About 2 hours in to the 12 hour train journey from Hue to Ha Noi, the air conditioning in carriage 1 breaks down. Unfortunately, I would only know this if I was traveling in said carriage. As the metal box filled with over 50 people lumbered slowly through the countryside, the heat sneakily increased and the trip, which was previously quite comfortable, became rather unbearable. Unlike the bus, on the train there are no windows in the coach that can be opened to let air through. The only reminder of a breeze comes from young children running past (eventually even they lose the energy to do so) or officials and others walking past. Questioned by the lack of cool air they reply that it will be fixed. This is not a lie - I am sure it will be, just whether in the immediate future remains to be seen.
In the meantime, we fan ourselves with whatever we can find and let our sweat soak steadily into the seats. At least they're not plastic. I hope more people mobilize as the slight movement of air their passing makes feels unbelievably refreshing. The TV plays some Vietnamese comedy show while young children screech and wail in the background noise that my iPod is unable to overcome without deafening me. When not wilting at such a steady pace, such things barely scratch the surface - now (on top of a severe lack of sleep partly due to my obstinate desire to communicate with people back home) it all works to frustrate. I know there is no point in this so close my eyes...maybe sleep will come. The formidable oppressive humidity and heat is like a sauna, the shrill yelps of the woman ostensibly talking on this show jab their way through my skull. How a language can be so beautiful yet so bloody piercing is beyond me. Were this England or North America people would be complaining and demanding some sort of compensation for their discomfort. The people in carriage 1, however, all seem to take it in their stride. Oh well, only another 5 hours to go!
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