chongqing

the last available train to chongqing left in the early morning before the metros opened, so i had to haul a taxi to get me there. as it turned out though, i wasn't the only one going to the train station that day (absolute gargantuans compared to the euro ones btw), so i got stuck in traffic. still, by a miracle, or perhaps rather by frantically sprinting through the station, i somehow managed to get on my train just in time. this was the first and last proper high-speed train i had taken, and going almost 400 kmh, i was already in hangzhou before i'd caught my breath again.

this is where my master plan finally came together. i had already been in hangzhou in july before embarking on my trip to korea and japan, which means the two flights i had taken since were essentially part of a closed loop, leaving an unbroken path of strict overlanding that i would now continue.

i spent the rest of the day meandering through the beautiful,lakeside parks of hangzhou, watching seniors dancing and getting some much deserved sleep, before heading to the station again to catch my connecting train to chongging. thirty hours. it was bad, but honestly, i've gotten really got at sitting by now, so not even that bad.

chongging was pretty surreal. by some accounts, it's the largest city in the world, yet i hadn't even heard about it until i went to china for the first time. it's futuristic and dystopian at the same time. coming in on the train, i saw many old tiny relinquished huts and farm houses standing below in the literal shadow of the gigantic bridge systems i was travelling on. i'll upload an image i found online, also from chongqing, but seen the other way.

when i was in chongging, it was the first of october, which is basically like the chinese version of the 4th of july. i had been warned that heaps of chinese would be travelling with me at the same time, but nothing could've prepared me for what i experienced there. i was on the street with literal millions of others. mixed with police blockading every other street and the notorious asian walking pace, this was the closest thing to hell i've ever experienced. it took me over an hour to get to the subway station, which was only ten minutes away. but chongging wasn't all bad: the hills on the outskirt of the city with temples on top make for great views in the evening, they had a great art gallery, and once again, i tried my luck with rooftopping. i also found a little sewing shop that was able to stitch my missing flags onto my backpack. after three days, i had enough and hopped on the train again, this time to kunming.Читать далее