11-19 November Boy, the compartment sure seems big without two Italians, eight Mongolians, 27 packages, snacks and drinks. With Sarah and Dalila missing the train, I have an entire four-person compartment all to myself for the five-day journey. So, I stow my gear, make some tea and start watching Mongolia pass by. We travel through the evening and in the middle of the night cross into Russia, which will be last country on my trip. The train is quite empty, with about half of my car full; and all the time I sojourn into the dining car I never see more than two other people there. As far as I can tell I am the only one on the train who is not either Mongolian or Russian. There were not many attempts to meet the neighbors,
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