We are finally in China! But with a special pit stop

The border crossing was really interesting not for the visa processing, not for the rush to the duty free shop at the border not for the masses of people trying to swap Togrigs to Yuan etc etc.the interesting and really impressive thing was the physical changing of the WHOLE trains wheel sets! Russia and China run on different gauges so when the international trains come over the over board there are 2 options, either empty the whole train into alternative Chinese train or change the wheels!! It sounds crazy but actually it is not as stupid as it sounds. Moving everyone and everything from one train to another across a border would a logistical nightmare, so better just change the wheels.

We were shunted into a special yard where all of the wheel sets were unlocked from the carriages. Then each of the carriages were uncoupled and lifted on massive jacks, once clear the wheels were all pulled away. As we were on special tracks which could then change gauge and once this had happened the new wheels were pushed into place. Finally the carriages were lowered and the journey continued.





It took about 30 minutes for the whole train, which isn’t exactly formula 1 pit stop speed, but i reckon that’s far quicker than the changing the train. It was a good example of the Chinese efficiency they are trying to show the world. The passport were just as delayed as in Russia, but to be fair with the pit stop we had other stuff to keep our minds occupied.

Getting across the Mongolian Border

The last 2 sections of the train journey involved 2 border crossings one between Russia and Mongolia and one between Mongolia and China. Of course we cross borders all the time, when we fly, but the experience on this train was somewhat different from the generally slick airport experience. Exiting Russia involved stopping at the border station, handing over your passport and sitting around for over 4 hours hoping that you get it back! Oh yeah, then there is the cabin checking and also the various health forms that you need to complete. The final output of all this is a small exit stamp on the returned passport! What was funny is that everyone on the train was as apprehensive and worried that they would never get their passport back, or worse still get stung for some customs fine or something. In reality although it takes time, the process was pretty good, considering the fact that they have to process the whole train before it can move on.

Needless to say we were all fine and we have made it out of Russia, after an amazing taste of the largest country on the planet.

Final leg of Trans-Sib Russia concluding thoughts

We are on the final leg of the journey through Russia and out into Mongolia. So it’s time for some concluding thoughts on the Russian Republic. The most obvious thing to say is that Russia is huge and we have simply just scratched the surface of a tiny bit of it. It comes across as a hard country to live in and a hard country to ‘make it in’. St Petersburg was a real European city and is full of history and culture but as it is a really difficult to travel, it is not a big draw for the city break market. If it was any easier then I am sure that it would have been swamped. Moscow is a big brash city which has an attitude. In the past it was thought of as crime ridden and not welcoming, but we found it ok to be in now. It is really clear to see how people are straining to change in Russia following the fall of communism, and due to the different pace people are travelling at, there seem to be many separations. There are financial divides and major cultural divides, with the youth generation doing everything to be like the US and the older generations who have been brought up in communism resenting this and pushing up against it.



Russia is a country that is difficult to categorise, it was naturally beautiful and has a massive amount of culture, history and complication. I am glad that we have travelled through this great country; it is not true that people are unwelcoming and it is not true that the cities are depressing grey sprawls. The Trans Siberian was one of the main reasons that we launched our world trip from Russia and this experience has not disappointed. We have met many wonderful people along the way, and seen that we are not alone in travelling such a great distances and for such a long time. I think this has been a great start to our trip and we now look forward with verve to the next stage – See you in Mongolia!!!!

Scuba Diving Lake Baikal – a cold but amazing experience!

So one of the things that I would like to do as we travel is develop and improve my diving experience and also dive some of the nicest dive spots in the world. This started in a very frosty way by diving the 2°c waters of Lake Baikal. I will be honest this was a dive I was not prepared for and therefore was very daunting.



Diving is all about preparation and experience. I don’t think for this dive I had either! The biggest thing was that to dive in water this cold you need a dry suit and you need insulation. If I told you I had 3 insulated woollen trousers, and 3 woollen jumpers tops on when I went diving you would think I was mad! But that is exactly what I wore, plus a dry suit, and full head cover, gloves and boots. This all made it pretty unmanageable out of the water. Also without the technicalities using a dry suit is not all that easy, as it fills with air, so you have to control the amount of air in the suit, to avoid yourself blowing up like a balloon when you rise to the surface!!!

This was the first time I had dived in these conditions and the basic point I am making is that it was a challenge!!! My dive buddy was pretty patient to be honest, despite only having met me a few hours before we dived.




The dive itself was ok, it was tough to see lots because I was concentration too much on the diving technicalities but I am glad I did it. I have now dived the deepest lake in the world, although I only went to 15metres! I also got to try out the underwater housing for the camera that we bought in readiness for the Great Barrier Reef – which will be much nicer diving and much warmer!!!! The shots are of me as my dive buddy was snapping away.

The lake is very clear, but at this dive site fairly unspectacular. Again the achievement for me was to dive in this deepest lake, and also to dive in this cold cold water. It makes me want to do more diving soon!!!

Listvyanka and Lake Baikal – pristine lake, evolving village

If Listvyanka were in the US, there would be motor boats, jet skis and all kind of aquatic craft whizzing across the miles and miles of pristine waters of Lake Baikal – thank God it is not in the US. The lake and the only major ‘town’ on its north western shore is beautiful and quiet, calm and very very cold!



The Village of Listvyanka hugs this north western shore for what feels like dear life. It is about 65kms from the main city in the region – Irkutsk. We took a minibus to the town and immediately as you arrive you notice the quiet. There are few sounds other than dogs, and chickens and the bells of the cattle grazing on the hillside. It is pretty, but in a rugged, working village kind of way. The real local people seem to simply get on with their lives, and the main focus of this seems to be recovery from the past winter and preparation for the next. Wood is the main non lake based activity (although at this point there did not seem to be much lake based fishing or industry to be seen), and people are constantly building and repairing their homes, chopping wood for the winter and generally tending to small patches of vegetables and crops. From one angle this village is in a time warp - maybe that is being too judgemental? - from one angle this village is doing the things it has always done and the things that villages all over the world do – get on with life. On one day we walked over to a local Russian Orthodox Church in the valley, it was a lovely example of the decorative simplicity that can be a feature of churches in this area. On going inside we came across a christening ceremony for a new born – maybe a few weeks old. It kind of felt really nice for us to sit and watch this going on. Urvi had her scarf on so she put it over her head, and the grandmother looked over approvingly!! We sat for some time, watching the function, and it just made me think how much life just goes on for people everywhere and how little real interconnection there really is between people. Just for a small moment we randomly connection with that family.




The houses are functional, wooden constructs, which through western eyes would be classed as derelict or run down. They may well be, however they clearly work and work through the harshest of seasons – the Siberian winter. They, and the village, have a ‘little house on the prairie’ feel to them, with decorative shutters, neat piles of chopped wood, outside toilets and fences all round. Our chalet – Chalet Baikal, was at the centre of one of the housing colonies about 1km from the main road. I was glad we were there, 1) because of the great views from the balcony out to the lake and 2) because it was away from the limited commercial, touristy set ups. We felt in the middle of the real Listvyanka.



The other angle to this place is the lake, and the tourist trade. In some ways the Siberian Tourist board could and probably will make more of this gem they have. However despite what you read in the guide books we felt that Lake Baikal and Listvyanka are fairly underdeveloped by western standards, there is one supposed international standard hotel and a few other nice local guesthouses. There are also some homestay options although; despite trying we were not able to sort anything out to stay with one. There are a few small eateries but as with all place in Russia endless places for people who want beer to get some! Essential you could say there is not much to do. Maybe that’s the best thing - you relax by compulsion! Also there are beautiful walks to do into the hills, and through the forests, which really are worth it. We walked up to a viewing point in the hills which was a short 1.5 hours walk it was stunning and the lake looked amazing. Listvyanka is not a cheesy British summer beach resort, but things are very seasonal, and the place is only now coming to life.



The lake itself is the continuous backdrop to our time here. Its the deepest in the world – at 1600m in the centre. It is also one of the largest – it is just immense! It is longer than Switzerland, contains 20% of all the fresh water in the world and you could fit all 5 of the US great lakes into Baikal and still have space left over!! Despite this scale it freezes over completely during the long winters, and despite it being mid May we were told that the lake had only thawed a few weeks before we arrived. Most of the lake (in particular the south eastern sections are very much wilderness and very tough for travellers to anywhere near. If you want to ‘visit’ the lake, Listvyanka is where you end up.



There is an interesting juxtaposition between the tourist scene and the local villagers. You are in the same place but don’t really interact. The traders who sell you souvenirs are a small group of the population, but it seems that the majority of the locals live in the small valley settlements, and don’t really bother about the outsiders who flock in the summer boom times. Wealthy Russians are also now getting in on the action and there are many swanky private chalets going up around the place, often jostling for space with the out ‘shack houses’, most of time the large looming chalets win, and I am sure you would see lots of the shacks ‘disappearing’.

Lake Baikal is on the tourist/traveller trail because it is on the Trans Siberian line. It therefore will continue to get a fairly regular contingent of travellers coming through. There is always a nice feel to the place, in part because you often catch up with people you met and spent time with on the train. Sharing a coffee or a meal with them by the lake is lovely, and discussing the next portion of the journey – most of the time on into Mongolia and China is a staple discussion!

I am glad we came to Baikal, not so much for the lake ironically enough, but because it gave us a chance to relax and because I learnt about the way Siberian cultures are so driving by the relentless seasons.

Trans Siberian train from Moscow to Irkutsk

After the short breaks of St Pete and Moscow we are now on the single longest train journey either of us has ever taken. This is the Trans Siberian from Moscow to Irkutsk. In days gone by there was really only one train that would travel from Moscow on the west right through to Vladivostok on the East coast. Now the modern traveller has many options and combinations of various trains. You can stop in many places and take months to travel the breadth of the largest country in the world, but we decided to do a fairly standard 2 stop route; this would take us as follows:

Moscow – Irkutsk (stay in Listvanyanka, Lake Baikal).
Irkutsk – Ulan Bator (stay in Mongolia for a few days).
Ulan Bator – Beijing (we will get off early in Datong).



For this, the first leg we left Moscow late night on Friday 8th May, and travelled all day Saturday, Sunday and Monday. We will arrive to Irkutsk early morning of Tuesday 12th May. That’s over 76hours on the same train! We cross 3 time zones and 1000s of KMs of Russia baron but beautiful countryside.

Basics – the first thing to say is get to the station early. This train left at 23:25 which was fine, but the station is little difficult to navigate and in the evening hub hub can be a little disconcerting. This can really be helped by getting there early and therefore not rushing around too! Our train was number 10, Baikal. As the name suggests this lovely train ply’s the route between Moscow and Irkutsk. There were about 12 passenger carriages and a dining car. The train has 1st class, 2nd class and a 3rd class. 1st class was ok, but I am glad we went for 2nd class. The major differences are that in 1st class you have a dedicated 2 berth cabin (same quality seating and beds as in 2nd class but better privacy), electronic ‘hotel style locks’ a TV, oh and some questionable interior decor (Ships cabin style). 2nd class was again a cabin, with 4 berths, wood laminate, and simple decor and fittings. I think it was really nice and vindicated our decision on the 1st class fare.



The service on this train was excellent, you have a dedicated ‘Provencal’ or carriage attendant (who on this train were all ladies) the attendant, would welcome you on board (checking your ticket on the way!), make sure you have anything you need, including use of the amazing pewter ‘Baikal Train’ tea tankards. They would also clean regularly, including vacuuming twice per day; and even come round with a few tourist bits and bobs for you to buy. It was really lovely and our attendant was so nice, she made us all feel really welcome.

The trains seem to always run on time, which for a 4 day journey was pretty good. I would say however that during the whole journey we were tailing the Beijing train, but other than that there were very few passenger trains of any description on the tracks, therefore my guess is once these trains get moving they don’t stop for anyone. There were a total of 34 station stops across the route, but only 13 of these were for over 15mins. Not a major problem really because there is little to see or do at any of the stations, and to be honest I felt there was little atmosphere, definitely no hustle and bustle.



Food wise, the best thing to do is combine some of the on board food with your own supply of things that need hot water. The water boilers in each carriage never run out and never run cold. So tea, coffee, soups, noodles... you get the idea!!! The restaurant is a bit overpriced I thought – 12p of HALF slice of small bread and GBP1.20 for a handful (I mean Karunika’s handful) of salad. You can buy crisps, biscuits, fruit (limited) and water etc on platforms, so no need to do what some other travellers did, and buy 10 bottles before leaving Moscow. However note that you can get Mirinda (famous Indian Fanta kind of drink) from Moscow, so we bought a 2L bottle of that – Urvi was happy!!

General observations – The first thing that hits you about this journey is how different the rest of Russia is when compared to Moscow. We boarded from the trendy capital, and immediately day broke on the 1st morning there was a sparseness of people, buildings, and sort of real civilisation. It is a strange but recognisable feeling, again thinking back to leaving Delhi or Bombay on train for example.

There is something of a touristy feel to the running of this train. Pretty much all of the 1st and 2nd class passengers were foreign tourists/travellers making their way to Irkutsk and then Listvanyanka. This meant that at each station all of your carriages passengers would queue up and leave the train, stand by your carriage (for fear of the train leaving without you!) and then get back on again after having taken a few pics of the neighbouring cabin. It got a little comical by the 4th day! But I guess we were all here for the same reason, and as you can see I took the say pics myself!! I truly wonder what will happen when we get to Irkutsk, my guess is that everyone will pile off the train, and jump on various buses, taxis and other pickups to all meet again in the few places to stay in Listvanyanka!

The scenery you witness as you progress does not change very much. There are large stretches of woodland, and large stretches of farmland. Industrial landscapes pop up every so often but you don’t see them that much, and there a only a handful of large towns or cities. At one point we went thought the Ural Mountains but you could really tell as I think you were already at some height.

There so so so few people along the route, this was really noticeable to me - at the stations in the villages and through the towns. Of course this is bourne out by the fact that in most of Siberia there are 0-5 people per square km. For reference Moscow would have around 500-1000 per square km!!

All the houses we saw other than in the cities were made of wood, they looked tiny and a bit like allotment dwellings, they also had veg patches alongside which added to the allotment like feel.

On reflection, if we were able to time it right, this journey should be done in the winter. The vista would have been so so different I think and the feeling of travelling on a cosy sleeper train with a mug of hot soup in your hand would just have been magical.

In summary the ‘Trans Siberian’ is a wonderful experience; it is a mammoth journey across a mammoth country. For me it marked the real beginning of this epic trip of ours, there is no turning back and there just so much to look ahead for. Essentially I don’t think that you do this trip for the stations and getting off the train to see lots of things. This train journey is about the journey, about the people you meet on board. It’s about the sheer distance you cover, and the things you do to pass the time – playing games, talking to people, writing blogs! thinking. I looked out of the window each time and saw the way that people live, I did not feel sorry for them, I did not feel lucky for me, I felt that there is so much difference in all our lives but also so much similarity, it is just amazing to see this pass you by as the train meanders relentlessly on its course through Siberia.

Trans Siberian leg 1 St Petersburg - Moscow

Finally we are on the first leg on our trans-Siberian – St Petersburg to Moscow

So we have boarded the first leg of the longest train journey we are ever likely to take! This is the overnight St Petersburg to Moscow run, the train is the Red Arrow, and is reputed to be one of the best in Russia. It was really a wonderful train, and bang on time, we left at 23:55 and arrived at 07:55.

St Petersburg station is not that huge but is really beautiful, with a huge fresco on the ceiling of the main waiting room. We got there in plenty of time and chilled out waiting for the train, with Pizza, and cards (Snap!! Urvi let me win)



Our carriage was right at the front of the train, carriage number 2 of 18, we passed carriage after carriage of first class, where you could see the waiter service being provided etc, I was a bit worried that we would have a noisy and a bit of an uncomfortable ride, but not at all. The 2nd class service was better than i would expected even from first class, cabin attendants, large beds that were better than most hostel beds, and some hotel beds!!!!, carpets curtains, absolutely spotless cabins, and really every gadget you would expect. 1st class had TVs, but we had climate control! There was also loads of safe storage that Urvi was really impressed with.







Our cabin buddies on the trip were also from the UK, a daughter and mother combination, the Daughter – Nicola was going to China to teach – this is really popular now I guess – her Mom had come with her, for a vacation, and would return from Hong Kong.

We had both booked with Realrussia.co.uk and both were really impressed with the service of the company.

If our Moscow – Irkutsk – Ulan Bator – Datong trains are as good we are going to love it!!

From Droitwich to Datong...!

The first part of our trip is now set, and we now have all the tickets and Visas!

Part 1 of our world trip takes us from Droitwich on the 2nd of May to Dusseldorf in Germany for the evening!!

We then take the early morning flight to St Petersburg – the Cultural centre of Russia. Hermitage is the largest museum in the world and assuming that we don’t get lost in there, there is so much more to see and sample across the city.

On the 5th night we begin our epic train route across the vast country of Russia, the first leg is an easy overnight sleeper train to Moscow.

The centre of the soviet empire and target of the west’s attention during the cold war, I am sure we will get the chance to try one of those funny fur caps!

Late on the 8th night we jump on the ‘Baikal’ train, and one of the most classic rail journeys in the world properly gets under way. For those used to trains in India 3 or 4 days on train does not sound that significant, but in the world of budget airlines and easy travel, who in their right mind would stay on a train going 60mph for 4 days!! – Welcome to the trans-Siberian!

We will be stopping at Lake Baikal from the 12th to the 16th of May, and then in Mongolia for another 4 days, from the 17th to the 21st May. Before entering the land of the dragon – China!!

Datong is our first stop on the 22nd May, for a day and then we move on from there. We are currently planning the next stage, which will include China, Tibet and Japan, so stay in touch with us on the blog!

Trans-Siberian tickets and planning

A few tips if you are planning a trans-Siberian journey

Think about the season you want to go in – we are going in spring time, it will be nice but it won’t be snowy, if you want to witness the real real Siberian world, go when there is snow on the ground. Late winter and early spring aren’t great as the melting snow leaves slush and mud everywhere!

Decide which way to go – you can go eastwards or westwards. For us this is the start of our trip (good for visa planning etc) so were are going Eastwards

Trans-Siberian, Trans-Mongolian or Trans-Manchurian? – There are actually many options and routes


We taking a fairly traditional trans-Mongolian route – as it says through Mongolia.

1st class, 2nd class or 3rd class – personally keep it simple go 2nd class, 1st class you will get a coupe for 2 and sometimes a ‘shower facility’, 2nd class is for 4 people and I think 3rd class is for 6, and is a little open.

This is 2nd Class - better than many hostels!!!



Stop or Non-Stop? – There are trains that will leave Moscow and go all the way to Beijing or Vladivostok, and people often buy a ticket that will take them all the way there. However it’s my opinion that this is for the rail geeks amongst us, and if you really want to get the most out of this trip, take a couple of stops. We are stopping at Irkutsk and Ulaanbaatar. Each time we will take a few days out, and explore the local areas around Lake Baikal (the deepest lake in the world) and the Mongolian Gobi desert.

It is important to note that you can’t buy a single ticket which allows you to make stopovers, so you will need to buy separate tickets. This makes the coordination of the trains to fit your schedule really crucial and therefore makes the next bit of advice important.

How do I get a ticket? – 3 main options, buy them yourself in Russia, buy the tickets through an agent, or buy a ‘package journey’ from a western agent.

1st off, I would not buy a package trip. They cost significantly more and ultimately you don’t get much more for your extra £s. The trains used are the same (unless you go for a really exclusive package costing £1,000s), you may get some excursions, but then exploring yourself is fun (as long as you make it back to catch the train!).

I also would not wait to buy tickets in Russia – unless you are flexible with your times/dates, and possibly unless you want a single ticket to take you through to the destination directly, tickets are hard to get hold of. Tickets are released 45 days before the departure date of the train, and most get snapped up by the agents (option 2!) therefore unless you are in Russia for a while, or can be flexible getting your own might be tough.

We are taking option 2, and buying our tickets only through an agent. As with most of these things Seat61 has the best advice. We selected RealRussia as the agents we would use as they seem to know everything about anything to do with the trans-Siberian! They are the best in the business and thus far have been fantastic for us, in particular Alla has been the agent I have been talking with and she is great. The biggest benefit about realrussia.com is that they have a UK presence. The prices they quote are in £s and you will get your tickets posted to you in the UK. There are of course others that you should look at.

All in all our tickets cost about £500 each for St Petersburg-Moscow-Irkutsk-Ulaanbaatar-Datong. I am sure the official price may be much less than that in Russia, but I am mentally prepared for that, and have the peace of mind that I have a ticket. Also a similar package (with stops, and therefore accommodation) costs about £1500 (!), so unless you stay in top notch accommodation throughout the trip, the agent sourced price is still a bargain.

Not much more to say, would love to hear others experience of the Trans-Siberian, and of course we will be blogging the whole way round, so I will update you on how much coffee I drank!

Taking the longest railway journey in the world

Ok! To be accurate the longest railway journey you can take is from Portugal through Europe, Russia, China and down to the tip of Vietnam, this is one hell of a journey and would take about 19months (!).

However the trans-Siberian is the longest single country journey you can do by train, and is possibly the most well known and inspiring. I am no train geek, but in line with my trip philosophy of doing as many ‘you had to be there’ experiences, it was high up the agenda of things to do. Nowhere near shark diving! but high up the agenda nonetheless

We will be arriving at St Petersburg at the start of our trip and then travelling to Moscow, where we will catch the ‘Rossiya’ (even the trains name sounds perfectly authentic!). From there it’s straight to Irkutsk and Lake Baikal, where we stop over for a few days, before carrying on to Mongolia. We will be in the desert for a few days and then on to Datong, China before arriving in Beijing.

Many people would ask why do the trans-Siberian? It will take 7 days pure ‘train time’ to trundle across Russia, Mongolia and arrive in Beijing, the trains are not luxurious and you have to pass the days peering out of windows over scenes that could be said to be barren and bleak.

I think the trans-Siberian is reflection of life and times gone by, and soon to disappear altogether. Communal travel that is not all about the end destination and getting there in breakneck speed. This journey, more than any other is about what you see do and experience on the way, we will see the real Russia, we will meet real people and others from other countries, we will have time to share a coffee in the dining car, and yes, gaze aimlessly at what I would class as achingly beautiful barren landscapes.

Luxury can be a false veneer that covers the authentic beauty and individuality of a country. You have to just look at the range of 5 star hotels out there, they all look the same and they all feel the same. The trans-Siberian is going to feel different because it is different. I can’t wait to feel the hum of activity as we get lost on the platform in Moscow, I can’t wait to bedding down for a relaxing snooze as you are rocked gently by the train.

I know this sounds a bit too poetic and probably the experience is going to be challenging and uncomfortable, if so, then so be it!