Oct 4 2013: Creeps & Cute Kids

Overall, I had received about two hours of sleep, so says Katie. I personally feel like it was only twenty minutes, but whatever. Out of KFC, we freshened up in the lovely and terrible trench toilet bathroom before heading into the little square. We sat down to the side for a while- opposite of where the creepy guy found us before- and watched the few people milling around.

The motor carts were back, playing mouse and cat with the police once more. It was pretty silly, like kids goofing around and older ones getting annoyed with their company. Poor police, that’s all they really spent their time doing. We ended up getting up, a little bored, and wandered a bit around the square and got a little bit of food. Basic hot rolls, and maybe another thing or two.

We ended up finding a bench to sit on off to the side, right outside the square. The sun was coming up by then. It was about then that people began trying to sell a few things- mostly ladies with a hanger full of jewelry and men hiding things in their bags. The ladies loved to get in our face, which was super tiring. We’d refuse whilst looking in her eyes, and then ignore her when she wouldn’t go. It would most definitely be overpriced here, and we were too tired to deal with anything like that. It was also hard avoiding the few poor people walking around begging. However by then all of our money was only big bills and kept away, and we couldn’t just go getting anything out in front of all the people sleeping against the tree, ladies awake with their children and other men smoking nearby. It was so hard to resist helping an old man who knelt down on a piece of cardboard right in front of us for a while.

Anyways our attention was soon diverted to these few very dirty children playing next to us. The parents were grouped facing the other way on the other side of our bench, and the kids were goofing around then, one with a plastic gun. The father closest tried to keep his overly active kid from touching us or bothering us, but it was fun to watch them. One of them would come over close and just stare at us.

Eventually, I got him to smile!

Then the littlest one offered me a candy. Which was cute, but I convinced him to eat it and enjoy it. It was adorable, and eventually Katie gave in and we ended up giving them QQ candies to enjoy. They loved it, and it was fun to watch them try to handle the few gummies in their tiny hands.

Soon after, a group of people came into the area, either having just arrived or are leaving. Some were dressed in some tradition garb, which was intriguing to watch. They had one little boy that was dressed like a little gangster. Sweat pants, funky sweater, hat to the side- even a little gold cross for a necklace. He spent a while staring at us, and then helped this little girl get away from another mean kid. So cute!

It was almost nine by then, so we went back into the square to the side and started cleaning up a little. Katie brushed out her hair and I organized my bags a little better. However, bad timing or something because the creepy guy returned! This time, he was kneeling next to us but basically touching Katie he was so freaking close.

He tried talking to her again, but he obviously doesn’t get the idea that we do not speak Chinese, only English. Anyways, he tried hand brushing her hair! Katie flinched away, told him no, and put her hair to the other side. You could see dirt all over his hands, and he was just beaming away- we couldn’t figure out what kind of sign that was, but we were figuring it wasn’t too great of one. After that, he tried giving her a back massage.

That’s when we decided it was time to go into the station.

The guys weren’t sure to what to do with our already stamped tickets, but hey we’re confused Americans who don’t know Chinese so they ended up letting us through anyways. We found the gate we’d be going through and chilled out to the side. We were pretty good on snacks by then, although we ended up getting some hot drinks. They have boiling water everywhere, so we put in the powders and enjoyed them! Super hot though, and they do little coconut chunk things which I always give to Katie. Mine was a mint drink and Katie enjoyed strawberry again.

Except like most hot drinks, it went right through me! I made several trips to the bathroom and that kind of got me over my aversion to trench toilets. These were the same- and though they were in stalls, there were NO DOORS. At first there was no way I was going to do that.

And then I had to relent. But I always went to the farthest one so I could still have some privacy. And luckily these weren’t ones you had to pay for, or we’d have gone through a few bills that morning. Overall it was one of the better public restrooms I’ve been able to find in the Chinese community.

We ended up brushing our teeth out in the area after we were finished. We had taken to the farthest wall with no one behind us, so we were basically on display. There we were, brushing our teeth as a show for the Chinese who loved staring at us especially that morning. Not that I blame them- if we were doing that in America we’d be stared at, too. Haha, so we didn’t do it too long.

Shortly after Abby and Greg found us. They were extra chirpy and told us all about their lovely evening- they’d gone back to the hostel and gotten in contact with the area president or someone like that, and ended up staying with them for the night. Lots of American conveniences welcomed them- they were super stoked about using a dryer.

They brought us blueberry muffins, which was nice of them, and we ended up eating those on the train. Homemade and yummy!

Soon after, we got to board the train! Left shortly after noon, and it would get us to Xi’an just before 6 AM. We found our bunks, I was on stop again. Greg was hanging out with Abby on the bottom bunk, though, and let me chill on the middle one all I wanted. I may have taken a nap or two, then. Katie and I talked some, told our stories to Abby and Greg. We ate some food, read some books. Used the bathroom several times.

On the T trains we had- there was no bowl or system at the end of the squatter toilet, it just all goes out onto the tracks, apparently. Gross right? Thank goodness they’re not something we really have to look at. It definitely helped the smell though- I couldn’t stand to go in the K train, our first ride, because it smelled terrible. And they do have a bar or two so you don’t fall over during the motion of the train. Or that would be awkward.

We did a bit of all that. Later in the evening, Greg taught us all Hearts and went over some of the rules of Poker just before lights out.

Katie and I were tired though, so we each took a sleeping pill and tried to go to bed before lights out. Well, Katie did all right. But with that light blaring on my face, that didn’t work out so well. That night, she slept great but for me- I would end up taking two sleeping pills the next night.