Going home to Inner Mongolia

The old rail lines connect the Bayanur region to the rest of China. My final destination is the city of LinHe, where most of my extended family still reside. Each "soft-sleeper" cabin is shared by 4 passengers. The locals aren't shy and eagerly strike up a conversation. I find myself in the company of a doctor on the way to a conference, and a mother and child returning home to BaoTou.