Nan Jing South Capital to Xi-An West Peace

Arriving at Nanjing Railway Station, passengers from all platforms are channeled into a central tunnel to the exit area, it's a nightmare when two or more trains arrive around the same time. Leaving is a much better experience, to begin with, the departure area of the station is modern, well lit and roomy with three levels of waiting lounges. Unfortunately it all falls apart when it comes time to board as once again passengers for more than one train are herded together either up or down stairs into a central corridor to fight their way to their respective platforms.
I'm traveling hard sleeper for the 15 hour journey and have a bottom bunk. There are two tiers of three bunks in each compartment and I am sharing with two married couples as well as a very interesting bloke named Mosajan Mahsut. Mosajan has very good English skills and is from Kurla, a city on the central path of the silk route. He told me he's an engineer with a Hydro Electric company and is on his way home for his two months holiday. I mentioned to Mosajan that two months holiday was pretty generous but had to take that back when he told me that he works seven days a week for ten months straight and then has two months off.
I have my copy of the Insight Guides “Silk Route” with me and have loaned it to Mosajan for the duration of my trip and he has been completely engrossed in it ever since, he has extracted a promise from me to call him if I get as far as Kurla.
The two married couples are very nice as well and we have managed to pass the time with Mosajan acting as translator whren needed. Further along in the carriage is a wild looking woman in the age of 30 to 40 who keeps coming past and stopping to chat, she has some English skill and keeps repeating the same sentences over and over. The two ladfies in my compartment have decided that she's crazy and has her eye on Mosajan, they were afraid she was going to sit down with us so they spread their belongings over all the spare sitting room and turned their backs on her.
The scenery this morning is typical central China, loess plains that have been worked over the centuries into terraces for farming and villages of either mud or brick houses . There was a heavy fog earlier but it seems to be lifting as the sun spreads some warmth over the plains. Also dotting the fields and hill sides are tombstones and a seemingly endless number of man made caves.
Just prior to arriving in Xian the crazy woman made more frequent visits to our area of the carriage and was acting ever more strangely. It seems she was being escorted by three police officers to Urumqi and was definitely the talk of the carriage.
I've booked into “Qixian or Seven Sages” hostel; www.7sages.com.cn and it's great so far. It's a bit out of the centre of the city but still within the city walls, access is down a wide pedestrian alley away from traffic so noise is no problem. Rather than me trying to explain the layout, just click on the link for a 3D tour of the Hostel.