off and the cabin attendant came to tell us we were going to be alone and I was mightly relieved. About an hour into the journey, however, a chap did come and hauled his luggage into the compartment. He indicated one of the spare bunks as his, proceeded to open his luggage, took out two beers, gave one to John and made himself comfortable. I had just began to think that this was not going to be so bad when along came the steward, saw the intruder and turfed him out. I think he took pity on these two poor old pensioners and wanted us to have some space to ourselves or perhaps he did not want to inflict us on his fellow countrymen. Which ever was the case, I was a bit relieved.
The scenery that evening was pretty dull, just suburbs of Beijing. Along the way we were astounded at the amount of building which is taking place, there are high level blocks going up everywhere and into the distance and that is just what we could see from the train. The night was comfortable, we were back on reconstituted food but also with a supply of fresh fruit from a trolley on the train.
The scenery the following day was wonderful. We passed south through China in almost a straight line. Going through Guilin was particularly wonderful, with huge great rocky outcrops dotted about the landscape, it had a rather ethereal feel as most of the time as there was a faint mist hanging in the air. We passed some of the biggest rivers I have seen, saw people toiling in the fields planting and harvesting all sorts of crops and all by hand or with water buffalo. It was an amazing experience and not to be missed.
We knew we were not going to get much, if any, sleep the second night as we were going to reach the border with Vietnam round about midnight and also would have to change trains. We stopped at Nanning at about 8pm where we had to get off the train while this was separated, it ended up as just a couple of carriages which were then pushed for three hours by a very noisy train, which hooted every few seconds, down to Ping Xiang where the Chinese border guards got on the train to look at passports and exit cards. We were held here for about an hour and a half before being shunted off again to Dong Dang and the Vietnam border at about 2.30, where we again had to get off the train, this time with luggage as we had to change trains. The passport control took quite a while as there were other passengers to process. It wasn't until we boarded the train at just before 5am that we realised that it was only one carriage which had ourselves, a couple of young Swiss women and a family of three. We were the only passengers for the rest of the journey.
If the last train was noisy, this one surpassed it in every way. It vibrated like mad, made the most horrendous noise from what pretended to be air conditioning and hooted and tooted its way to Hanoi. Despite all this, we briefly fell asleep, before crossing to the most amazing entry into Hanoi at about 9am. Buildings were right up against the line and if I say that I would have been able to put my arm out of the window and take dishes off the table by the window in some of the houses I would not be telling a lie. Clothes lines were draped along the walls of houses and I could have taken their washing in for them. Despite all the noise, lack of sleep and grubbiness I wouldn't have missed the journey for the world.