Trans-Siberian Train 1

Location: Small cell like cabin on our first Trans-Siberian Train.

11.30pm and board the first official of our 4 trans-Siberian trains.
This part of the trip is the longest at 48 hours.
The entire journey from Moscow to Beijing vis Mongolia is 7865km and
7days. Some people do it straight through. This has to be the ultimate
in human endurance and borderline insanity.
It's not like a Cruise ship that stops for hours at a time and offers
a delightful selection of in house entertainment, west end style shows and
bingo. Oh no. The train stops to be serviced, topped up with water,
pick up/drop off passengers and change engine. All this takes a maximum
of 20 mins. A perfect amount of time to get off the train and walk
around maybe purchase some snacks and beer but no more. As this and
the Russian radio being played in the carriage is the only form of
entertainment 7 days would be testing.

We have booked out tickets through an agency all the way from Moscow
to Beijing. We met people that booked each leg as they go, maybe just
one days notice and for less money. But you run the risk of not
getting the train you want, not advisable in summer.
We are in carriage 7, second class. Which means 9 cabins of 4 people
per carriage with 2 toilets and 1 attendant (well 2, one rests while
the other takes care of us). First class is 9 cabins of 2 people and
3rd class is open plan with 54 beds still 2 toilets.
Already in his place is our roommate when we arrive. And not the most
friendly of fellows, not rude just not in to small talk. He keeps his
self on his side of the room and we on ours.
After a hour or so of settling in, reading and very nice wine but
drunk from our thermal mugs that still smell of soup we bed down.
Laying there and listening to a Jonathon Ross podcast

- a little aside. The list of travel essentials now lists as:
Custom ear plugs
Eye masks
Thermal mug
And iPhone. Not for it's phone-ness but for it's wonderful wireless
Internet capacity and for enabling me to regularly down load podcast,
keeping me entertained and up to date with the celebrity world.

So I was enjoying Jonathan chat with Dizzy Raskel think I should
really try and sleep. But why? What will happen if I go crazy and
listen to a second podcast staying away longer than I would have if had
work the next day or even some site seeing to do.
The night trains, unlike cruise ships, don't offer many entertainment
options. There is chatting, well our friend made it clear that was not
going to happen. There is eating, reading, podcast and sleeping. So I
went crazy and stayed up one extra podcast, then slept for maybe 9
hours. Of course I had two little sleeps the following day, one mid
morning and one mid afternoon.

Breakfast was bread and Nuttella, the last jar in the shop the day
before.
We left Moscow and built up Russia in the dark and woke up to a
beautiful snow covered landscape, there most have been at least a foot
of snow on everything. Now and again there were small towns comprising
of ramshackle wooden houses but not allot else.
We stop about 4pm and I get off for a little walk.
We read and heard lots of horror stories about people getting off,
wandering too far and the train leaving without them. One lonely
planet writer got arrased after his train left him as he did not have
his passport with him and another old guy got left in just a bathrobe
and slippers. So I had money and passport with me and I kept close to the
train. There were hundreds of people on the platform selling everything
you could need, snacks, sweets, beer, a cup-tree complete with cups
and even warm meals. I got stopped by one guy who spoke English. He not
did try and sell me anything, rather he wanted to practice his already
perfect English. He wad telling me that out of a population of 30000
500 make their living from selling to passengers.
It is now dark at 4.10.

We walk through the train to third class to find our friend.
And it's a different game down there. People every where. Constant moving
around and much nosier. In second class people stay in their cabins
and most keep the door closed so when some does move along the carriage
you don't notice. In third class you see and hear everything. Most
beds are filled, family's, elderly couples, young people, soldiers. We
find Chris and start chatting. We instantly attract the attention of
locals and within no time we are seated in a group chatting. People
were interested in what we were doing, why be in the train and go
through Russia. For Russians long distance train travel is second
nature. Everyone knows what to expect and comes well prepared. We are
surrounded with food, tomatoes, instant noodles and most important
alcohol. The guys explain that all there is nothing to do but drink. They
kindly share a spirit that smelled like Christmas with Davina. Me and
Chris did not get offered any!
One of the guys was a young student on his way home from Moscow and
spoke good English and acted a translator for us. There was a 27 year
old singer who's English was limited and, for him, frustrating. But
when he sang he got all the words perfect and even his accent was good.
I guess he just copies the songs. There were a number of young
soldiers, one in particular looked 14 but insits he was 19.
We decide that second class travel was for us. But we would have gone 3rd class. Its cheaper and allot more interesting.

Next day we meet Chris in the resturant car, a very modern, plastic car offering a limited menu of unknowns. We choose just beer.
Its nice to get out of our cabin and chat for a while. The service was poor, menu options limited and expensive but still Virgin could take some pointers from here.