Chengdu
Our Chinese visas were only valid for two more weeks, and it was time to start
heading south. Following much deliberation, we concluded it best to take a train
to Kunming from where busses ran to Jinghong as we had already biked that
stretch.
I had to plan to get to Bangkok before the end of December to take care of
urgent business which I could only do at a South African embassy, and the
closest one was in Bangkok. The day was spent organising train tickets to
Kunming and wandering Chengdu's crowded streets and alleys.
Chengdu – Kunming (by train)
Taking the train was quite a performance as the bikes were booked in at a
different location from where one boarded the train. Nevertheless, our
compartment was comfortable as our sleeper had bedding and it was a heated
carriage. Food trolleys came by often, a good thing too as there wasn't a great
deal more to do than eat and stare out of the window. Although the train was
packed, each person had a seat. It's a great pity one couldn't talk to the other
travellers as the language barrier remained a problem.
Ernest had a great party all by himself with his bottle of moonshine.