The Indian Contractor visits Vietnam and China on a Shoestring

I was seated in the centre so sleeping was going to be a night mare. Just when I was figuring out the most comfortable sleeping posture, the guy on my left took his bag and left his seat. I thought my sleeping problem was solved. SO i put my camera bag on his chair and used it as a pillow. Just when I was shifting into La la land, the train stopped at a platform and a huge mob got into our compartment.There was absolutely no space left inthe compartment. I had drifted out of lala land already. And I heard a baby cry near me. I lifted my head and found a lady with a small kid by her side. So removed my head and bag from the other seat. The kid and the dad took the other seat.

But they were negotiating with the guard to get hold of some sleeper berths for the family. They succeeded. The family moved off and the seat was occupied by another person. The crowd got off at the next station and I had the seat all to myself again. Just when I entered the gates of dreamland, someone tapped my on the shoulder. I woke up to find the original occupant (the chicken leg eater) with his bag. I have no idea why he walked off with his bag earlier. He occupied his seat and I was once again left contemplating a sleepable position. I tried sitting up and sleeping. I had lost that ability after I left the army. The lady and her daughter managed to fall asleep using each other as support. Me and my buddy did not have such a relationship so we had to try other positions! My buddy was leaning against the window and well into dreamland territory. It became an uphill battle after this. The guy on my left kept going off with his bag and came back just when I put my bag on his chair and dozed off. And once he dozed off on his chair my fate was sealed.

No sleep for the Indian Contractor. After a while, even my buddy woke up at regular itervals so I don't think she had a good nights sleep either. And the thought of climbing a mountain the next day made me a bit worried.

All this thinking actually killed time. When I looked out of the window,the sun was rising already. It was about 5 am. A couple of hours more to Huangshan. So I brushed my teeth and sat down wondering how to stay awake for the rest of the day. My buddy was up a while later. And the lady told us we wouldbe reaching soon. She was getting off after us, so she still had a few more hours after us. I was a bit groggy and my throat was drying up so I bought another bottle of water and gulped it down.

Our train reached the station at 0700 hours. The rest as they say, will continue in the next chapter. Read on....