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Published: November 20th 2007
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Okay here we go again. As always I have alot that I want to tell you about. Too much. Promise to try to keep it as short as possible but it's not easy.
Let's start with the interesting, to say at least, border crossing between Mongolia and China. So many crazy things happen that I can't possibly write about them all though.
Me and Fiona, the Scottish girl, got on the train that would take us to the Mongolian Border city, last Thursday. We had got this ridicoulsy cheap tickets, 5 USD for a 15 hour train ride. It was the longest train I've seen so far and we were in the last carriage. We found our beds, or at least the number of our beds, at sat down. The carrige is full of Mongolians and considering how they lookes at us, they were not very use to have two European girls in their carrige.
Two wmoen came to and sat down next to us. Make sense since there are two bunk beds with a table in between. BUt just a few miunutes later a couple comes and also have sit down next to us. We have put
pur big bags on the bag rack over the top bunk and so have several other people. The man spoke a little bit of English and asked us where about our trip. Then he wanted to look at our tickets and then said 'you sleep up there' and pointed at the top bunk. That's fine, we said. Top buk is okay. But after a confused conversation it turned out that the top bunks weren't our beds but the bag racks. A 160 cm long and 50 cm wide metal shelf were we have our bags and other people have put sacks of potato and some electrical rice boilers. No wonder our tickets were so cheap.
It wasn't more than dinner time so we had some noodles and then decided to check out the restaurant. It was located in the middle of the train and it seriosly took us at least 15 miuntes of walking through many carriges before we got there. The restaurants at the trains in Russia were always empty so it was with surprise we entered this one and it was absolutely crowded with smoking, eating and drinking Mongolians.
We were offered to sit down next
to two men and a woman and were soon talking to them. They spoke not much English though but it's amazing how well you understand eacother anyway. Behind me sat a young boy and a man and they soon started to talk to me. Or the man had this boy, his 12 years old brother, to translate what he wanted to say. This poor boy knew excatly so much English you can expect from a Mongolian boy in that age. His brother, who normaly worked as a police at this train, was very drunk and a bit too pushy but was soon lead out by the staff. Our three new Mongolian friends started giving us vodka and all kind of food and we had a really nice evening before they got very very drunk and had to go to bed.
Got back to our carrige and started to play cards with a Mongolian girl before we climbed up to our bag racks/beds for a not so good night's sleep.
Woke up early when the train reached the border city and said good bye to our new friends. On the station it was chaos. Busses and taxis and people
More friends
Notice the sweet old lady sleeping in the background running around and we in the middle not knowing were to go. A woman, that spoke a littel bit of German, came up to us and offered to take us over the border in a taxi for 60 kr. We had no idea what to do so we just thought we go with her and then see waht happens. Got in a taxi that drove us a few hundered meters to a long car and bus queue. Had to change car to this very dodgy jeep where a man sat heating it up with a blow torch. The german speaking woman dissappeared and ther we sat wondering if this is the right way to go. Was freezing in the car and we sat there in silence for almost 2 hours before two monolian girls come into the jeep. One og them spoke really good English so we could finaly find out was what going to happen.
After another hour we got to the Mongolian bordercrossing point and had to go into a building, filling in many papers that was in Mongolian and queue for a long time before they checked our passports and we got a stamp that we
had left Mongolia.
Back into the car and queue again before we got to the chinease bordercrossing point. Out again, more papers and after they have looked at my passport for at least 10 minutes (Don't think they see Swedish passports that very often there) we were in China!
The jeep took us to the bus station were the Mongolian girl that spoke English helped us to get tickest. She was also going to Beijing and we went to have some food and do some shopping before the bus departued.
Two hours later we walk in the bus and to our surprise it's full of beds. Normal beds with sheets in them! Luxuary. But of coarse we had got the beds in the back wich meant 5 beds together with beds over them. Just a space of 30 centimeter between them so we had to crawl in. No chance to sit up or not even turn around. Two more women came to our big bed and to have room for all os us we had to spoon. Interesting.
Managed to get some sleep and then woke up when we stopped in the middle of nowhere for
a dinner stop. Then back in the bus and slept really well actaully. Woke up several hours later, at 4.30 am, and we were in Beijing! Or outside somewhere so The Mongolian girl arranged a taxi for us that took us to our hostel. Got here 5.30 really glad and proud that we had made it!
As I said, can't write about all the weird stuff that happend during this trip but belive me, it was mental!
At the hostel we met some people we had met before which is always nice. The first day we didn't do much. First we tried to find the Vientamease embassy and after that tried to found our way back to the hostel. This took the whole day.
Next day I went to a market to do some shopping. Absolutelty crazy. So cheap that it's dangerous but you have to be good at bargaining. Then wnet to the train station to meet Larissa, Kerry and some o\ther guys that came from Ulan Bator. On the evening a big group went to a restaruant and ordered in loads of different dishes, beers and shoots of 68 % alcholic drink that is in
jars with tiger penins, snakes or lizzards. One shot is almost a normal glass and it taste like acceton. For all this we payed 25 kr each (4 USD)!!
Have been to the forbidden city, great wall (very beautiful) and did a 2 hour biking tour to the summer palace yesterday. So cool to bike in Beijing!
Really like this city is so much to do and see. Could go on forever about what I've done and seen.
On thursday I leave for Xian together with Kerry. See what happens after that.
Will add some pictures to my blog entry about the Gobi if you want to check them out!
Take care
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Annika Eriksson-Ringkvist
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Hej Gumman! Har precis tagit ut en plåt med saffransbullar,tankarna kommer till dig.Nu får vi äta för dig ocså!Pappa har tagit ner alla adventsljusstakar också ,de fungerade!Nästa söndag tänds en av dem i ditt fönster.Hoppas tågresan gått bra och att du fått lite varmare väder.Igår snöade det ganska mycket men nu är det mest plask.När du kommer till Bali måste du kontakta Juri. .Kristian och Lotta tror jag firade julen där för något år sedan.Kram puss