9th Nov: Wushan, China to Zhangjiajie, China
It was a damp morning in Chongqing Province. Clouds clung to the dark green mountains as we darted underneath through tunnels back towards the regional capital. Occasionally, the dense trees were interrupted by rice paddies and vegetable gardens.
We successfully managed to get food at the station in Chongqing in the half hour we had between trains. I ordered us a couple of vegetable filled pancakes, which were made fresh and had a delicious crunch. They definitely contained egg but were much better than any other available option. Kaja got us some savoury and sweet buns from a different place. The dark sugar ones were fantastic. My ‘usual’ millet porridge hit the spot too!
Currently, the high-speed lines north-south through this mountainous region are still under construction. We did plan to go on to Yichang and then down towards Zhangjiajie from there, but even the local trains aren’t running currently. Hence, we’re back in Chongqing and on an old traditional train. These were the premier trains 15-20 years ago and still make up the majority of the vast Chinese train network, despite the rapid construction of high-speed lines to complement them.
Half an hour or so out of Chongqing, we crossed and followed the Yangtze south for a while. This more traditional route gave us another view of China away from the hypermodern high-speed network. At least it did when we weren’t in endless tunnels! This part of China – Hunan, Hubei, and Chongqing provinces – has a seemingly never-ending supply of incredible mountains. Cliffs hung what seemed to be a mile up in the sky, high above the greenery and between the clouds which hung in the valleys and those which made up the leaden skies. A long way south from the Yangtze, valleys were still filled with deep emerald waters. The scale of impact caused by the dams is scarcely comprehensible.
The old-school train was not comfortable. The seats were hard and upright and, unlike the high-speed services, not all forwards facing. We were sat separately, and my seat was backwards facing, on the aisle at the very front of the front carriage of 18, beside the toilet. It was more like the worst of UK trains, although at least it was only £6 for this 6-hour journey rather than some astronomically daft sum for corporate profiteering. Yuck, that made me think about the state of the UK again! Nationalisation and forcible seizure of all profits ever made by corporations and shareholders really is the only just and righteous way forwards.
I feel very fortunate to be able to travel. China, along with most of the world, would be well within their rights to not allow any British people into their country until reparations are paid for the crimes of the past. However, of course, most British people are also merely another group exploited by the wealthy crooks. I long for a future where global solidarity destroys the multi-faceted evils of capitalism, colonialism, patriarchy, racism, climate denial, and fascism, most of which my country has been a long-time exporter of. It can’t come soon enough to ensure we still have a liveable planet for all.
Our arrival was the latest of our China leg and actually the first time we’ve arrived after dark. We had to take a taxi for 30km as the buses had stopped running for the day, but luckily it wasn’t outrageously expensive. The journey today had overwhelmed me but luckily check in at the hotel was easy and put us in a good mood. The owner helped us plan our time here and pre-booked our tickets. The icing on the cake was a glass of homemade pomegranate spirit!