On the 22nd of July, 2015 we set out for our six-day train adventure, the Trans-Siberian (Trans-Mongolian) Railroad, Train Four from Moscow to Beijing via Ulan Batar.
It was pretty late when we boarded, so even though we were excited, we tried to get to sleep so we could wake up early and see the scenery.
So this is what we saw on our first glance out the window. But the rain didn't last and soon we were making our first stop (that we hadn't slept through), Kirov.
Our first day aboard the train ended in a beautiful sunset in Perm II.
We woke up early on Day 2 in the station at Ishim.
Each time the train stopped, we had a few minutes to get out and take a quick look around the station, maybe buy some snacks or drinks.
While headed for the dining car, we noticed the itinerary posted on the wall of Car 9. I took a picture, but it's not very clear because the train was moving at the time. We are traveling from Moscow to Beijing, so our times are listed on the right side going from bottom to top. All the Russian stops are in Moscow time, no matter which time zone we are actually in, and all the Mongolian stops are in Ulan Bator time. Of course all the Chinese stops are in Beijing time, because there is only one time zone in China so on the train or off, you're always on Beijing time.
We stopped in Omsk long enough for me to get some photos inside the train.
 |
| This thing is called a Samovar and it makes hot water for our coffee and noodles |
 |
| By this time we have settled into our compartment somewhat |
 |
And this is the aisle of car 10, featuring our new friend and
travel companion, Farida. |
Our next stop on Day 2 was Barabinsk, where we saw lots of interesting things.
 |
| Barabinsk Station |
 |
| A Barabinsk station dog |
 |
| A Barabinsk steam engine |
 |
| A Barabinsk sunset |
 |
| and Barabinsk fish for sale |
We started to get used to living on the train. But we had it pretty easy, in VIP first class. Although our electricity didn't work, the water for our "shower" was freezing cold, and the super-noisy wheels were right underneath our compartment, I can't imagine what spending six days in third class could possibly be like!
 |
| Vince takes the edge off with an ice-cold beer |
Day three started in Krasnoyarsk.
 |
| Next day we woke up in a beautiful town called Krasnoyarsk. |
 |
| A Lenin and friends mural in Krasnoyarsk |
 |
| the lines of Krasnoyarsk |
We passed by some beautiful hillside villages.
 |
| Hillside village as we near Irkutsk |
And we spent several lovely minutes in Ilanskaya.
 |
| Pigeons on Car Five |
 |
| Wedding Photos with Steam Engine in Ilanskaya |
 |
| Old Engine House at Ilanskaya |
 |
We weren't in Ilanskaya long enough to go across the tracks to the station,
so I tried to get a picture of the station name from inside the car. There it is. |
The evening of Day Three brought us to Nizhnay Udinsk, where we crossed paths with Train 3, the Beijing to Moscow line.
 |
| Nizhnay Udinsk Station |
 |
| Vince Between Trains Three and Four |
 |
| Me Between Trains Three and Four |
 |
This is the side of Train Three: Beijing - Ulan Bator - Moscow in
three languages, and the Chinese crest because it is a Chinese train. |
Train Three and Train Four are Chinese trains. Our conductors were Chinese, which was nice because we could communicate a bit more easily with them, and they were super friendly and helpful. Our conductor swept out our compartment a couple times a day and helped us refill our thermos with hot water. Since the electricity in Car 10 was broken, our conductor also set up a charging station in his room and invited everyone to plug in.
Day Three was also a special day for our neighbours in the next compartment, Farida and Jerome, because it was their first anniversary. The rest of the car threw a party for them.
 |
These are some of our friends from Car 10. Four couples from the UK who,,
like us, travelled all the way from Moscow to Beijing without stopping. |
 |
Everybody brought some food to the party. I've never been to a
party on a train before! |
 |
| Farida and Jerome cutting their anniversary cake |
On Day Four we passed through Irkutsk, which I slept through, and our only train neighbours who missed the party were replaced as they got off to explore Irkutsk. No wonder they missed the party! They had to be up before six a.m. to get off the train!
The first place I was awake to see was Slyudyanka. We were only there for two minutes so we weren't allowed off the train, but I did manage to get a photo of the station sign from the train window.
 |
| Slyudyanka |
Then after that it got really scenic as we passed Lake Baikal, the world's deepest lake which holds 20% of the planet's liquid fresh water!
 |
| Lake Baikal |
We passed through Ulan Ude, and then in the middle of the night spent two hours at the Russian border and two hours at the Mongolian border. We weren't allowed off the train at the border, except for one couple who weren't allowed to enter Mongolia because the Russian border control had forgotten to exit stamp one of their passports. They had to get off and go back to the Russian border. We hoped they would be able to catch another train and continue their journey, but Train Four only runs once a week. Poor guys. Remember, folks, always check your passport at each border control to make sure you got your stamp!
 |
| Ulan Ude Station |
 |
| Border crossing -- Leaving Russia |
 |
Border Crossing - Entering Mongolia, and the first thing you see is
the Chinggis (Ghengis) Club. |
One of the reasons the border crossing took so long was that they removed the Russian dining car and attached a Mongolian dining car. As soon as we woke up in the morning, which was actually closer to noon, we went to the Mongolian dining car for Mongolian breakfast, but they only served lunch, which was meat, meat, meat, meat, or meat. Vince was happy. I would have liked to try some of the pancakes listed on the defunct breakfast page of the menu, but was happy that we still had lots of groceries in our compartment!
 |
| Photo Bomb in the Mongolian Dining Car |
On our fifth day, we stopped at the Mongolian city of Choyr, where I bartered in Rubles for a bottle of Mongolian water. I think I overpaid. The conductor and many of my friends from Car 10 stepped in to help me with this feat of haggling.
 |
| Choyr Station |
 |
| Haggling for Mongolian water |
We chuffed through the Mongolian countryside, seeing steppes, water holes, camels, horses, goats, cows, villages, and ger.
 |
| View of Mongolian Scenery featuring Camels |
 |
| Blue Mongolia |
We next stopped in Sayan Shand,, where we were unsuccessful in our attempts to purchase drinks for a reasonable price in Rubles. But since we were only in Mongolia for one day, we did not exchange money or visit the ATM, so we did not have any Togrogs to spend.
 |
| Sayan Shand Station |
 |
| A Push-Me Pull-You Train in Sayan Shand. |
 |
| The Mongolian dining car, aka Restoran, and it's HOT! |
The rest of Day Five took us through Mongolia and we spent another night crossing another border, which will be the subject of our next post because that is where the bogies (wheels) got changed!
 |
| The Mongolian Landscape featuring Horses |
 |
| A Watering Hole and its Patrons |
