TRAIN RIDE FROM CHINA
My husband Tom and I were visiting China with our friends Monica and Jeb. We were nearing the end of a wonderful vacation and had visited some very scenic mountains and a deep gorge in western China. We'd taken the train to this area of the country and were taking the same train back to the coast where we'd stay in a hotel before leaving the next day. The train ride out had been very pleasant. We saw some wonderful scenery and some interesting cities. The return trip was a five-hour ride.
We boarded the train and got seats in the next-to-last car. In the first hour of the trip, we got some food and used the facilities and had settled in for the remainder of our journey.
We rode through a city where there was a lot of activity. Some sort of demonstration was underway. It looked to be pretty unruly. The protest signs were nearly all in Chinese and illegible to us. However, there were a few signs in English. The protest was anti-American. We learned later that there had been an incident over the South China Sea and there were protests throughout China. Of course, the Chinese government allowed the protests to occur. They were trying to get their population stirred up at the U.S. The train stopped at the local station and a crowd of people got on the train. The protest was over and they were heading back to wherever they lived. The Chinese who got on were rude and obnoxious. They bullied us into giving up our seats. The aisles were packed with many people holding on to the hand rail and straps above the seats. We tried to smile at some of the Chinese riders, but they either ignored us or looked at us with a scowl or said something rude or hateful in Chinese. We didn't know what they were saying, but their tone of voice conveyed their meaning.
After an hour of riding in these crowded conditions, Monica and I had to go to the bathroom. The restroom was in the next car back. When we got to the next car, there was a very long line. Monica said she was going to try for another restroom in the car toward the front of the train, hoping things were less crowded there. As she passed by Tom and Jeb, she told them I would be awhile because I was in a long line. I stayed where I was and after twenty minutes, I got into the restroom. A couple of 'ladies' had rudely pushed ahead of me and as soon as I sat down, people were banging on the door for me to hurry. I came out and said something snotty to the next woman in line. I knew a few Chinese phrases and I used one on her.