Chinese train station

Nothing prepared us for Chinese train stations. They probably epitomise the country best, I think. It's intensely chaotic, packed with what seem like a godzillion of people rushing about, lawless, but when it comes to asking for help, there's always someone in there offering you some respite in the madness.

The flash flood in Beijing Train Station

Buying a ticket was probably one of the most challenging things in China (we haven't ventured far enough you might conclude), could easily take few hours of your day. Queueing is somewhat considered pointless as you can just push your way through to the front of the ticket counter raising no eyebrows whatsoever from neither people who already queued nor the person inside the counter. If you're ignorant and arrogant enough (like I was at first) you'd easily fall prey to anger and disgust at this apparently inconsiderate behaviour. But as we get to know the Chinese people better, it striked us that they're just so accommodating that stuff like that don't actually get to them.

Usman enjoying his first-ever torrential rain experience

On the night we went to get the train tickets in Beijing, it rained heavily and some parts of the road around the station was flooded. The station itself leaked, the staircases turned into waterfalls. Quite a scene. You can't imagine the chaos that ensued, days of being complacent in the earlier few days made me less prepared for this sort of thing so it was natural that I got a bit edgy. Usman was well happy though. He had never seen such excitement and chaos insisting that we have to enjoy this moment. You know how Usman's like when he argues. And to top it all, Nat West called me to get some money off me making this whole thing seem a bit surreal at the time. Those bastards at the bank, why can't they just wait.

-Ihsan

On the phone with Nat West trying to explain that I'm halfway across the fucking globe