Anchor Chains, Plane Motors and Train Whistles

A few weeks ago, Ben, Elizabeth and I took an overnight train to Xian.  It was my first time on a sleeper train, and I had my misgivings about being on a Chinese train for 12 hours.  My worries were unfounded, however, and it was comfortable and spacious and we all felt like we were Betty and Judy Haynes riding the train to Vermont.

After arriving in Chengdu on Saturday, we asked the hostel staff to help us plan our onward travel, and were informed that the best cheap way to get to Lijiang is by 24-hour sleeper bus.  In the spirit of adventure, we decided to take our chances with the bus.  So yesterday morning we packed our bags, said goodbye to Chengdu and boarded the bus to Lijiang.
A sleeper bus bears only the slightest resemblance to its cousin the sleeper train.  On the bus, the beds were too short to stretch out it, and the ceilings were too low to sit up.  There was a bathroom on the bus, but the toilet was just a hole in the floor of the bus, through which we could see the road rushing past.   So I spent the time in a kind of curled up fetal position, reading Middlemarch and looking at the scenery.  As it happens, the scenery between Chengdu and Lijiang is so incredibly stunning that I didn't even notice how uncomfortable everything was.  After a quick stop for dinner at a wayside stop, a short jaunt on a dirt road, and several hours on switchbacks through mountainous terrain, we arrived in Lijiang.  Tomorrow we are off on a two-day trek through the Tiger Leaping Gorge.