Breakfast was more than I could handle. I tried to try at least 20%.
I was relaxed because I knew the way to the train station, there were fewer checkpoints, and everything was easier than in Urumqi.
The gates opened late, and the crowds and officials were nervous – even more rush than normal.
It only started to rain when the train already had departed. I didn’t need my lost all-weather jacket.
7 hours to Kunming!
Efan had asked for my arrival time because she wanted to pick me up. I had sent her the time but not the date, and that would have reduced the confusion because:
I had told Efan that I wanted to arrive a day earlier to be on the safe side in case there were train problems or something.
To understand what I had actually done back then, I’ll give an example that might explain it:
For the Wiener Tafel (now “foodbank Austria”), I’m allowed to look for products with expiration dates for Saturday in a certain supermarket, but also for Sunday, because they can’t be sold on Monday either. So, it could be September 6th and 7th, for example. You find many items that expire on the 10th or 9th, and after a while, I’m happy to find the 8th, and sonn 8 becomes the new 7 for me.
Since I’ve been doing this for many years, I’m already familiar with this phenomenon and constantly check the date on my watch to avoid making a mistake.
I suspect that on the day of arrival, it was the other way around, with Saturday becoming my “new Sunday”, and Friday thus meant arriving one day earlier.
Another possible explanation is my difficulty correctly entering night trains and overnight stays into my itinerary Excel spreadsheet with daily data. This is another clear indication that day trips should be my future level of travel (at least without a guard or assistance).
Anyway, the train arrived and didn’t know where to meet Efan, as there was a north and a south exit. My phone was having a WeChat issue, and I thought Efan hadn’t received my last messages. (And Efan, who was expecting me a day later, had received too many messages from other tour participants and hadn’t seen mine in time.) So, I set off on foot to Southwest Forestry University, where Efan and her father had organized our group’s stay in the campus dormitory. Efan had also created a WeChat group with all of us, and I was able to connect with Leo, Efan’s partner. The campus isn’t big, but vast, a city in itself. Therefore, finding the right entrance and meeting point wasn’t easy.
Ben, Efan’s father, Tony, her cousin, and Leo had gone to all the gates to inform all the porters of my possible arrival. Along the way, I received messages from Efan and Leo, who were doing their best to manage the situation. I arrived, sent Leo a photo of the gate, and they would come.
And a few seconds later, I heard my name, and it was Efan from the other side! Then the others arrived, and together we entered the campus. We came to a large cafeteria where Leo’s food was waiting, because they had immediately responded to my message without eating.
Efan even had her welcome present bag with her. I’m still trying to figure out why we all received gifts from her – even more at the end of this incredible journey together than at the beginning.
With a little help, I learned how to order food, but I forgot to check the spice level. Let’s see if I can say “lesson learned” later (spoiler: mostly yes, again with help – thanks Efan!!). It was clear to me that I would definitely finish those hot noodles, but I had to buy myself a drink so my suffering wouldn’t be too obvious. When I returned, the noodle problem had almost disappeared. Leo and Efan had taken care of it…
After dinner, we went to the dorm, where Ben had already prepared everything for my early arrival.
With a little help I learnt to order food but had forgotten to care of the spiciness factor. We will see if I later can say “lesson learned”. For me it was clear that I would eat those noodles up no matter what, but I needed to buy a drink so that my suffering would not be too obvious. When I came back the noddle issue was reduced near to zero. Leo and Efan had dealt with it…
After dinner we went to the dorm where Ben also already had arranged everything according to me early arrival.
no photos of the reunion available, serious mistake, irreparable!!