We caught our first Chinese train and it was a 22 hour sleeper that went from Chengdu to Kunming. We wanted to leave China before our visa expired so that we would not have problems when we apply for a visa when we enter from the east into China at a later stage.
The soft-sleeper has 4 berths and the lower is cheaper than the upper. This is probably because everyone sits on the lower while they are awake. The hard- sleeper has 6 berths and and is the same except is doesn't have a soft blanket covering the seat under the sheet. We thought the less snorers the better!
John in his Chinese slippers included with the sleeper. They supply, sheets, a pillow, and a quilt as well as a thermos of hot water.
We stocked up with goodies from the French supermarket chain- Carrefours- in Chengdu and had NZ cheese baguettes!
The lace covering on the headboard !
We had the room to ourselves until dark and the Chinese lady who slept with us seemed horrified to share with Westerners. She told everyone in the carriage of her plight so they all came and had a look at us. After some time she settled down and invited us to share her dinner of duck eggs and chicken legs and something else we couldn't identify. In the morning we invited her to share our meusli, bananas, and yoghurt but she declined and gestured that it would make her fat!The lace covering on the headboard !
