Monkey Business.....

What is navy and vast and hangs from a bar?????? Me on the high altitude train getting off the middle bunk. How undignified is that? Especially in an open carriage. I surprised a few passing innocents.
Well, we were glad to leave the smells and thin air of Lhasa behind only to find that worse was to come. Stoop toilets on the move now.!!!!! Not managed to perfect a technique. It is not natural, and I do not propose to spend time on it.
This time we decided to travel like backpackers and selected a hard sleeper. Thjere were six of mus in the confines of an open carriage. Bloody hell! We were surrounded by smiling Chinese people noisily slurping their bloody pot noodles on one side of us or hoiking their guts up on the other. The oxygen meant that our breathing problems were resolved but the air was still dry. Night-time was too hot and it just seemed like hell-on-Earth. We clambered about like monkeys and sat on the bottom bunk when invited, or perched on the passageway seats at other times until the 'trolley-lady' came past screeching something in Chinese.
The Chinese people in our carriage changed two or three times, but others came to change their places getting into the same bedding.....
I woke on the first morning to find some guy from the next room grinning at me from outside. I looked away. He was there again later when I lay reading, I stared at my book. He remained a while so I gave him a stare. He was outside so I would not sit on the seat outside. He walked past grinning, I looked away. I felt quite distressed. The Chinese lady on the bottom bunk took pity on my forlorn look and invited me to sit down on her bunk. He walked past and looked in. I looked the other way. After this he seemed to get the message. I never saw him again. Mercifully he must have got off at the next station.
On the last night we had changed personell so that we now had four Chinese women, Lee was surrounded but I felt so much more relaxed. We acted out simple communications and shared fruit. One ate marinated chicken claws with delight. We were only eating fruit at this time!
We were so relieved to reach Beijing. We followed Mikel and Brushiana to their hostel, where we are now. The food is not good but we have found a good hostel around the corner. Tomorrow we get our visas, and Friday we fly to Hanoi to stay at the Ritz for 3 nights for 22 pounds 50! After that we are heading for Halong Bay, boat trips and sunshine.... I can dream a while.