So after twelve hours in a carriage of air stale with sweat, noodles and the stench of cigarettes floating in from between the carriages, I could not wait to get off our train to xi'an! John and I had two bottom bunks beside eachother (there were not doors or anything, but "sets" of 6 bunks). On the top of my bunks was a middleaged chinese woman with a funny looking instrument who didnt say a word the whole trip, and in the middle a young girl who giggled constantly with her friend who was above john. On the top of johns bunk was a man in a suit who snored like a ...train...and who let his business socked feet dangle over the edge. There was so little space - i could feel a film of humid sweat all over my body and the people and walls pressing in. Yesterday at the train station was horrific! Nicole had warned us thatthe Chinese do not queue patiently, but nothing could have prepared me for that, even going to a russian airport for four years! I had little old ladies elbowing me and screaming at the top of their lungs - real sweet looking grandmas! There were people climbing on top of the baggage xray, everyone pushing and shoving and shooting each other dirty glares. Crazy!!!