7 August

Well, almost 24 hours into the journey and I seem to be coping alright. I've passed through the 'bored to tears' stage and I'm now in the little pool of calm tedium on the other side, just listening to the clickety-clack of the tails and enduring the odd blackouts as we go through a tunnel. It's either that or think about the next 20 hours stuck in a train and go crazy.

It's not a bad cabin in here. Four beds to a room, and soft beds at that. I'd originally tried to book a hard sleeper for the journey, but having taken a look around the rest of the train and seen most of the passengers crammed six to a room in triple-decker bunks, I'm glad that only soft sleepers were available. That's not to say it's a walk in the park though: I'm still stuck in here with a family who think it's perfectly normal to wake up at 5am and yak for (what seemed like) the better part of an hour. To top it off, the daughter needs a night-light and the father has a buzz-saw snore. Fan-bloody-tastic.

I chose to take the train because a) it was slightly cheaper, and b) for the bragging rights of having endured a 44-hour train ride. Me and my big ideas.

Oh, wonderful. As if that wasn't bad enough, now everyone on board is being treated to the Backstreet Boys over the intercom. It's a wonder there are as few rail-related "accidents" as there are. Still, it makes a change from the Chinese dreck they play. Maybe it's just me. After 24 hours of music, it all blurs into crap.

Episode 3: August 9