Chug Chug Chug goes the little Engine

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I woke up and everything around me is beautiful. We are almost to Xian and I am almost scared to put pen to paper for fear of missing something. We're at the most difficult to climb mountain in China called Hua Shan just before Xian. Now there are a ton of steps in the mountains. I'm scared to close my camera. There are beautiful little cemeteries all over the place and tons of buildings with caves (as I imagine to be the case all over China). Shaanxi this province) is beautiful and at this time of year filled with greenery.

Now we're going through a lot of tunnels. We've already gone past Baoji and are heading into Gansu. I figured out how to take a make shift shower - going into the bathroom with a wet washcloth and a washcloth with soap. First use the soap one and then the wet one. Keep your towel in your belt around your waist and your shirt and bra between your knees until you can dry off and put them back on. I've played a couple rounds of Gin Rummy and am about to play some more. There's constant Chinese talking all around me. Now people are taking naps. We finished playing a big game of Gin Rummy and have eaten a bit now. I'm glad I bought so much food in Dalian - I have an extra bag just for it. Cucumbers, plums, cookies, bread, water, Tang (the orange juice), sausage, three packs of noodles (although 5 would have been best) and some pomagranates. It's a bit dull here on the train. Not really much to do but sit, talk, eat and sleep. I'm glad I bourhg the cards. Some woman above us was singing earlier - it was kind of nice. Every time we enter a new place our cell phones get anew message welcoming us but besides that and Lucy texting me earlier my phone's been pretty dead. I've got acclimating medications for the altitude (a Chinese variety) and some meds for my tummy. So far we've only been able to get off and walk around once very briefly in Xian (at the train station).

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