Marco-Polo

2 overnight trains in a row is aggressive. That’s two nights of extremely questionable bathrooms. Two nights of being pushed and trampled pre-boarding. Two nights of half sleep. Two very, VERY early mornings being roused by a screaming lady to let you know it’s your stop. Two lame attempts at ‘getting ready’ for the day. And two long days of hauling a pack around with no place to put it. Yikes.

We arrived in Pingyao bright and early and quickly bundled up. I use the term “bundled up” quite loosely, as we didn’t prepare for winter-like weather, so I basically put on all of my layers and hoped to stay warm.

In high school, I would sleep with a space heater in my room. Every night, I cranked it up to 80 degrees on high. I would climb into flannel sheets, wearing sweatpants and a sweatshirt, and pull my down-comforter up to my chin, which was safely resting under a fleece blanket or two. I would sleep so hard and sound, it was absolutely amazing. In the morning, the thermostat on the heater would sometimes read 84 degrees. I hated getting out of bed for school. I loved cuddling in my insanely hot room. When I would travel for Target, even if I was in California or Miami, I would turn the thermostat way up to sleep in my personal sauna once again, since this love of high-heat sleeping quickly ended with Will. I am completely incompetent in the cold. It cuts to my core. I can’t stop shivering. I hate it.

Uncomfortably cold, we were able to catch a ride with Virginia and another traveler (who was a doctor and had just completed 70+ pro-bono surgeries to fix cleft palates) close to our hostel. We arrived around 7am and discovered our beds in the mixed-dorm weren’t ready. We stashed our bags, which had nothing of value in them as we were wearing all of our clothes, and found a sunny window seat in the hostel’s shared space to try and warm up. This was no easy task, as the hostel was basically open air, with loosely sealed doors for an entrance, and a huge entryway into the courtyard that led to the rooms from an outdoor staircase. The bathrooms were also open to the elements, so there was no warming up in the shower. We sat for a bit, fighting intense weariness and the cold, and eventually decided to go find food.

We planned to walk around for a while, but I was so cold and tired, and as my lip started to quiver, I simply couldn’t stop the tears from streaming down my face. I had felt cold for the better part of 3 days, had yet to have a proper hot shower, and basically hadn’t even changed clothes in 3 days, since I was always wearing some combination of everything I had. Will gave me his jacket, which made me cry harder since I knew he was also cold, and we sauntered back to the hostel to try and warm up.

If I repress the misery I felt from the cold, I’d say Pingyao is a pretty neat little city in China, slightly off the tourist trail, but still fairly popular for a visit from Beijing. The ancient city dates back some 2,700 years and stands out for its very well preserved city walls, which houses 50,000ish residents. Imagine Eagan surrounded by brick, with the bustling Apple Valley and Burnsville just outside the divider. It’s easy to travel to both sides of the walls, so it doesn’t feel like Berlin. Within the walls, the city feels old, charming, and much less modern than the other side.

We spent our day wandering the streets of the touristy spots, stumbling upon a more local neighborhood, and reading and relaxing in the chilly hostel. I took a nap and finally warmed up in the afternoon, but quickly chilled again when we went to get dinner that evening.

Pingyao makes a special buckwheat noodle that’s served in many different shapes and sizes. It’s a hearty, gummy noodle that we enjoyed tossed street side by a vendor with some veggies and the more tube-like preparation with a spicy tomato dipping sauce. Other than eating and walking the streets, feeling like we were in another world, there wasn’t much to pass the time. We headed back early, went to bed (which was practically my favorite part, since it wasn’t moving on a train and was the only place I felt warmth), and spent the following day eating more buckwheat noodles and reading.

That night, we were back on the night train to Xi’an. Having even 1 nights sleep in a normal bed greatly improved our chances for a successful night ride. Ear plugs in, eye mask on, and sporting all my layers, I slept very well and was ready for our next big adventure. Another well-known site I’d learned about in elementary school. One that Will was exceptionally excited for…

From Pingyao, with Love,

Sara + Will