Chapter one of our five weeks of travel started with the boarding of train number T159 in Taizhou, a city 43 miles east of Yangzhou and then traveling almost due north, into the dark and cold hinterlands of China; a land only a stone’s throw from Siberia. Traveling some 1,500 miles via train makes for more than one story and coupling long travel time with tight quarters guarantees extra cultural-exchanging fun. A few observations: * Everyone, including the manliest of men, immediately changes into slippers and long underwear; save the street clothing for the streets - its train time now... * Along the way, train employees push carts down the aisles selling all sorts of treats, drinks, and toys. We had the opportunity to nearly anything under the sun - ice cream, cucumbers, strawberries, beer, noodles,
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