On December 29th , we loaded our luggage in a friends Fortuner and drove the odd kilometres from Bloemfontein to OR Thambo International Airport, to start a 24 hour journey , taking three flights, to arrive in Jiamusi, Heilongjiang, China, late the afternoon on December 30th. On July 1st , we loaded our luggage on train K, departing from Jiamusi train station, to start another 24 hour journey. The carriage is equiped with a toilet, bassin area and conductor who constantly cleans and makes sure everybody is comfortable.
The journey was easy. We played cards. Excitedly talked about what awaits us on the other side. Read some. Shared dinner and breakfast and lunch. Slept some. We find our way to the KFC for a cup of coffee and ice cream for the kids, while waiting for Anna Wang, who is meeting us for the last leg of our journey. In Jiamusi we had new friends seeing us off at the station, making sure we catch the right train and find our carriage and settle into our little semi-compartment.
A difficult one, in some ways, for a little Tribe who came from a beautiful little wooden house, set on a not so little hill, overlooking forest and ocean.
It took some getting used to the 5 flights of stairs to climb every day and the view of another apartment building and the less space and the neighbours above and below. To live in a house with a garden, and a beautiful entrance gate, in China where most families live in apartments? When Zuko and I were just married, young and without children, we would often throw caution to the wind, without thinking about it twice. And then we start cleaning, while the landlord brings a new fridge and washing machine with great pride.
Not believing that a foreigner, who says he lives in Jiamusi, would arrive, when he said he would and rent, what he agreed to rent? Whatever the reasons, 3 days after our arrival we take a hot showermin our own bathroom, we do some laundry in the newly installed washing machine and Zuko cooks a beautiful dinner on her new gas-stove.
