This month's hot spot: "...journey from hell"
GUANGZHOU, China (AP) -- First, the food aboard the train ran out, then the water. When record blizzards hit China last month, what began as a 36-hour train trip for Edward Wang became an ordeal lasting nearly twice that long.
He described fighting among drunken passengers and staff armed with knives, fears of being robbed by those desperate for food, and breathing air so foul that some people became dizzy.
Food on the train ran out after the first day and nothing was being sold on the station platforms, he said. Usually, hawkers will offer instant noodles, hard-boiled eggs, spicy tofu or other snacks.
"I guess there were 600 trains ahead of us, and everything was sold out," he said.
The water also quickly ran out.
"We didn't wash our face or brush our teeth for two days because there was no water left," he said. "We didn't get more water until the third day."
Some passengers drank beer or the popular, fiery "bai jiu" liquor sold by the train staff, Wang said. A few got drunk, barged into the packed dining car, and demanded food.
Fighting broke out, Wang said.
"The cooks had knives and the passengers had broomsticks. There were no injuries, though, just pushing and shoving and neck-grabbing," he said.
When the staff finally procured some lunch boxes with rice at a stop, they doubled the usual price to $2.80 -- and some passengers bought most of the food and hoarded it, he said.
Wang said he feared that impoverished migrant workers could not afford the inflated prices. "I thought I could get robbed by people desperate for food," he said.
Every corner of the train was packed with people who were not allowed out for fresh air during the delays.
Another hot spot, folks. This world in which we reside is nothing less than a crystal ball of our future. Take a good long look and the problems we see "over there" will soon be here. We're all in the same pot, slowly coming to a boil; some spots get hot before others. Our cook? The Almavore. |
