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Published: April 29th 2009
Trans Mongolian Boarding
Looks like I'm getting off (which I am as we are taking photos). But this is actually getting ready to leave BeijingDay 4-5 (April 8-9)
An early morning start to catch the first train in the Trans-Mongolian/Trans-Siberian journey. The Chinese train left at 7:30 for a 30 hour journey to Ulaan Baatar. The train was quite modern and comfortable and came with simple meals included.
It was amusing to listen to a discussion from a person who travelled the train often and complained that there was no meat included for lunch (Mongolia being a mainly meat eating country). He managed to get meat balls for himself and another table of travellers (we were happy with our tomato and egg dish) and felt a bit sorry for the dining car crew. The implication from the complainant was that they were keeping the meet meant for us so they could sell it (quite feasible).
We settle in and begin watching the goings on. We began to suspect that some smuggling was going on. There is a lot of activity occurring, boxes being ferried up and down the train, contents of the boxes being unloaded into carriages and into cupboards under the urn.
We began to make up all sorts of tales and intrigues to explain the activity. The smell of
onions from the attendants carriage was not his lunch we speculated but some sort of camouflage. Each station seemed to bring more goods.
The best, however, was at a stop at the border crossing when two extremely large melons are brought on board - we could only imagine what was really inside those melon skins? Probably just melons but we will never know as they were hidden among the rest of the contraband.
Everyone including the boarder immigration controls seems to turn a blind eye. In reality, it is rather sad to think that some very ordinary items were so valued (because people had so little) that they warranted being sold on the black market.
Apart from watching the internal happenings on the train, it was great watching the countryside slide past, the day passing surprisingly quickly. We get to see an amazing sunset over the desert. I take quite a few photos (as you can imagine) trying to get the photos in between the poles that race past us (yes, I know we are going past them, but you know what I mean).
We were soon at the border where there was lots of paperwork
to leave China (at Erlyan) and have passports checked. Then we moved 50 km and did it all again (at Dzamin Ude) with the Mongolian officials.
Without doubt the Mongolian officials have the best outfits for their Immigration officials especially the women. Really tailored outfits with high heeled boots and military hats. Pity you aren’t allowed to take photos of the officials.
Once the paperwork was finished the process of moving the train into railway sheds and breaking the carriages apart began. This was done so that the bogies could be changed over to match the different gauge tracks of Mongolia.
They use hydraulic equipment to lift each of the carriages up to slide out the wheels currently attached to the train and move in the new ones. It is quite a process, and we stayed on board our carriage so that we could watch the whole activity - it was surreal to see the other carriages on the train alongside you instead of behind, but this afforded a good view.
Very thorough checking was done (happy about that) to ensure we were correctly attached and then the process of putting the train back together again
Changing of the bogies
Note the height above the head of rail worker (it involved a lot of rigorous bumping of the carriages together).
After about 5 and half hours we were finally on our way and into Mongolia at last. But it was bedtime (1.30 am) and dark so our first real glimpse of Mongolia would have to wait until the morning.
We awoke to vast expanses of the edge of the Gobi desert. It was lightly grassed with patches of snow and there was still ice on the few streams we passed. While it is much colder, there is something familiar in this landscape, similar to Australia I think in the vastness of the open spaces.
Occasionally we would catch a glimpse of a small village or single house (including ger huts) and also the sight of wild Mongolian horses, a few cattle and sheep and goats (I missed the camels). But mostly it was just space.
We arrived in Ulaan Baatar in the afternoon and were met by our local guide and driver who explained that Ulaan Baatar was known for it’s traffic jams, even though it is only a city of a million. About half the population of Mongolia now live in this city, causing
quite a few problems in providing services, jobs and housing for the population. Mongolia does not have a lot of resources and is really struggling as a country.
We changed our money into the local currency and made our way to our local hotel. Then an orientation walk around town being careful to keep an eye on our valuables. Unfortunately, pick pocketing and crime is high here, and our guide stresses that it is not a town to be going out at night in.
Dinner that night was not far from our hotel and of course there was a huge range of meat dishes to choose from. Including, despite their love for the animal, horse steak. I chose not to try that one, although others said it was delicious. An early night followed, strangely tired after all that sitting on the train.
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