[The Trail] A 24-Hour Talk Show in the Snow Kingdom (2/3)

The inside of the train was not what I expected.

Instead of exotic spices, the air was filled with the comforting, sauna-like warmth of boilers and hot water. Befitting a nation of tea drinkers, a constant supply was available in the corridor. Outside the window, the world was a canvas of pure white. It was a silent, dimensionless snowscape, the only sound being the rhythmic clatter of the wheels on the track.

Disconnected from the world, our four-person cabin became a stage for a ‘24-hour talk show’ starring just the two of us.

Politics, economics, culture, love, academics—no topic was off-limits. Thoughts and ideas that might have felt too raw or underdeveloped for daily life poured out freely. In that sealed-off world, our conversations sharpened my scattered thoughts, forging them into new insights. It was a rare chance to detach completely from the ‘me’ back home and objectively look at the questions I was facing: What do I truly love? Where am I supposed to go from here?

And yet, every so often, the endlessly repeating snowscape would bring a lump to my throat.

‘If this journey feels so long and tedious on a fast train like this, what must it have been like for our ancestors?’ I couldn’t help but imagine them, their hearts heavy and pounding with the gravity of their mission, enduring this same clatter day after day, night after night.

After several days and nights of deep conversation and contemplation, the scenery began to subtly change. The rhythmic clatter slowed. The air inside the train grew still.

And then, finally, the train stopped. We had arrived at the border, the greatest gateway of our journey. (To be continued in Part 3)

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