Trans-Mongolian – Waiting for the Train

Irkutsk to Yekaterinburg – a very long 56 hours on the train

After arriving back in Irkutsk on Friday afternoon, we headed straight to the railway station to wait for our 5.01pm train to leave for Yekaterinburg, our next stop on the Trans-Mongolian. The journey was to take us 56 hours and cover well over 3,000 kilometres. We also crossed through three time zones, moving back in time as we travelled west. At about 4pm a huge rush of people left the waiting area, including a couple that we recognised from our train ride from Beijing to Ulaanbator. We realised that there was another train leaving for Yekaterinburg an hour before ours and that it would have got us there eight hours quicker than the train we’d booked. Ooooof! We had some serious buyer’s remorse when we realised that our trip was going to be eight hours slower than it needed to be.

For this leg of the journey, we booked second class tickets as all the first class tickets from the Russian rail authority were sold out and to buy them from an agent would have cost a fortune. Second class cabins have four beds, rather than two and I was anxious about sharing a cabin with two strangers for such a long time but it wasn’t so bad in the end. For the first 24 or so hours of our journey we shared with a friendly older Russian man. He didn’t speak much English but proudly told us that he had four grandchildren. He was incredibly organised and seemed to have travelling by train down to a fine art.

We spent our time on the train reading (The Master and Margarita for me) and watching a K drama called Something in the Rain (started of great, went down hill fast) and The Great British Bake Off. The time also passed quickly watching the Russian landscape pass us by. You could see the first hints of autumn in the trees and I imagine that in a couple of weeks the landscape will be wonderfully glowy. On our first morning, we woke up to a beautiful foggy morning. It felt so wintery. Passing brightly painted wooden houses with blooming gardens covered in mist was so lovely.

About 30 hours into our journey our cabin mate got off the train and we were lucky not to have to share with anyone else for most of our second day on board. About 3 hours before we arrived in Yekaterinburg we were joined by a very stern Russian gentleman who did not break a smile or say a word to us for the duration of our shared journey. We’d read that Russians tend to get on board and immediately change into an outfit for the train and this was true for both people that we shared with. Our second companion was not very discreet in making his wardrobe change and whipped off his pants in the middle of our train carriage in order to change into his pyjamas.

Perhaps the worst part about such a long train ride is figuring out what to eat on board. Before getting on the train we stocked up on snacks and they got us through the entirety of our trip (though I never want to see another packet of instant noodles). Apart from lots of instant noodles, we ate Snickers, dried apricots, pistachios, granola, peanut butter on rye, dark chocolate, delicious Russian oat biscuits (that made a pretty good breakfast dunked in coffee) and instant mashed potato. When I was growing up, instant mash (known as Deb in Australia) was often served at school camps etc and thinking about it still makes me shudder. Disgusting is the only word for it. So I was not excited about the possibility of instant Russian mash but it turned out to be quite tasty! Good enough that we both wished we’d bought more. We’d heard from the Australians that the food on board their train from Moscow to Irkutsk was decent and so we planned to eat in the dining cart at least once. As it turned out, the food there looked extremely unappetising and it was expensive so we passed on it and survived on our snacks. We think that the faster, newer trains have much fancier and better equipped dining carts so if we’d booked that speedier train to Yekateriburg, we may well have found a good meal on board.

So, that’s how we passed 56 hours on board – snacks, sleep, television and books. Surprisingly, we didn’t really get cabin fever. It was quite nice to have an excuse to hang out and do not very much for a couple of days. Having said that, by the time we arrived in Yekaterinburg at about 10pm on Sunday night, we were very excited for a shower and a proper meal. We thought the station we’d arrive at was a 15 minute walk from our hostel but we arrived at a completely different station, further out of the city. Exhausted, we sat down in Burger King (Hungry Jacks) for burgers and a chocolate milkshake. I’m not sure fast food ever tasted so good. Some what restored, we got an Uber to our hostel, showered and climbed into bed, very happy to be in a bed that wasn’t moving.

A pit stop in Ulaanbaatar and onwards to Irkutsk

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.

Dan surrounded by our supplies for the journey to Irkutsk

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!

Beijing to Mongolia – The Trans-Mongolian Begins!

Our Trans-Mongolian route, sans stop in Novosibirsk, but with an extra leg to St Petersburg.

After a short sleep, we got up at about 6am, packing up what we hadn’t last night, and with one last double check of our room, headed to the Beijing Railroad Station, located conveniently and intentionally across the road from our hotel. We were on the cusp of beginning our Trans-Mongolian railway journey.

Our experience with Rail stations in China could be described simply as erratic and hectic. Beijing Rail Station, even at six in the morning was no different, but with both of us a bit more seasoned in Chinese rail stations, we were able to make our way through confidently. Enough time for Anna to have a Taiwanese breakfast (wonton soup with youtiao), and myself shamelessly indulging in a sausage egg mcmuffin. Just a few minutes later, it was boarding time.

Tired but excited to start our Trans-Mongolian Journey!

We dropped our bags in our two bunk room with our very own private bathroom, a perk of being in first class, and spent a bit of time figuring out what knobs did what, and how to keep our space somewhat uncluttered.

At just before a quarter past 7, we felt a slight bump in our compartment, and like a ball rolling down a hill we were off. Our journey has begun. First order of business, take a nap.

First Trans-Mongolian meal, Taiwanese noodles for Anna, Macca’s for me.

A wider view of our train car. Anna stretching out on our sofa chair.

Leaving Beijing the landscape was filled with dramatic cliffs and mountains eventually turning into endless green fields and the power line that would hug us in parallel all the way to when we reached the border.

We had our first of what would be many instant noodles during our trip, meanwhile our conductors were busy making dumplings, stir fries and various other delicious looking foods that would be unavailable to us on the less than appetizing dining cart menu.

Most of our train ride involved a lot of relaxing. With free hot water for our trip we indulged in cups of hot tea (the Trans-Mongolian was in fact originally a caravan that brought tea from China into Russia) while reading books and watching movies, and of course staring out the window.

With our door open we eventually made some friends, an older Canadian couple who were also doing the Trans-Mongolian, but were going to be in Mongolia for nearly two weeks doing the whole big trip to the Gobi desert via small propeller plane (which as our blog title suggests me and Anna were not keen for). They were a lovely couple and were nice to have some other English speakers to grumble for our upcoming long delay.

At 8pm we reached Erlian, where a Chinese immigration officer came by and added our passports to a stack on her sleeve and walked off leaving us passport less through the changeover. This would turn out to be a long, long process due to the fact that the rails on Mongolia’s side are exactly 85mm wider than the rails we sat on. This meant that we would all be locked in our train cars with no access to facilities for the duration of the change, where each car would be individually lifted and a cohort of questionable competency changed the wheels to the wider gauge. It wouldn’t be until close to midnight before this was done and the officers politely returned our passports.

Of course once we coasted for about 30 minutes into Mongolia, another passport check was necessary, and a now Mongolian officer would come by and just like her Chinese contemporary would add our passports to her sleeve, and spend the next two hours examining whether we were who we claimed to be. The process went smoothly but we would not be free and clear until after 2am. The both of us exhausted, but relieved, finally went to sleep.

We would wake up the next morning to a dramatically different landscape in a new country. Endless rolling hills spattered with the occasional ger accompanied with flocks of sheeps, and lazy cow herds, not to mention a significant drop in temps from 31C to 20C, quite a relief for both of us.