Part I My First Train Ride in America
In the month of July, steamy and toasty in North Carolina, I followed migratory birds instead of glossy travel guides, heading north by riding a train.
Besides, I intended to take the time to slow down, thus traveling by train came to mind for the first time since moving to America. Plus, a train is more flexible for getting on and off along the way, the stations are always in a central location, and is much roomier than even flying first class. Following this thought process, I traced the routes going up on the map. Nova Scotia, Canada caught my eye, as it had been on my radar for some time. Now was the perfect time to check it out. My vision had become clear: buy a one-way train ticket from Cary, North Carolina to Portland, Maine, then take a ferry to Nova Scotia.
What about the agenda for this trip? Such as where to stop off, how far should I go, or even when to return? Heck, why not let curiosity and enthusiasm guide me this time? When I was a kid, I didn’t have a reason or a plan for everything; it’s about serendipity, I have heard.
It was my first time riding on a train in my three decades of life in America. With only a bag on my shoulder, I hopped on the metal staircase, riding this giant steel caravan to chase the wind.
It was easier than I thought
The first part of the journey was more like taking a bus, passengers just arriving at the station before the train with no security checks to go through. That means riders can take almost anything with them in their bags. It is highly recommended to stock up on good food and drinks (even beer). Unfortunately, I learned it a little too late for this trip.
The Cary, NC train station is tiny, compared to those from my childhood memory in China, but cleaner and more elegant by far. Then again, that was 50 years ago.
Have you been to China lately?
Shanghai Train Station
Speed train in China
Like almost everything else, after adopting the Open-Door Policy in the early 1980’s, the Soviet Union style train system in China has been transmogrified into something futuristic. Most people would be awe-struck by the swift makeover, myself included. But, somehow, something seems to be missing: the cozy, personable feel, and the intimate atmosphere of the old days, perhaps.
My Time on the Train
If you favor more leg, elbow, even walk space, and you have no time constraints, you would take a train over a flight in a heartbeat. It feels more like your own living room because there are plenty of seats for you to choose from and you may walk back and forth whenever you want. With free WiFi, a laptop on the table, and tea or coffee if I want, what else do I need?
What is more, when sitting in my comfy chair at home with the super-sized fridge within easy reach, I often feel more stuck and stifled staring at the same view every day. Somehow, when I left the crowd, my everyday routines, and my familiar world behind, my mind started to crank so fast with all these fresh ideas emerging that my fingers on the keyboard couldn’t keep up. And yet, all the ideas were bouncing around and drifting in different directions, the kind of creativity I never had when staying at home.
As my cabin slowly pulled away from Cary, my mind became immersed in reminiscence. The picturesque scenes were moving backward while the rhythm of the wheels grinding the rails rocked me from below. All of these soothed me. This train looked, felt, and even smelled quite like what I remembered 50 years ago in China—except for a few add-on features like A/C and Wi-Fi, obviously.
Then the train whistle occasionally tooting, the distinctive steam trumpet (even adopted on the electric trains now), had stirred up my childhood memories. Who was the genius that invented this universally recognized air whistle? My brain started to get inquisitive like when I was five years old in my hometown. When on the road, new things and people around me seemed to pique my curiosity constantly. Especially in a confined space with strangers for many hours, one cannot help but look around, paying attention to all the details that would be mostly ignored at home.
On the train, the three kids giggling right across me caught my eye. The young girls were having their hair braided to look like fine art in a showroom. Noticing my iPhone pointing at them, they stood right up, dawning blissful smiles on their photogenic faces. I have to say I was far more shy than they were when I was their age! They sure were having fun, just like when I was little. Taking a train trip was always super cool for me, and I did take a few long train rides in my early years…
It was always about the food
Each time I’m out on the road, not only does my brain work harder to process all the new information that keeps cropping up, but so does my appetite. Before the trip, I had seen pictures in travel articles showcasing train dining cars with a panoramic sunroof over shining plates and wine glasses. Apparently, not this train. 
Here the dining car menu listed only a few choices of fast food kept in a freezer somewhere. Unimpressed by the short menu, I ordered a personal pizza, tossed in an oven for heating up while I swiped my credit card, and I was ready to go. I had to say it was chewy like a piece of rubber and tasted like cardboard. This brought about a wave of nostalgia for my upbringing in China.
My Childhood Train Reminiscence
My memory went back to the early 1960s when I was about 4 or 5 years old, living in China. Our family took train trips across the country from our northeastern hometown, Shenyang, to the southern city of Guangzhou to visit our close relatives. Back then, the train was much slower and stopped more frequently along its route. We spent four days on the train each way, joyfully. There were sleep cabins, and our family of three sometimes booked one sleeping space and we could take turns sleeping in order to cut the expenses. It worked out well. The best part of the trip for me was not the sceneries along the way, and much less meeting the strangers, but rather those stops at countless stations along the way, where we could try all the different local eats without even leaving the train!
When the train pulled into a city or a town, and before it fully stopped, the food vendors would be lined along the platform cheerfully waving to us riders. The had the most delicious ready-to-serve local food for us. We opened the window by our seat, pointed at what we wanted, cash changed hands, and the food was served on our train table. I still remember one smoked chicken (沟帮子熏鸡), named after its town (沟帮子). It was well-known in the country back then, just as it is now. We knew where it was and never missed the chance to feast upon it each time the train passed through. It was one of many memorable moments on the train.
Nowadays chicken does not taste nearly the same, sadly, I have to say, even when following the exact same cooking processes. We all know it’s not the chicken’s fault.
During our four days on the train, traversing six different provinces and countless cities and towns, the trip was like the longest food tasting journey in the best way I could have imagined, even by today’s standards. But now, even in China, things are far different from the old days. Trains have picked up speed by four to five-fold (that same journey taking less than one day instead of four). The foodie experience is no longer there, and reaching the destination is the only purpose of the travel.
I can’t help but wonder: do people still have time for fun now?
