Trans Siberian Express day 1

Hard to imagine I used to think about the Trans Siberian and now finally doing it....here I sit in the dining car, whizzing through Russia looking out the window watching the Russian world go by. The train seems like a relic, it's got character, I'm sharing with three other people, i dont know their names they speak no English, the lady is about 90.....i was praying she didnt get the top bunk, the guy with her could be her son.....could be her toyboy....we shall never know. The other guy i get the impression hes being shipped off to the Gulag he never smiles and mutters to himself (trust me to get the Loon)...... The cabin is really basic, a small table....(that only 2 at a time can fit round) our bunks, 4 walls, the window, and some dubious looking bedding......I love travel 😆😊

I have met two other Irish blokes, who have worked in Bishop Stortford.....just up the road where I was brought up small world huh..........the cabin next to mine has two couples in, they could be Brits but not had a chance to mix yet so im not on my own and someone to talk too.......it's going to take 4 days to get to Siberia, hopefully Gulag guy wont kill me in my sleep, the extra from the film cocoon and her toyboy will not act out some 50 shades stuff and it will go smoothly........😆

Just had me first meal on the train, not sure if it was Russian....it filled a hole...the chief *stewerdess looks like she could wrestle a bear so quite frankly if she served me a rabid dog I would have eaten it......and smiled politley....I know a cowardiski....

We made one stop so far, been going for a couple of hours now, i'm just trying to work out if Chernobyl is anywhere near here as it looked worryingly similar place....you dont think they'll send us tourist here to test the radiation levels are safe yet do you ?????😵😲......if anything falls off as i type this youll be the first to know......I did take a wander back to the cabin, Gulag man is asleep on the top bunk.....still muttering away, the old lady and her toyboy are quietly reading....no not 50 shades i checked....I stayed a few minutes and decided to head offski.......so back to the dinning car....i'm sure the bear wrestler thinks I fancy her now ...😕

Day 2......awake.....😴

Morning.....im awake, an eventful night to say the least......... The first night I went back to the cabin and lasted 5 minutes with sitting there with Gulag man and the others, I decided to go to  the 'comunual hub'   the dinning car I actually bumped into the two Irish lads and had a good old chat, something i've missed i realised ,having not spoken to anyone in a conversation for a week......I dont mind but sometimes you need that interaction. We were then joined by a Belgian lady, who's traveling with a colleague who's French, it was a good night, I did notice a few more 'westerners' on the train two French ladies who insisted they wanted a bottle of champagne.....a couple of Dutch, very cosmopolitan.......my two new found travel companions who are " t-total".. passed around the vodka bottle and the conversation about the past days experiences made for a good atmosphere, then the storm from hell broke overhead, thunder lightning....rain like youve never seen it, all i could think of was 'this is typical....im bunking with gulag guy and  ......" murder on the Siberian express" jumped into my head.......complete with the storm overhead.....then the train stopped, in the middle of know where with a fork lightning falling around us and the rain was loud..........the lights dimmed.....the perfect horror movie.....all i needed was gulag guy to come screaming out the cabin or the 'Bear wrestler' to come out the kitchen with a meat clever.....perfect....bloody perfect....

The train did get going again after about an hour....the rain died down...that's better.......it was now 10 pm.....everything is run on Moscow time on the train, we will be going through 7 time zones I think.....how confusing is that.....so where we was, was actually 11pm......i think........its been a long day, so decided to go to bed, I had to make the bed up, in the dark, bouncing around my cabin companions asleep......or gulag guy was sharpening his knife grinning ear to ear.....and 50 shades couple ....who knows.......I shook the thought away. I still kept me jeans on.......moved my bags around to give me room on the bunk and slept. I did sleep better than i thought, despite the smell of cheesey feet, BO.....amazing what abit of tiger balm under the nose can acheive....so glad i brought it.....and found another all round use for it, good stuff. 

At 5 this morning i was woken up by Gulag guy banging around mumbling....perhapse he was dismembering his latest victim????? :-0....I kept my eyes shut and drifted off again....got woken up at 6:30....by the old lady....drifted off again awakened again at 7:30........ I just thought sod it and got up, had a good stand up wash in the toilet/sink......there seems to have been a mass exodus last night as a few of the cabins were empty......Gulag guy was gone ( i can only imagine him chasing these people off the train across the fields as i slept)...... made a cuppa from the hot water urn bubbling away at the end of the carrage, i brought my own tea bags and powdered milk.....luxuries i always bring 😆 true Englishman.....I sat with the old lady in the cabin, she actually is very nice, speaks no English whats so ever but continues to have animated conversations with me...bless her......I shall now refer to her as Babushka.....(Russian for grandmother) ........After another conversation which i have absolutly no idea Babushka offered me a couple of cakes, like bread rolls with caster sugar...nice they were. I had my morning cuppa and some cakes feeling content headed for the dining car to sit down and write this.....i wasnt intending to eat, im not a big breakfast fan but 'Bear wrestler' was on duty one brief order from her..... i ordered an *omlete ( i use ' omlete' loosley....ive attached a photo so you can identify any omlete features....😖  

The rest of the day has gone smoothly, I ventured to the dinning car had a chat, there's a guy from South Korea on the train travelling around, he has no Russian or even spoken English but quite happily sitting on the Trans Siberian watching the world go by, with basic communication, a map book and the old faithful Lonely planets guide he told me he's going to Vladivostok and then the boat to South Korea. You have to admire him, even joked about Kim Yong and North Korea.......another person, with a totaly different life and culture expriencing adventure and sharing a joke.......I love travel.......

Somehow Ive managed to have the cabin all to my self now, the self concious side of me will be asking the question.....'' do i smell''?....''was it something I said''?......are these people telling their friends about the crazy English who goes to sleep in his jeans.....It's not for long, we stop a few hours later in another busy station, and i'm joined by a women and her son.....I leave them to sort themselves out being the galant gentleman, and go to the dinning car where i bump into my two Irish Friends, we order dinner, I had the goulash with macaroni.....(is that Russian???) The other two had 'chicken filet' and beef steak.......when they arrived they looked identical...even the waitress was confused....or laughing....the photo on the menu was nothing like what was infront of us.....the only way to tell was the different shades of the meat....even my macaroni looked like mash potato....we all looked at each other to see if anyone was going to say something to the ''bear wrestler''....no one did......cowardiski........so we tucked into our........what ever it was. 

At this point I just want to say that it may seem that i'm always eating, i'm not......but the restaurant car is the social hub, things happen there, when i come back to my cabin i'm looking out the window watching the forests, old wooden houses, small villages...stations...tanks....it is so relaxing and the constant reminder that I'm on the Siberian express....actually on the train on my way to China....I feel quite emotional.

It's getting late, 10 oclock Moscow time........12 oclock where we are time????? I'm still confused. I go back to the cabin and my two new bunkies are in bed, im abit more prapared this time so going to bed is no longer a NATO exercise....I keep my jeans on again....more the fact that there is a half naked Russian women not 2 foot away from me........

Day 3 Dreaming of a shower .......

I'm up at 7am again, we stopped at another station and the women and her son have just left...embarking are a load of Russian solidiers, complete with AK 47 and enough ammunition to start a war.......they do have padlocks on the boxes though....nice of them......none are bunking with me ......phew......i'm not sure if were now off to Ukraine but decided to try a stand up wash again.....I was dreaming of showers last night, it was realy hot in the cabin.....They lock the toilet/bathroom when we're in the station so as soon as we set off I took all my washkit, fresh skids, and filled up the little sink.....It's no mean feat to wash whilst grabbing on for dear life but I was clean......relativley.....fresh as a daisy.......what a good start to the day....😆

I'm having trouble finding a plug socket on here so not sure how much more juice my Tablet and phone has......i'll write on good ol pen and paper if it runs out........you wouldnt want to miss anything now would you 😆 ..........

Yesterday passed by smoothly, the scenery unchanging, trees, villages, little farms, the occasional station........diddly dum diddly doo....diddly dum diddly doo......The routine like clockwork now, the chief engineer did help me to charge up my phone, he's always running around clutching his tools, coming back with lumps of metal or a broken fan belt.....how much more of this train can break? It looks like he has his job cut out it is a really old train. The crew seem to be living in the three cabins, next door to our cabin, one engineer, two cabin girls, the hostess.....another guy in uniform  which i can only assume to be the political officer......have i been watching too much ''hunt for red october''????😐 My new roomies keep themselves to themselves, ive not broken much ice with them yet. 

We have done a couple of long stops, doesnt sound much excitment to you reading this but now 4 days on the train we look at excitment in different ways....i got off and streached my legs.....bought a loaf and a bottle of water.....well...when in Russia.....The loaf cost 40 Rubles....20p...it will probebly last me all trip, there was a choice of dried fish.....which trust me stank!!!! I think every Russian on the train bought one because it smells like a rotting fishmongers.....:-0 .... The whistle blows and back on you get.....I did have a doze just after lunch......either that or I passed out from the overwhelming smell of rotting fish.....Shane came in and woke me to ask me if I wanted to join him and his brother Briann in the dining car....so we had a chat and passed the time. I never tire of looking out the window though......i still keep reminding myself i'm on the Trans Siberian express........it doesn't get much better than this....:-) .....diddly dum diddly doo........

As we stop at the station I get phone reception back, i decide to check my emails with the logic that I'm still in europe I can get the O2 offer of internet for 50mb whilst roaming....I had to put credit on the phone so I topped up with 20 quid. I turned on the data roaming and the phone dinged, chimed, flashed.....all my past couple of day texts, whatsapps, emails, all came......then it stopped.....a message flashed up I have to top up my phone.....bloody 20 quid !!!! Gone....in a flash....I wont be doing that again.......lesson learnt....right up there with ''dont eat yellow snow''....''dont stroke a polar bear''.....dont piss off a ''Russian bear''............I've not taken many pictures on the train, they dont like you taking photos in the stations, trying to take a photo out the dirty window on a moving train wont make for a nice picture either.....i have snapped off a few with the phone to give you an Idea.....We reach Lake Biakal in Siberia Thursday morning at 9:45am....after 5 days on the train it will be nice to spend a few days on terra firma.....diddly dum diddly doo...............

Day 4..........diddly dum diddly doo...........

I slept better last night, I wonder if i'll find it strange to sleep in a bed without movement or noise.....I had breakfast, I thought I'd go authentic and had what the others were having, it was like a pastry with a burger and onions in.....not unpleasent....but my body was wondering what the hell was going on......''give me wheetabix''...I'm still not use to these time zones....I looked at my clock....it was 6:20am......oh well.......My bunk buddies seem alittle more talkative today, even offering me some snacks, I spoke to a Dutch couple also, so a nice morning. I knew we were going to be coming into a station in 40 minutes so to beat the rush to the toilet, I went early (dont forget they lock the doors when we get close to a station) it was locked, I waited...the cabin lady came out and locked it .....i asked her nicley to let me go in.....she said 'no' I went to another toilet .....locked....by this time I was busting....(note to my self....dont drink so much tea.....) I went to the staff toilet and she said no and alot of other stuff.......this was now leg crossing time.....I went back to the cabin, with a plan....got some clothes out of my pack, hinted to the two others i wanted to get changed....when they left I locked the door....grabbed an empty water bottle and filled it up.....I'm not proud..............😕but a mans got to do what a mans got to do.....(I'm waiting to find the cow who locked the toilet doors so I can give her the special English Vodka....mwah ha ha....) 

The scenery is changing abit now, weve entered Siberia and it's more hilly, pine have started to feature more widely. Ive not seen many animals, no cows or sheep....the farms we pass seem to be small holdings with their own vegetable gardens and the same distinct style wooden houses, it's got cooler as well....imagine in the winter it goes down to minus 50 here.....minus 50.....!!!  Ive just had a look at what time I'm getting off tomorrow, 03:30 Moscow time or 8:30 Irktuk time, on the lake......luckily the guy staying on the top bunk is getting off as well so he said he'll let me know....I went to the dining car and joined Briann and his brother Shane, they are great guys and a good bonus to this trip......after making the plans for the morning I went back to my cabin, they were all asleep, we were joined by another guy at the last stop, so a full cabin again.....full smell....thankfully cooler now were in Siberia....I made up my bed, yes I kept my jeans on......fresh skids dont forget....😆😊...I then went to bed....

I'm not sure if I was just restless, but we seem to be going at a breakneck speed,  I think the driver must have been on the vodka as we were going full throttle then breaking sharply....at one point every one rolled to the left side of the train as he took the bend like Lewis Hamilton was driving..............we must have hit every bump, dint and gap on the track, coupled with the shunting of the carrages, I can honestly say I know how it must feel to be depth charged on a submarine!!!.....it was the worst sleep ever.....thank goodness in 6 hours we will reach Irkutsk  and I can get a shower.....change my clothes..get my stuff washed....have a nice dinner.....the list was endless......i'm not sure if the depth charging stopped or I just drifted off to sleep but I woke up at 03.00 am Moscow time (or 07.00 Irkutsk time......just to be pedantic) we survived the night......😆...If you can imagine three people in a cabin with a two foot gap between the beds trying to collect all their belongings....pack the last bits...strip their beds and put the bedding away, it was like a ballet.....I bent down as the other guy put his mattress on the top ...........he bent down as I put mine up....we side stepped each other to get out the door.....but we managed it....We have arrived..:-)))...As i kissed the ground getting off the train...(not really just adding abit of drama) I met up with Shane and Briann and then our guide Yelena, a lovely intelligent young lady....we all got in our taxi and drove about an hour to the hotel right on the lake Baikal.....I'm actually sitting here now writing this looking at the biggest deepest oldest lake in the world....on the decking of our hotel...it's really nice...ill show you a picture...and the room is amazing...

I stripped off jumped in the shower and had the longest shower ever.....it wasn't enough......I went in again. ....😁...what a feeling.....I bagged up all my clothes.... (peeling them off floor and walls 😆😆😷).....just kidding....took them down stairs and to the laundry, I felt human again. I went to breakfast and had boiled eggs, pancakes, and a cuppa......bliss. The rest of the breakfast was noodles, curd, meat, salad,cheese......not my kind of thing...but was contented, I was clean.....I had my own bed....and the place looked amazing, what more could I ask 😆

Day 4 cont......Terra firma...Siberia Russia..

I write this now on the terrace of the hotel looking out at the lake Baikal. Ive had another shower...had a breakfast you could actually identify, and now I'm going on a tour of the town with Yelena. It's a small town, and stretches 3 klm along the shore of the lake. It must have about a dozen small hotels, the odd shop, I think I counted 12 restuarants we walk to the museum and she tells me of the history, how in the winter you can drive on the lake as it's over 1.8 meters thick.....sod that...some winters they have minus 30 and some over minus 40......not really BBQ weather huh....I think my body shuts down at minus 10. So you can take it as read that i'll not be popping over here for a winter jaunt. I asked her if she owns a big coat and hat.....well i'm just asking....ive got this picture of the village walking round like a scene from doctor chivago.....and she does:-). The museum had specimens and photos, diagrams etc of the lake, very informative, they had an aquarium with the different fish species, then they had two seals bombing around this tank, i thought they were balls they were litrally round....we then walked up onto a path and come to a chair lift, in the winter you can ski here, at minus 40 I'd be worried about touching anything metal but Yalena insists it's ok, she enjoys to ski. We go up to the top and look over the lake, theres prayer flags flying in the wind and you can see why it's breathtaking, and feel close to the spirits. I saw similar flags in Nepal, and Tibet they must be distant cousins the Siberian and Nepalease people. I took a photo for you to see, it was an amazing place. We came back down and walked along the lake, Yelana explaining to me all about the way of life about her family asking about mine, so lovely. We parted ways and i went back to my room, I was going to take another shower, take a power nap as i'm still not used to this time difference thing.....and the room was like a bomb site with all my backpack all over the place....( my clothes trying to escape i think ;-).....)I slept longer than I though, I was woken up by Shane calling asking if I was ready for dinner, we were planning a slap up meal, so we headed out, went to a nearby restuarant and looked at the menu. Again helped by pictures we picked our selections, half of you ready for dissapointment......no wait...this is how it looks on the photo.....and it tastes.....well edible......it was heaven, even Shane stopped talking for 5 minutes as we ate....( sorry Shane ;-) just kidding....) it was that good ...It was great banter as well, laughing about the past few days, we had a good ol laugh. 

Day 5.......the walk...

Next day we organised a trek into the Siberian forest, I'm glad it wasnt just me on my own, If a bear did attack I was planning to stab Briann in the leg and run like hell...(sorry Briann...;-).....survivalism kicking in......''cowardiski i know''.....I came prepared, long trousers sturdy boots, a backpack with tourch, knife, water, first aid kit, poncho.....bear Gyles would have been proud...Shane and his brother came with trainers, and umberella........Briann did bring water  Shane a six pack of beer.....;-)....we met up with our guide Sasha....you dont think were going into the woods alone.....He was a nice guy, good local knowlage and sympathetic towards the mottley crew tagging along behind him....I loved everyminute......the fact that the scenery was out of this world, green lush canopy overhead, floor carpeted with green fowlage.....the sounds of the woods broken by ................... ''shit"...thump...........''ow''.....''I've been bitten!!!!''..."there's something in my eye"!!!!........''where are you!!!!??'' ............................Rambo would have been so proud....;-).

We stopped a couple of times, I was happy enough snapping off a few photo's....taking it all in....watching out for a charging Bear....We stopped for Lunch on the edge of Lake Baikal, Sashas wife had cooked us a lunch, of rice and sausage, with the normal cucumber and tomato accompanyment......and a flask of tea, mmmmmm. It got abit nippy sitting down so Shane got out his poncho, ....bright blue....looked like the caped crusaider gone wrong....( sorry Shane ) just then this white thing comes hairing out the trees.....I thought it was a wolf....honest.....knife in hand I was ready to stab Briann in the leg and make a dash.....luckily it was a dog, quite friendly, looking for scraps of food......it followed us for a while after we set off then never see him again after.....going back we were following Sasha along a track quite a shear drop in places then we stopped, I thought Shane had stopped for another drink but to there credit and i will be eternally greatful to the both of them, a snake had appeared infront of Shane, knowing I hate snakes Briann told me to stay and not look while Shane flicked the snake off with a stick......thanks guys .

Eventually we made it back to the village, according to Sasha we did nearly 17klm.....a little over 5 hours....and we loved every minute. I took a slow walk back to the hotel taking photo's of the harbour the beach.....got in and had another shower and a chill before dinner...

Day 6.......on the move.....again......

Today were moving from the lake to the capital Irkusk, it's an hours journey by car. I repacked my bag, now all my clothes are fresh as a daisy....I've accquired a nice pair of slippers....complimentry??? They are now....I'm showered, watered and fed, rested and ready. We got the taxi and headed for the city, there was a near death incident on the way when a bee flew through the car window,  and a wrestle to the death between the two,  now screaming Brothers frantically fighting to get it out whilst keeping out of it' way......sorry lads made me chuckle.....and i do acknowladge and greatful you fended off the snake. The rest of the  journey passed without incident, we reached our new hotel and was met again by the lovely Yalena who helped us check in....and gave us maps to orientate us, on mine she pointed out where the wooden houses were, famous in Siberia, some nice points of interest and photos oppertunities.......On Shanes map she wrote where the bars were, the nearest subway sandwich shop, and where he could get a Uri Gagarin replica watch.....dont ask. ;-) 

I went off and did my walk, it's a quiet city, but what struck me was that all the street signs had an English equivelent at the bottom, making it far easier to navigate.......In Moscow I was looking at the last three symbols at the end and trying to match them on my map......I had a good walk round and started to fade by 4pm so went back to the hotel for a siesta. The hotel had three restaurants, one called the '' English pub'' the only thing English about it was the sign....a chinese....and I cant remember the other one. We all decided to eat out again, about a 5 minute walk from the hotel was a little Italian place, we found it no problem a really nice respectable restaurant, all the diners in their fancy clothes....then we walked in....the tone went down hill from there. Lucky for us a waitress spoke English so we ordered and had another great meal.....my faith in Russian cuisine fully restored. We didnt stay out long, we were up early to catch the Siberian express to Mongolia in the morning......sounds unreal huh........we walked back and i retired, Shane and Briann retired to the bar....I had made arrangments to wake them up just incase. 

Day 7............... Gengis Khan move over........

I sit here now writting this on the Mongolian express, we made it........ just.  The train is new and a million times better than the Russian train we came in on, it even has a tv in the cabin.....our last train didnt even have a working window...I'm sharing with two Dutch guys, a father and son, the cabins air conditioned, clean, even mom would be happy in this one....theres a man and womens toilet.....the doors between the carrages are push button operated......no levering up a giant handle like a Russian battle ship to open the doors.....you had to time your jump between carrages on the last train.....not this one it's so nice.....Briann and Shane in the carrage 4 up from me are happy.  It lacks the charm and qwerk of the Russian train....we look back at ''bear wrestler'' and wonder whos life she's making a misery now. I've enjoyed Russia,   have some great memories.....i'll miss writing ''ski'' at the end of words to make them look Russian......but were not out of Russia yet......at this moment were passing the Baikal lake, five hours later we are still passing the lake it's huge, and some great scenery. we make a couple of stops, and a half hour stop we all get off, we are an hour away from the Mongolian boarder and there's a buzz.......the whistle blows and we all get on board.........were "offski".....sorry last time....:-) 

We reach the boarder about  7pm, first the train stops, then the first officials come on, they hand out some paperwork for us to fill in, they tell us to pull the blinds down and stay in the cabin, it's really quite an edgy atmosphere......very intimidating. Three more officials come on in uniform and check our bags.....then shortly after some more ask for our passport, ask us to stand so they can look at us to match the passport photo with the person and look at us for several seconds and back at the picture.....very wierd....next comes a dog....no reference to the lady.....sniffing for drugs? Explosives? We had enough on board the last train to start world war three where was she then?????..........then comes in two women (i use the term loosley) in black uniforms, a batman utility belt, a batton and side arm....they tell us to get up and get out.....literally....then when we were out they pulled everything out, bags, bedding...all over the place then they left.....should have saved my special ''English vodka'' for them two ladygizza's.....

After more than two hours at the check point..... in what seemed like a scene from a spy film we left Russia.....I made it.....I was ''outski''.....(.that is the last time honest)....Next came the Mongolian boarder check point,  it was still alot of form filling but alot less tense and intimidating, they even smiled,said  please and thankyou..........I'm in Mongolia......and it is an amazing place. The secenery is endless mountains with traditional ''gers''  Mongolian tents dotted eveywhere.....It was only when it was dark that I stopped looking out the window in awe. It's time to go to sleep, up again tomorrow at 6am.....I turn in....jean less....i have shorts on..yes shorts....that's how safe I feel.....even the trains smoother....no more depth charging experience....I drift off to sleep.....

Day 8  Mongolia......Ulaanbaatar......UB for short...

I had a great sleep, I looked out the window to see a nothingness with the occassional ''ger''...We then started to come into UB...it was how I imagined, but far more development....new sky rises going up...it was a bustling, busy city at it's beginning.  We stopped at the station, I met up with Shane and Briann, and then our man Mugouy.....sorry if it's not the right spelling......I was calling him moegley for a few hours....We were on the same transfer so a bonus, we got in the mini van and inched our way through the traffic, car horns sounding like it was going out of fashon. Our first stop was a hotel where we were going to get a shower and some breakfast....we collected towels and went down stairs to the sauna room...at this point my mind began to wonder as it was a Korean hotel we were in....but no it was a harmless sauna and shower .....phew....thats all I wanted to hear was '' GI want boom boom?????''........we met up for breakfast, a real mix of noodles, rice....like one of those leftover Chinese we have after a night out....but there was also toast, cereal etc......Now showered and fed we went to the main Plaza in UB, a vast square with a building at the edge with the biggest Chinggis Khaan statue ever.....(but not so....there will be bigger) He's everywhere, and why not, he occupied the biggest empire the world has ever seen....Russia tried to write him out the history books.....China cringe at the name......I shall be saying it alot in China....(mwah ha ha....)  by the way it's not poor spelling I'm using the correct Mongolian term for him....and lets face it they should know.    The rest of my spelling I have no excuse for....

We spent a good few hours changing money, getting some provisions....looking at a Buddhist monestary....gate crashing a wedding.....dont ask....Next were back in the mini van heading out of the city, the driver playing Russian roulette with the oncoming cars.....but we made it, and before long it was open plain....the Gobi.....Mongolia in the raw....fantastic. after an hour we came to THE BIGGEST MONUMENT IVE EVER SEEN.....made out of stainless steel standing atop of a building on his horse was Chinggis Khaan....it was massive...and very impressive....see the photos....see for yourself. We went in it ,and up it.....I soon came down it as I hate hights and I wasnt sure how much weight a stainless steel structure will hold with 1000 Koreans and Mongolians inside of him....it was impressive.

It was now time to head for our host family at the Ger camp......we must have drove for ages across this dusty track, not a person or fixed building in sight...I saw Buzzards...or eagles swooping....the odd horse....and nothingness it was brilliant. Eventually we arrived at the camp, they were all waiting for us, so lovely......we got shown to our Gers.....it was a real life nomadic ger......i was buzzing....There must have been about 20 gers, one building for the restaurant and toilet block.....I was kind of dissapointed i didnt have to dig my own crap hole but hey.....cant have everything. We were in the middle of know where......I saw about 2 Gers to the south in the distance and that was it.....hills....mountains...as far as they eye could see.....Bear Gyles go suck an egg.......;-0  ;-) ..They laid on a dinner for us, real traditional Mongolian food, lamb stew...potatos cabbage....even a hot stone to warm your hands made with the stew....guess it's more apt when it's minus 40 but hey......I loved it. Mougoy then showed us a Mongolian game all with lambs bones quite addictive.....it was a bloody good night....the scenery was still amazing at night...i kept going off to take pictures....I was in heaven.  It got abit chilly of a night, we did have a fire we could light in the ger if it got too cold but I slept like a baby....and opening the door in the morning I was greated with the most amazing sight ever.....( no it wasnt a mirror  ;-))  I had goose bumps... it was so amazing.....

Day 9 Ger camp life....

I got up early, had a shower, freshened up before breakfast, I walked back to the ger and smacked my head on the door frame........that has never happened to me before!!! It felt wonderful....I must have blacked out for about 20 minutes.......just kidding...i did have a lump on my head though, that will teach me. We had breakfast, they had these lovely pastries filled with chocolate...mmmmmmmmm....and noodles, potatos, cabbage.....guess what I had for breakfast...and tea....pots and pots of tea....they drink tea....I love these people....maybe I was a Mongolian in my past life.....maybe I was Chinggis Khaan himself...That would explain my last job as a penence...;-)....he wasnt what we would call a decent chap. Mougoy was going to take us to meet a Mongolian nomad family, we had a choice of riding by horse or walking....well the second choice I indroduced after i told him I'm not getting on a F*** horse (flipping)........it was only a mile or so away...i will walk....I may look like jockey material but believe me i'll be in China on a runnaway horse before you knew what happened.................so walk I did, Briann also came so at least I could stab him in the leg if we were attacked by wolves......man with a plan ;-)... it was a great walk you could see the ger in the distance and i took some great pictures. When you walked the floor was alive with grass hoppers all jumping infront of you, I'm sure if we had any Chinese with us they would have been bagging them up for a snack on the journey.......

We reached the ger and the family came out to greet us, husband, wife, three toddlers and a young lad.....we were invited into their home.....it didnt look alot different to my ger......they gave us tea......I love these people..... it wasnt quite PG but hey....when in Mongolia and through Mugouy asked questions.....how many times have you moved this year? 4 times....(it's only June)......how long does it take to pack the ger and move? 1 day.......all the while the kids are looking at us with uncertainty......When I was in Edinburgh getting my visa Clare and family came up to visit,  I bought some balloons, and bubbles as a gift from Niamh to give to kids, this was the perfect time......I blew the balloons up and their faces lit up.....they loved them....I think the youngest was about 2 the oldest 4........it was the lovliest sight.....they were giggling and laughing...so lovely. They were trying to catch the bubbles,  bless them, I couldnt blow them as i ran out of puff from the balloons....so Shane was entertaining them.....I took some nice photos. It was a truly great experience, the family were smiling and happy as could be, i'll never forget that experience.   It was time to walk back so we waved goodbye and headed off back to the camp.....

We had another 4 course dinner that night.....dumplings, cabbage and potato.....out of this world it was. Shane and Briann set out to get Mugouy drunk......(they succeeded)......i went off and soaked in the surroundings as the sun set and moon came out.......they did come over and ask me to take a ''Starwars'' theme photo as the ger against the moon looked like a scene from the film.........Ive become their official photographer.......due to the fact ive given them so much grief in this blog .....I will miss them. 

Day 10  Back to UB......

This morning we have to leave  this amazing place, were on our way back to UB, we're all sad to go, I loved our time in the camp, the friendly people, the amazing scenery. We drove off and they all came out to wave us off......or make sure we actually left...the drive back was subdued, the open plains gave way to more and more gers, more buildings more traffic....we were back in UB. The hotel we were in was nice enough, very central. There was a Judo competition going on there so full up.....remind me not to get into trouble. I settled into the room, checked my emails etc, then went for a wander, we came here on the first day so I was familiar with the places...ish. It was a busy place, I got something to eat and headed back to the hotel, bumped into Shane who actually got his Uri Gagarin watch....can you believe it, so he was made up. That soon passed when they both were told that as it was the first of the month it was prohibited to buy alchohol in Mongolia......that was priceless.....if Dot Cotton from Eastenders had stripped knacked and jiggled up and down in front of them ,it still wouldn't be close to the disgust on their faces.... they did manage to bribe the barman and get a supply of vino though....very enterprising men....I did bump into a Dutch couple who was on the train from Moscow, familiar faces....I guess were all on the same route. Not alot else has happened really. Repacked...then re re packed....seeing what clothes would last another day of wear.....you can only turn your boxers inside out so many times :-) ;-)......kidding.....I bagged up all the dirty stuff ready for a laundry....hopefully a few in China .....had a shower, watched the news, and got ready for the early start next morning. I added a post on Facebook, in China it's not allowed to have social media sites, so I will be off the grid for a month. Hopefully my website isn't classed as ''social media'' we shall see.

I will miss Mongolia, wish I could spend more time here, Ive enjoyed it's raw rustic appeal, not entirely spoilt by tourists. Maybe one day I will come back.

Day 11.....back on the trans Siberian.....to China......''Chinggis Khann''..''Chinggis Khann''....

Here I sit on the final leg of my Trans Siberian, looking out the window as Mongolia drifts by, ever deeper into the Gobi....onwards to China. It should be a 31 hour trip, with a 5 hour stop as they change the wheels from Mongolian guage to Chinese guage...customs is included in that. The train is another relic, not unlike the Moscow train. It's noisey...tatty...but has a charm...I'm actually bunking with an Austrian and a Japanese lady both travelling alone.....maybe my jeans will be staying on tonight.......next door are a mom and daughter from London who I met on the last train from Siberia....and the Dutch father and son are on here also. Infact the whole carrage number one is full of westerners...that will be a first...something the locals havent told us??? Ive been up to see Briann's and Shanes cabin, a definate improvement for them, we go to the dining car.....''the social hub''....and it is heaving, a real mix of people chatting excitedly, I got talking to a kiwi bloke, a bloke from Devon, two more Londoners, and some people who were on the last train that I recognised. The waiter come over and he couldn't have been nicer, smiling away, they actually had the things you asked for on the menu....the pictures corresponded with the right dish....it was nice to look at...good to eat. We opted for a set menu, out came a salad, tasty enough, next came our mains, some beef, veg and chips...then came the dessert, I kid you not, it was a snickers cut into three pieces...still in the wrapper....I have the photo to prove it. We were amused, and made abit of an icebreaker with the others as we made friendly banter. 

It was coming upto 7pm and nearly at the Mongolian boarder, I headed back to the cabin to fill in the departure card, export card, and some other bits, they sure love paperwork. Mai was asleep, again and Petr, was looking out the window, I  chatted for a bit, found out she's travelling alone, on her way to Shanghai, who knows we may run into each other again. I decided it was time to go to the toilet before we come to the station (you know what i'm like) so off I went.......... not a pleasent experience....mom would DEFINATLY not like this train!!....you flush the toilet and it empties onto the tracks below....you can see the train tracks whizzing along.....Last trip I had a fear of doing a ''number two'' .........a constant horror in my head to look down seeing an immigrant clinging to the bottom of the train looking up at me in disgust with a face full of my ...ex train food.....I crossd my legs the whole 4 days.....can you imagine...at least the tap on the sink works. 

Bladder empty, I resisted the urge to go make a cuppa; sat there looking out at the window watching the world go by, lost in thought. This is the last leg of the journey, sad really, Ive had such an amazing time and met some great people.....and some not so great...and now it's the final leg. 18 days ago we set off from St Petersburg, time really does fly. We reached the station and on came the immigration staff, smiling and cheerful. They took our passports, collected our paperwork....they should train the Russian ''happy immigration brigade''.....an hour and a half later we were off, outside there was soldiers, unarmed in uniform standing to attention holding a salute as we went by, I love Mongolia. In another half hour we will be reaching the Chinese boarder, this will be a 5 hour wait as the have to change the wheels.... hope me bladder holds out....As we pulled in the immigration cards and customs paperwork was handed out. Even though I spent ages getting all the visas sorted and in order I had an onwards ticket booked and confirmation etc.....you still get anxious, well I do. The Chinese officials came on, very pleasent and processed all our passports, drew over my nice new Chinese visa.....and that was that, absolutly no problem.....now if my bladder holds out i'll be a happy bunny. 

We all watched at the windows the events unfolding as train was taken apart carrage by carrage.....(not in a Rambo kind of way)....all these workers in different coloured hats were doing there assigned job, we were then shunted into a massive building two abreast and then lifted a good 3 meters into the air, each and every carrage on these hydralic jacks....I did take pictures....then the wheels were unfastened....shunted along and the new wheels lined up and the process was reversed.....I imagine......well I fell asleep, it was about 11pm at this point, we were up at 5am so I was knackered, slept fully clothed...out like a light..... 

I woke up at about 5am with a start, we were chugging along and the sun was coming up, I wanted to get a picture of the great wall as the guide book said we would be passing it, so I had a wash, got me camera ready by the window which I managed to open and waited watching the world go by. The scenery was stunning, mountains, rivers, paddyfields, villages....really nice....but still no wall....around 7.30am everyone started to stir, we were due to arrive at 11.20 am.  I made a quick cuppa and stood there....and waited....but still no wall....by about 10 oclock everyone was at a window, I asked the cabin attendent ''is the wall near??'' To which he gave me a blank look, trying to make myself understood I resorted to sign language and phrases he may understand.... I made my arm like a wall ....with my two fingers pointing down I said ''Chinngis Khann....wall.......China.......arrrrgghhhhhh''......maybe it was a mistake as I got the same blank expression ,but amused everyone else....he walked off.......and still no wall. I never did see the wall.....maybe they knocked it down....We arrived right on the dot. We all collected our things and shuffled off the train, the end of the road.....the trans Siberian journey at an end.....it was sad, but like life, we set out on a journey, it drifts by, some good experiences some bad.....then when we reach our destination we can look back at the adventure we had with pride. 

  Day 12....end of the Trans Siberian trip.....Beijing,  China 3rd July 2015

Once off the train, we all merged into the bustle of Beijing, the place is heaving.....people everywhere, by a stroke of luck my hotel was virtually opposite the station, owz that for planning....:-) Shane and Briann booked a hotel alittle further along so we planned to meet up after 6 for a last supper as it were, they were leaving next morning back to blighty, it will be sad. I had abit of a struggle to get thought the milling crowds, over the road and upto the hotel, by this time all I wanted was a shower, change of clothes, something to eat and a little siesta....it was really hot, smelly......there is a ripe ol smell here, and the noise is overwhelming.....and i'm deaf!!!.....quite an eye opener after the peace and tranquility of my Mongolian ger.  I checked in and the room was perfect, big double bed, fresh towels, tea making facilities......I wont go into the next two hours of my two showers, chasing my clothing around the room ready for laundry a cuppa and my siesta..... so onto the next part. 

I had a walk round just to get a feel of the place, there's alot of restaurants and shops, I had a map and thankfully the signs are in English at the bottom, otherwise I'd have no hope. I got my bearings, and by this time it was time to go meet up with the lads in the Marriot.....I know very posh.....I asked a bloke in uniform if the hotel was down this way, thinking he may at least have abit of English....he didnt....and after showing him the map with it written in Chinese he still didnt know, I dont think he could read Chinese either. I plodded on past the food shops, 1 yen shops.....(the same tat you buy in our neck of the woods)....people were everywhere...I watched people make a sound like they were a jumbo jet and then spit a huge blob on the floor, (the dirty gets) women as well.....with a fear of getting covered in flem I upped the pace and eventually found the hotel....I checked me shoes and thankfully had escaped unscathed.....no flem.....We had a great meal, chatting the whole time, then said our goodbyes, they are great blokes,  and made the trip that much more special.....thanks guys, its been emotional, keep in touch. 

I headed back to the hotel, I decided to adopt a zig zag approach to walking...... that way avoiding the flem in the way a ship avoids a torpedo, to this day it has worked and my shoes are flem free....:-) The noise is unreal, car horns, music, loud speakers with a voice just yapping on at a slightly higher octive above annoying...... I'm sure it's like an indoctrinating recording which roughly translates as '' the peoples liberation army are a great bunch....communism is really cool and groovy''....feeling completely overwhelmed ,knackered and in fear of flem covered shoes I retired for the night.....I did have another shower ;-)