Blogs from Ulan-Ude, Siberia, Russia, Europe

Hello All, We had a long day on the train, we had a few hours each side of the Russian-Mongolian boarder but there was really nothing there apart from a kiosk with out-of-date items. So our day was spent eating noodles, watching spooks and reading, plus loads of chatting!!! To be fair this time we all got healthier foods for the train like tomatoes, cheese, bread, fruit and other good stuff. Our passports and visas were checked thoroughly, about 6 times; nice to see they are thorough unlike England. Anyone planning to do this trip should really look at making sure they have books, kindle, laptop or something to keep themselves busy, also stock up on food as its expensive on the train and will be cheaper in a supermarket in Russia. As normal we ended ... read more

Before we start, all the pictures are of round Baikal, the last photos of Mongolia are on my iPad and it's too much of an effort to dig it out of my bag. Ulaanbaatar train station at 6:30am is a cold and dark place, especially when you have to wait an hour for the bus. I say bus, it was actually quite a nice coach. And, I shouldn't complain about being there so early, I was given a free ride by the man who fixed the light bulb in my hostel room. Mongolia; the land where every car is a taxi, which is fortunate, especially in the wild where transport is hard to come by. My friend at the Ger had to get a lift with a woman when it turned out there was no bus ... read more

Ich starte meine Reise in Moskau, Abfahrt 13.50 ab Bahnhof Jaroslawl. Nochmals zittere ich kurz, ob das zu Hause ausgedruckte e-ticket wirklich alles ist, was ich brauche, um zu boarden, ohne mich an irgendeinem Schalter blicken zu lassen. Doch die sehr nette Schaffnerin scannt den Barcode kurz ein & heisst mich an Board willkommen. Der Zug faehrt puenktlich ab und haltet den minutengenauen Takt 3.5 Tage lang durch! Ich bin die gefuehlte einzige Nicht-Russin. Alles funktioniert reibungslos, von angeblicher Unfreundlichkeit keine Spur. Die erste Etappe geht nach Ulan Ude (non-stop 5600km). Ich habe mich fuer Zug #2 entschieden, den "Rossja", der auch als der teuerste der Zuege mit Nummern unter 10 gilt. Da die 1. Klasse weit im Voraus ausgebucht war (zumindest online ueber die Russischen Staatsbahnen, bei Kontingenten der Reisebueros weiss ichs nicht), habe ich ... read more

We arrive in Ulan Ude the capital of Buraytia republic in Russia. Its home to Buraytiy's, Evenk ethnic groups as well as Russians in general. The town was established in 1666 and flourished quickly due to its proximity to Mongolia and China.Due to its ethnic minorities and location in Asia it has a real Asian feel to it. I'm reminded of Mongolia and my love for the city flourishes further. Although we are in Siberia, its once again nice and warm and sunny. A real summers day. Ulan Ude is said to be one of the sunnier cities compared to surrounding cities close by. The city centre is nice to walk around in and also houses the worlds largest statue of Lenin's Head! The merchant mansions are nice wooden houses scattered throughout the city mainly along ... read more

Siberia. It’s one of those places that wakes up long before the sun has broken the horizon. The hazard of dwelling at a parallel this far north, is how drastic the length of day shortens as winter encroaches. I’m used to it, but the Australians argue amongst themselves over what time of day it is. It is almost half eight, but still pitch dark. They grumble. Then without warning someone switches on the sun, and the day officially starts. Our tour leader is a woman from Israel who doesn't speak Russian or Mongolian, or Australian for that matter. She is strict and abrupt and highly offended by us most of the time. When excessively questioned by The Australians about her past, she progressively gets more evasive. I've determined she must be a secret agent hiding out ... read more