From Chengdu to Kunming

Today was errands day. We managed to get our visas extended. The process turned out to be fairly simple, but time consuming. First the requisite paperwork to hand to the clerk who disappeared into a back room, only to emerge 30 minutes later with another piece of paper that we had to take to the nearest bank to pay the extension fee. Then after more stamping and signing at the bank, we returned to get our passports back, complete with one-month extension.
Then we headed off to get our box of Tibetan souvenirs sent back to the States. The DHL equivalent (next day service) was $285- which far exceeded the value of our trinkets and dirty clothes. So, our wonderful taxi driver got us to the Chinese Post and we got it on a slow ship for $150.
One last stop at the ATM to get more cash. It still amazes me that you can put in your debit card and get money from halfway around the world in seconds.
We decided to make one last stop at our favorite Sichuan restaurant and decided to try some new dishes. The waitress suggested chicken and chilies. What we got was a literally a bowl of chicken parts and chilies that looked as if they’d been blown through a propeller…complete with the chicken head staring out from the top of the bowl. Needless to say, we left it for more adventurous diners.
We anxiously headed to the train station for our soft sleeper experience. Once again, our new friend was a godsend- getting us to the soft sleeper lounge (where they looked at us a bit strangely when we showed them 4 tickets for 2 people) and helped us lug our bags through the station and onto the train. It was heaven to lock the door and kick back to get ready for our journey. Soft sleeper is such a wonderful way to travel. We stretched out, put our bags on the top bunks, set out our munchies and watched the scenery go by.
The train line itself was amazing. In a total of 660 miles, there were 427 tunnels and 991 bridges. It was built by slave labor during the “Great Leap Forward” and the “Cultural Revolution”