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Published: August 16th 2008
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Our Compartment
Trans Manchurian Moscow - Peking Yaroslavsky 08/08/08
After watching the Beijing opening ceremony on TV in the hostel, we gather our things for the walk to Yaroslavsky station (about 40 minutes away) including many kerbs and underground crossings of big roads with about 50 steps down and then up. Chris’s new super strength trolly is now carrying his ‘fun’ bag and the laptop bag - both of which are really, really heavy. Between us, we are carrying 7 bags consisting of 2 very big back packs, 2 very big trolly bags and 2 bags ontop of the trolly bags. Surprisingly, it is the train food bag that will break us.
We walk about half a mile to the nearest busy street. Chris’s veins in his right arm are bulging from the weight and I am sweating beyond belief so we decide to hail a taxi. Chris tells me to do it so I step into the road and stare at every car going past looking for anything that indicates that the car is a taxi. There are none to be seen but within minutes a car pulls in and the man gestures to me. He is a private car owner who makes a
living as a taxi driver. We ask how much - he says 200 rubles. This is the cheapest we have been offered so we agree. He drives us around the ring road to get to the station and speaks individual English words all the way. We really like him.
We have 5 hours to wait for the train now. In the station’s waiting area, we choose the first available 2 seats possible but within 10 minutes change seats as we are definitely under scrutiny of the 3 young guys opposite. We stay inside the building. Outside it is hectic and it has a definite air of ‘watch your back’
We move to an area with more families and women with their trade waiting to go home. When we sit down, I immediately notice her. She was already sitting opposite, her face furrowed with worry, her tilted head resting on her upturned palm and her blank expression gazing to the ground. She was so deep in thought that nothing changed her expression or pose for over an hour . I wondered what could be occupying her mind so much. After some time, her son and husband arrived and they
Samovar
hot water on tap all squeezed onto two chairs. They ate and she ate a little then resumed the same pose and expression as before they arrived. The son and husband talked around her but she didn’t speak a word. The husband and son left again. In front of her were all of their bags including 2 enormous marrows. After about an hour, the son came back and sat to the left side of his mother, she spoke to him, moved his coat and then resumed the same pose. She had been like this for over 3 hours until eventually, she did not change her pose but tears began to well in her eyes until eventually she cried properly. She wiped her eyes then covered them with her left hand and handkerchief. I don’t know why but to see her break really upset me. I felt a pounding in my chest and a deep hurting feeling in my gut. Tears welled in my eyes because she was really hurting and I wanted to help but could do nothing. The helpless son sat to her left. He did not speak to or console her. He was about 15 years old. I could not speak her
language and to sit with her would be both intrusive and take energy from her to even try to look at me. I wanted to lift her spirits just a little so, I bought her a bar of chocolate - seems silly but I wanted to show that someone was thinking about her. I bought the chocolate, placed it gently on her bag which was on her lap. She didn’t know. She still had her hand over her eyes. Her son looked at it, looked at me, looked at it again and didn’t say a word to either me or his mother. I sat back down and picked my book up again, heart pounding, still the deep gut feeling in my stomach. After about half an hour, her husband arrived back and they started to gather their things. The woman gently moved from her position, noticed the chocolate, said something to her son and gestured that she didn’t want it. He said nothing to her and offered it back to me, I shook my head and pointed to his mother. They gathered everything, her husband lifted his hand to wave to me, they left, she never knew a thing. In
timetable.
caused much confusion as it stayed on Moscow time until the Chinese border then jumped 4 hours some small way, just for a minute, I wanted to make her feel a little better but I couldn’t and I didn’t.
They left 5 minutes before the platform number became listed for our train so we gathered our things and left for platform one.
Outside the waiting area, we cross the back of the endless platforms. It is full of lots of men drinking, gangs of lads and traders of second hand magazines and food. Instinctively, I feel cautious. Somehow I end up in the middle of an army gaggle in pale grey with hard peaked caps until my bag gets stuck in a rut and they walk around me.
The platform for our train is right at the end. It is mostly full of Russians, a few Chinese and one Austrian guy who has a very strong American accent. He tells us he is excited about the trip and is going to get off in Mongolia. I tell him he’s on the wrong train because that went on Weds, this is the Manchurian and doesn’t touch Mongolia. He’s surprised but says it’ll still be FUN and he’ll come and find us, we both back off a little.
The gap between the platform and the train is the biggest yet. I sigh. After a very lengthy ticket examination, the attendants let us on. Carriage 4, Compartment 1, SV. It’s 1st class and what luxury. Damask sheets and the hand towel has Moscow to Peking embroidered on it. There’s even a TV. We put the 7 bags in appropriate under seat and overhead sections. Empty bits out into the neat cupboards behind the head rests, make the beds prepare to settle then of course I say, ‘I hope we don’t have to move now’ and honestly the next second the male attendant asks us if we will move to compartment 3. You just don’t argue with any Russian with any authority but I point to our 7 huge bags stuffed in every available space and gesture that it is difficult to move. He mimes he will move everything. Chris asks why we have to move. I know why. They want compartment 1 because it is next to their attendant’s room. I cover my eyes, they leave us for a minute and talk in the corridor. I know that if we do change, they will be nice to us. If we do not, they certainly will not. This is how it works out here. So we agree to change. The woman attendant actually smiles, the change around begins, everyone helps, it takes about 25 minutes. We settle in about 2am.
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Billy
non-member comment
you were hard
It's a hard thing to travel so many countries in the world. Even a lot of unexpectable things would happen anytime.