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Trans-Mongolian Train - A Journey Across Time July-August, 2008 |
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The first leg of our trip to Mongolia began early on a Saturday morning when we boarded our train in Beijing and steadily rolled through the Chinese countryside, catching a last quick glimpse of the Great Wall before arriving at the border. Spending the last of our Chinese currency, we stocked up on cup of noodles, chocolates and cookies, while we patiently waited 6 hours for the wheelbase on our train to be changed (the tracks in Mongolia are narrower). Eventually, our transformed train reappeared and we were off, although it was after midnight by now and everyone fell promptly asleep. Awakening the next morning, we were amazed at the transformation outside our window, as we had crossed from a country of 1.5 billion people to one of 2.8 million, from concrete jungles and skyscrapers to open space and endless grasslands, from hot muggy climates to a cooler temperate environment. Relentlessly snaking across the stark Gobi desert, we eventually arrived in Ulaanbaatar, the capital and home to half of the population of Mongolia. Here we were driven 2.5 hours
outside of town to Steppe Nomads Resort, located in Gun Gulaat, a
Mongolian National Park. Driving along an Warmly greeted by the local Mongolian staff and the pungent and sweet sage brush flavoring the air, we checked into our Ger, a traditional round tent favored by the nomadic tribes. During the day we hiked around the local hills among the free range animals lazily munching on the spring vegetation while enjoying the vistas that seemed to go on forever. We also had the opportunity to ride horses and rent kayaks, while at night we sat on the deck surveying the magical countryside, watching the moon rise over the distant hills and the silent stars pop from the overhead sky. After five blissful days of fresh air and relaxation, we returned to Ulaanbaatar for the three day train journey to Lake Baikal. We were forewarned that this segment of the journey could take up to eleven hours to pass through both Mongolian and Russian immigration and they were correct – it took ten hours. Frustratingly slow at Mongolian immigration and painstakingly thorough at Russian customs, we were inspected multiple times, sniffed for drugs with immense German Shepard dogs, and double checked for proper documentation.
Returning to Irkutsk, we spent the night and had time to investigate this small but interesting modern town, filled with restaurants, cafes and pretty decent shopping. Finally, we boarded train #9 for the 5000 mile 4 day journey to Moscow, a memorable ride on one of the most famous railways in the world. Across 10 time zones, through 87 cities and towns, we spent our time enjoying the scenery and companionship of others on board, drinking vodka, reading books, playing cards, daydreaming out the window, sleeping, lounging about, and catching up on our blog. Our 4 person wood lined compartment was very comfortable and roomy and since we opted to upgrade to 1st class for this segment of the journey, there were only two of us in the cabin. With a vigilant cabin attendant we always felt secure while the train was equipped with a dining car (with strict hours of operation), hot showers and plenty of hot water for tea and coffee. With frequent stops ranging from 10–30 minutes throughout the day (stops are posted on the wall), you have many opportunities to replenish your food and liquid supplies as you travel along - just make sure you ask the cabin attendant how long the train stops when exiting the train. Siberia sped by our window with
its vast landscape studded with birch trees and lakes, as we sat back
and enjoyed the peacefulness of train After four days on the train, we weren’t sure what to expect after arriving in Moscow for three nights. Home to six dollar big Macs, midnight sunsets, a hundred brands of vodka in your local convenience store, muscled pistol packing bodyguards in body armor guarding the many Ferraris, Mercedes and Land Rovers, pin striped businessmen on cell phones, all night dance clubs, Moscow, the world’s most expensive city, is an intoxicating assault on your senses. Reeking in history and ground zero for the Cold War, picturesque Red Square is the essential epicenter of Moscow. Ironically, the square is now bordered by Gucci, Armani and other designer stores on one side and Lenin’s mausoleum on the other. At the far reaches of the square sits the majestic and Disneyland like St. Basil’s Cathedral (built 1561) with its fabled onion domes, whose architects and designers were blinded after construction was completed by Ivan the Terrible to insure its uniqueness. Bordering Red Square is the infamous Kremlin (from the 1150’s) with half a dozen Russian Orthodox churches you can visit and many other official government buildings off limits and heavily guarded by unsmiling military.
Leaving Moscow on a midnight sleeper train, we arrived early in the morning in the northerly city of St. Petersburg for 4 nights, where we were greeted with wintry blasts of cold wind from the Gulf of Finland, as everyone scurried about in winter coats despite being the middle of summer. Met at the train station by a representative of our tour group, she led us to our home stay in the suburbs, a private room in a local family apartment (breakfast included), a cost effective solution to the high cost of lodging in this prior capital. After Moscow, St. Petersburg has the look and feel of a European city, with its classical skyline of French colonial buildings bordering the main avenue of Nevsky Prospect. Murky canals ribbon through downtown with ornate bridges spanning the waterways and statues of all shapes and designs dot the landscape. Founded in 1703 by Peter the Great on the mouth of the Neva River, the population runs around 5 million people with much of the architecture influenced by a many Italian designers and architects. Certainly the number one reason
to visit St. Petersburg is the Hermitage Museum, a former palace now
packed to the rafters with a cache of fine Incomparable in scale, the Trans Mongolian Train begins in the sprawling metropolis of Beijing and ends in the mysterious city of Moscow. Tread in the footsteps of Genghis Khan, Nikita Khrushchev and Chairman Mao as you traverse the density of China, contemplate the starkness of the Gobi desert and marvel at the openness of Mongolia while passing the world’s largest freshwater lake and crossing the cultural border from Asia into Europe. It can be undertaken as a single non stop journey, but undeniably the stopovers along the way contribute greatly to the essence of the adventure.
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Ever
since I was a kid I’ve intended to embark on the epic train journey
across Russia, perhaps with a copy of War and Peace or something by
Dytovosky to pass the time. Recently, that dream came true as part of
our 12 month around the world adventure, when we were fortunate in being
able to schedule the train and stops in Mongolia, Lake Baikal, Moscow
and St. Petersburg into a once in a lifetime journey. 
absurdly pot holed road, we bravely turned into grasslands ribboned with
rutted tracks, passing through herds of wild horses, yaks, cattle, sheep
and goats, finally cresting a hill and dropping into a gorgeous valley,
with a meandering river on one flank and a ring of hills on the other
casting a protective arm around our little Ger camp. 
Finally,
we arrived at Irkutsk, the gateway to Lake Baikal, where we were met and
taken to a home stay on the shores of the lake in the little village of
Bolshoe Goloustnoe. Our two night home stay was comfortable, sharing the
home with a couple from Ireland and a family from Scotland, with a
traditional sauna out back and all meals provided by the host. The lake
itself is immense with enough water to supply the world’s population in
drinking water for 40 years – it’s that big and deep. Ringed by mountain
ranges and isolated except for settlements along the southern shoreline,
its crystal clear waters are constantly replenished by melting snow and
frequent storms.
travel. It seemed spring like with wildflowers blooming everywhere, as
we rode along the scenic route, passing the many wooden chalets and
admiring the breed of people who live here during the excruciatingly
cold winters. 
A
rattletrap of heavy gauge metal bolted together during Stalin’s regime
in the 1930’s and 1940’s, the clunky yet durable Metro system, is a step
back in time, with many of subway stops inspiring in their Art Deco
motif. Careening down the tracks at haphazard speeds at ear shattering
decibel levels with the entire carriage swaying and rocking on 75 year
tracks is raucous and timeless and worth a couple of hours of
exploration. 
art to rival the Louvre (an alleged 3,000,000 objects to view). To avoid
the long lines, we bought a two day pass online for $26 each which
allows you to walk to the front of the line each day. We spent most of
one day on just the second floor, it’s that extensive of a collection.
