The Trans Siberian/Trans Mongolian rail trip is all it's cracked up to be and much more! Leave all your negative ideas about Russia, trains, hygiene and food behind and you'll have a ball!
Our journey started in Moscow on the 11th of May. Arrival into the country was uneventful and because we had nothing to declare whatsoever we sailed through customs once our visas were checked and registered. After a journey of about an hour and half by car we arrived at our hotel which was in the middle of about 5 of the major flea markets in Moscow! The hotel was comfortable and the area was colourful! We couldn't have asked for better.
On our second day our guide - Xena the Warrior Guidess took us on a three hour tour of Moscow in the driving rain! We started with a whistle stop tour of the metro stations, which to me sounded bizarre at first, but is something I have to recommend. I have never seen such opulence in a public place. There are brass chandeliers, mosaics set with semi precious stones and whole stations decorated wall to floor with priceless and rare marbles. It would put the Vatican in the shade at times! We also did the obligatory tours of Red Square, GUM and the Kremlin, which sparkled even in the rain.
The Kremlin
On our third day we spent our time exploring the local flea markets where you could buy anything and everything from German World War II helmets to beautifully hand crafted birch burrel boxes. It was a great place to blow a few hours and we came away with fantastic gifts and souvenirs. We were due to leave Moscow that evening on the #10 train to Irkutsk and the nerves were definitely beginning to set in!
We had left ourselves plenty of time to reach the station had stocked up on instant noodles, soups, had bought our tea supplies and mugs and figured we were as prepared as we were ever going to be for the four night and three day journey that awaited us.
Far from being boring or uncomfortable or in any way miserable our trip across Siberia has left us with enduring and fabulous memories. We were lucky to be sharing our cabin with two lovely Russians, Tanya from Tayshet who was returning home after a visit to her daughter, had limited German but no English and who was up for a bit of a laugh and some charades in order to communicate! There was also Andrey who was an ex power lifting former anti air craft gunner with some English, many "anecdotes" about crashing things and who I don't think drew breath for the entire journey! He was fantastic company!
The train itself was very comfortable, was vacuumed twice a day, had a trolley service for snacks and mad little woman who offered doughnut type breads stuffed with meat, cabbage and potato for all who wanted it! For some reason she found me particularly amusing maybe it was my wonder and surprise at the goodies she offered, who knows!
The views from the train windows were enough of themselves to keep you amused. As you leave Moscow further and further behind the countryside opens up before you. Huge skies, grasslands that give way to forrests that give way to Taiga, it's something you have to see to truly appreciate. Other diversions included stops at local train stations. At one all you could purchase there were stuffed toys, at another fish! And of course there were many where you could stock up on the necessities of life!
On reaching Irkutsk we were taken to Lake Baikal. To put it into some perspective the lake is half the size of Ireland! It's the largest fresh water fish in the world and the waters are incredibly pure. If we had been there a month earlier it would have been completely frozen over. In fact one of the popular ways to travel from Listvyanka to Port Baikal in winter is drive over the lake. It's very beautiful there and we were taken by our host for a long walk on the banks of the lake and for a picnic complete with camp fire and blackberry tea! We also were lucky enough to have two trips to the Banya, which after four days on a train was an absoloute necessity! Birch twigs, sauna and tea! It's a great combination...
Our trip to Ulaan Bataar was quieter than the one to Irkutsk but was just as amusing. The stories you may hear about Mongol traders on this train are all true! Why the trains are built with so many hiding places is beyond me! People were running up and down the train from the moment we set off, dragging bags, boxes and packages with them. We were in a compartment with two empty bunks and for some reason nobody tried to store goods with us! I think we provided entertainment value enough for everyone. It was a bit like living in a fish bowl as the whole train seemed to stop by to have a look at us! The border crossing was typically awful. Eight hours without a toilet! Enough said... My advice is stop drinking about 3 hours before you're due to arrive I had no problems once I had become completely dehydrated! But we got through after cursory searches and some tutting and frowning over our customs forms (we can't read Cyrillic you see!!!!). But all's well that ends well!
On arriving in Mongolia we were taken to the Terelj National Park where we stayed in a Ger tent. It was so beautiful there. There was a perfect silence and it was an ideal place to recharge the batteries. We also attempted to horse ride and made friends with a Mongol Nomad called Sanja. Nothing can really explain how amazing an experience we had there and I'll always treasure the memories.
The Ger camp
On the train to Beijing we met a lovely Swiss girl called Valerie who had spent three weeks in Northern Mongolia, riding and living with Nomads. Her pictures were amazing and I'd love to learn how to ride properly so I could do something like that. It's one for the future maybe.
By the time we were on the train to Beijing we were familiar with the routine! Valerie and her Swiss compatriot Patrick were once again great company and the time passed very quickly. The border crossing wasn't too bad but the toilets were once again out of action for 8 long hours! The gauge on the trains also have to be changed before entry into China and we were allowed to stay in the carriages as they were raised, gauges changed and put back on the tracks! It was cool but took a while!
The landscape on this leg of the journey was like nothing I've ever seen before. Travelling through the norhtern more hospitable part of the Gobi was an eye opener. Dust came in the windows as soon as the wind rose. We and all our belongings were covered in a not so thin layer of it almost immediatley. The sand storms enveloped everything and it amazed me to see people living in this inhospitable and miserable place. When we woke up the next morning in China the landscape couldn't have been more different. Blue skies, newly verdant hills, paddy fields giving way to mountains. It was amazing. We didn't pass the Great Wall unfortunately but will be seeing it up close later on in our trip.
Arrival into Beijing was a bit chaotic and a little scary as we had no-one to meet us here. But we're becoming more seasoned at this travelling lark and we found our way to our hotel with little trouble! We're staying very centrally here which gives us a chance to find our feet and get to know the city at our own pace.
I have to pinch myself every time I remember where I am! It's an amazing place and I really like it here, which is a relief!!!!
So that's it that's the bare bones of our Trans Siberian experience. Just two things to note if you are thinking of doing it. Firstly if you are stopping to trek at Yeketeringburg or Irkutsk try and get the Tick borne Encephilitis vaccine, it's a big problem in those areas and there isn't that much info available about it in the guidebooks. Secondly, the guidebooks are often wrong! Don't believe all the negative publicity and be prepared for the good things not just the advertised negatives, a daily shower isn't all it's cracked up to be ya know!!!
