Xi'an part I: A Good Start

Me, pre-disaster.

There we were, three friends getting ready to embark on the journey of their lives. We had thought our seats were going to be worse. Apparently hard seats in this area were niiiice. I stashed my bag and plopped down in my reclining chair and started reading. I was feeling good. Everyone who had told me traveling in China was easy had apparently not traveled with me. Check, check, check. The finals calls were being made when all of a sudden I heard Andy conversing with a man about his seat. Shanghai, the man said. Foolish man this train is headed for Xi'an, I'm going to see me some Terracotta Warriors. Right? Wait. I felt it, that rush of chemicals your brain sends out along with a chill when you realize something bad is afoot (score, slipped afoot in there).

We were on the wrong train. Andy hurriedly grabbed his bags and scrambled out the door. Our grins of comfort morphed into the grins of foolishness as we ashamedly gathered our things. I was following Andy out when I heard the beeping. The beeping that says the doors were going to close. Then -Shhhhhlllopp!

The doors sealed closed on the train headed in the completely opposite direction of my vacation. "Hey", I said. That was it, Hey. Like that was going to do anything. But it was enough, the conductor who had probably seen plenty of confused foreigners in his time speedily sent word via his walkie that I wanted off. The doors whipped back open and I tottered off. Darin somehow also made it off the train and we hopped on the correct train this time. Sadly this was more like it. A rigid bench that although giving the appearance of comfort actually is one of the most torture-some devices ever created. The seats are surprisingly rigid and no matter what position you may try, you cannot get comfortable for long, especially when you come in anglo-size. But I had books and my imagination on my side which did an amazing job of blocking out my body's signals such as discomfort, hunger, or sleep. Fifteen hours later we arrived in Xi'an, with several pages under my belt and a horibly sore neck, back and bottom. But we were there and that isn't even my worst travel story yet...

Don't miss: Xi'an part II Warriors of Baked Earth