En Route to Zhangjiajie, China

China is a country of great beauty with its mountains and rivers. 

It is also a country of great contrasts.  The cities are expanding fast with high rises and multi-tiered roads. Super highways and fast trains connect the cities.

The Shenzhen train station is huge and we caught the fast train to Changsa from here.  It was a four hour ride even at the speed of 307 km/hr.

 As these highways and trains cut across the countryside, there are still lots of small farms worked by farmers who have only their hands to toil and till the land.

The fast train has coaches dedicated to the disabled and nursing mothers.  There is also a buffet car. Here is one of their menus and here is my ice cream!

 The train is very comfortable with plenty of leg room and an overhead shelf to store your luggage.  The seats area numbered so there will be no quibbles about seating.

 It stops at major stations along the way for passengers to disembark as well as to pick up new passengers. The stops are just long enough for passengers to get off and to get on.  Ticket inspectors conduct random checks to ensure that everyone is a bona fide passenger.

When we alighted from the train, our bus was waiting for us and we wended our way to our next destination.