We woke up in our ger on Friday morning very keen to get to Ulaanbaatar (UB to the locals!) and have a shower and a good meal. The food options and bathroom facilities were very limited at our Airbnb and at that point it had been four days since our last shower (WAY too long in Anna’s opinion). We packed up, had a very quick (mediocre) breakfast and then our host drove us back to UB.
When we finally arrived at our hotel in UB the woman at the check in desk told us that there was no hot water at the hotel but that we could go to a nearby hotel for the same price. A quick google made it obvious that the alternative was much cheaper and not nearly as good so we asked for our reservation to be cancelled. We quickly made a booking at a nearby hotel and headed over there instead. I think it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Our back up option had views of the city, a comfortable bed and plentiful hot water.
After showering and putting on fresh clothes, we walked over to Modern Nomads, a chain serving contemporary Mongolian food. Although there were a few tables of tourists, most of the guests looked like locals having a late lunch or early dinner with family on a Friday afternoon. Dan ordered some local beer and milk tea (the former much better than the latter). We had buuz – a Mongolian dumpling filled with mutton, a dumpling soup and Japanese noodles (so called because a Japanese tourist reportedly fell in love with them). The thick wheat noodles were sautéed with onions and mutton and were certainly the highlight. Mongolian food, from our brief survey, is pretty monotonous. We didn’t see any spice or chilli being used and most dishes involve mutton and wheat noodles in some form. Although we had some acceptable meals, there is little doubt that Mongolia is not a foodie destination.
After lunch we headed over to the state run department store, looking out for some cashmere for Dan (it’s widely produced in Mongolia and relatively cheap). We didn’t find anything quite right. Although it’s lovely quality and a great price, a lot of the styles were very outdated – think sitcom Dad c. 2000. But we did enjoy the supermarket on the ground floor of the store, where we stocked up on supplies for the next leg of our trip. I was so happy to find Bob’s Red Mill granola in plentiful supply. (And the next day we found a much cooler cashmere store where I found amazing cashmere joggers that I very much regret not buying).
We started off our only evening in UB with drinks at at Irish pub called Great Khan. And then it was onto dinner at Rosewood, an Italian spot that is highly rated on Trip Advisor. The vibe at Rosewood was really lovely. Even though it wasn’t the best Italian meal ever, the atmosphere, a glass of good red wine and a change of pace from the mutton and noodles of the past three days was so comforting and calming. After dinner it was back to our hotel and early to bed.
The next morning we enjoyed a surprisingly good breakfast at the hotel and hung out in our hotel room for as long as possible, enjoying all the luxuries we wouldn’t have for the next part of our train journey. After check out we went in search of our last proper meal for 24+ hours. We ended up at Millie’s, a little cafe that services mostly tourists and expats. Dan had waffles with bacon and eggs and I had a BLT and took some carrot cake for the road. Then, it was off to the train station! Our destination was Irkutsk, near Lake Baikal in Siberia.
The Russian train that we boarded was not nearly as new as the Chinese train we took to Mongolia (and we did not have the luxury of our own bathroom) but we actually enjoyed the old Russian train more. It had lots of character (certainly it was more Agatha Christie-esque) and the bed was so much more comfortable.
At the Mongolian / Russian border we had another lengthy stop, though without the need for a gauge change it took only four hours instead of six (phew!). We were officially in Russia by about 1.30am, very happy to be there and relieved that everything went smoothly with our visas. The next morning we woke up to see that our train was running along the banks of Lake Baikal. This turned out to be my favourite part of our Trans-Mongolian adventure. The lake was lined with lovely colourful and ramshackle homes with gardens blooming with flowers and vegetables. We also saw lots of people camping and boating on the lake.
After skimming the banks of Lake Baikal for a few hours, we arrived in Irkutsk mid-afternoon to a beautiful warm day. The train station is on the opposite side of the river to the main town so we had to find a way to get ourselves to our hostel. After a couple of misfires with taxis, a wrong minibus and standing at the bus stop on the wrong side of the street, we eventually found ourselves on a bus heading in the right direction. Next up, a few days in Irkutsk!
