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APRIL 2006
>MAY 2006
our first-class cabin
the samovar - hot-water heaven
siberian birch dominate the passing scenery
irkutsk and lake baikal
ice-fishermen on baikal
Gusinoye Ozero ("Goose Lake")
After a good sleep we wake to the daily routine of life aboard a Trans-Siberian train. Our cabin is in the first class section. Essentially, this means we have exactly the same cabin as the people in second class, but with only two beds (instead of four in second class), giving us more room to stretch out. There is a heater underneath the window which is controlled by the Provodnitsa - when she's cold, it gets switched on in every cabin. Fine if you're cold too, but a stiffling nightmare if you're not! A couple of times we had to sleep with the cabin door open to combat the heat situation! Each bed lifts up for luggage storage - a good idea since you can put all your valuables under here and go to sleep knowing you're sleeping on top of them all. There is also some storage space above the door, but not that much. I wonder how people have managed in second and third classes (four person and communal, respectively)?
The corridor outside our cabin leads to the Samovar, source of hot water for the entire journey. The Samovar really is a godsend for cups of tea, cup-a-soups and pot noodles (sold by the Provodnitsa as a sort of sideline service and a little cheaper than those sold by the traders - 'Baboushkas', literally 'Grandmothers' - at each platform stop). You can buy delicious bread for about 10p from the station kiosks, and that's your food supply sorted. At the other end of the corridor is the shared toilet and sink. Not too bad really (compared with last year's Glastonbury Festival experience), but certainly not one of the highlights either!
The passing scenery is dominated by silver birch trees on either side of the tracks. You really do get the feeling you're snaking through undisturbed wilderness, and this is not entirely illusory. Despite the actual Trans-Siberian rail itself, and the handful of settlements on-route, this terrain really is pretty untouched - "mountains, dense forests, murky swamps and vast steppes", promises the Lonely Planet Trans-Siberian guidebook, and it's not wrong. This trip is a real feast for the eyes, and a great opportunity to catch up on sleeping, reading and relaxing.
Sun 30th April - Mon 1st May 2006
Four days into our Trans-Siberian journey, and I feel like I've maybe never done anything else save live aboard a train and look out at Siberian scenery. It's an extraordinary feeling to not have to think about where you're going and how you're going to get there - especially after the intense preparations before leaving Birmingham. I feel like we made the smartest move deciding to travel to Mongolia by train, soaking up the gradual changes in climate and scenery along the way and moving through time zones at a dignified pace, unlike the stiffling boredom of a cramped plane journey and the bewildering jolt of jet-lag at the other end.
The town of Irkutsk, 5185km from Moscow and GMT+8 hours. This is our time zone for the next year-and-a-bit, so might as well get used to it right away. The further you go on the journey, the greater the struggle between local and Moscow time, since although all the station-stop times are printed in Moscow time, the evidence of your own eyes tells you it's 1-5 hours later than that! The train staff doggedly stick to Moscow time, assured of their return to the capital in a weeks time; passengers, however, must make their choice and swear allegiance to one or the other.
Irkutsk is a popular stop-off point for many Trans-Siberian travellers because of its proximity to Lake Baikal, the 'Pearl of Siberia'. Although only 60km wide, this extraordinary lake stretches for 636km north to south, reaching depths of up to 1637 metres near the western shore. It contains a fifth of the world's fresh water and supports a diverse flora and fauna, 80% of which are found nowhere else on Earth. We approach Lake Baikal around 2 hours after leaving Irkutsk and from the outset it looks totally different from the glossy photo pages in my Trans-Siberian guidebook. Its waters still frozen from the harshness of Siberian winter, Baikal looks cold and bleak in the morning light. Yet people are living and working here, and a little further round the lake we spy several black shapes on the ice - local fishermen going about their daily business. I find this a heartening thought: even in this bleakness, life still goes on. I can only imagine what joys the summer must bring to life around Baikal, human or otherwise - and resolve to return next year to see for myself.
After the delightful Gusinoye Ozero ('Goose Lake' - reminiscent of the lochs in the Scottish Highlands) we head towards Naushki and the border with Mongolia. This stage of the journey is the biggest drag: 4 hours of Russian Customs procedure followed by a short journey across the border to Sukhbaatar and 2 hours of Mongolian Customs procedure. The reason for the long wait is that this is Train No. 6 - the smugglers train. All the belongings of passengers in the 2nd Class carriages are being checked and re-checked. In contrast, we only have to fill in two forms either side of the border (the Mongolian forms written, unhelpfully, only in Cyrillic script!) and are spared the luggage search, which is at least hassle-free, if a little inconsistent on the part of the Customs Officers! They do, however, insist on searching above the ceiling tiles and behind the coffin-sized luggage store above the cabin door - for, as explained without the slightest hint of humour by the one english-speaking customs offical, stowaway DWARVES!!! He insists that at least 8 would be able to squeeze into this hellishly small space. I thought about reminding him that they usually go around in group of seven but it didn't seem like an appropriate time for sharing jokes with po-faced Russian officials!
These diary entries are continued in the MONGOLIA section...