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Published: October 23rd 2013
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Here it is...they call this a trip of a lifetime...how could we call ourselves travelers without having done it. Took a while to plan, took a while to ride...the memories will be with us...forever.
First, we didn't ride the trans-Siberian, as this train is running from Moscow to Vladivostok. What we did is the trans-Manchurian, the train all the way from Moscow to Ulan Baator. We did it non-stop, this is a 100 hours ride...meaning 5 nights, four days as you board the train at around 9pm, and arrive in Ulan Baator early morning.
You can either use a travel agent to buy the ticket ahead for you... or take your luck once you are in Russia. I was happy to have pre-booked our St Petersburg-Moscow...and the same will be later one for the leg Ulan Baator-Beijing...but for Moscow-Ulan Baator, we ended up in a ghotst train.
The train must have something like 10 cars, plus a restaurant car...and 5 minutes before leaving...we found out, that we were less than 20 passengers in the train. That's us plus around 15 Mongolians....and something like a good 30 staffs (nearly all Mongolians) for all
of us!
We would find out later on that this was it, it would be a ghost train....or at least all the way to Irkutsk, where some 20 more people joined us for the last day of the trip. At first, I was not that happy to find out that this would be a ghost train. We have all read the stories about those train...and the vodka involved...well, I would miss this. But we also did Ulan Baator-Beijing in a packed train...and trust me....a ghost train, is way better than a packed train!
We had our own car for ourselves all the way. A car can take 36 people, plus the two attendant ladies and a mechanic guy. Well....this was it...we had our car...just for us....that makes it way easier when you have to recharge the kids toys with the single plug available! And trust me, having your own toilet is not a bad thing for a 100 hours train ride!
The ride is a good 100 hours across Russia and the north of Mongolia. And put it simply, it is simply amazing. Was it long...no...Was it boring...never...you go to sleep
and wake up to another day...and than you do it again, and again...
Do I have a good relationship with my kids? There is no need to answer this...if we can have fun for 100 hours on our own...without anybody else, close to no internet...the answer is simple...I love my kids.
I had bought a 3G connection in St Petersburg. It did last me the first 3 days. There is internet access in most of the stations, while in the train....but that only while you are at the platform. The 3G gives you a good 20 minutes before and after the station. On average, we would have a train station every 4 to 5 hours...with an average stop of 15 minutes each time.
I know...why do I need internet....well, with an office in Hong Kong...serious business in Africa and Asia...it's kind of good to stay connected...I called it...another day in the office...on the train from Moscow to Mongolia...made laugh more than one person! It's also good to find out that the Belgium team is going to make it to Brazil in July 2014....go Belgium!
Before we speak of
the scenery...let speak...of the food! Travelling is important...food is even more important, specially with two kids, or shall I say two teenagers! Each car has a samovar providing hot water...you know, the one you need not only for your tea...but for the dry noodles...and in Russia, the instant mash potatoes...not bad those ones!
We had stock on dry noodles...on snacks...of many kinds. We still made it twice to the restaurant car. First evening we had...they had beef...and beef...and not the one from Argentina. Than the next day, they came to us...they got us pelmenis....we love pelmenis...we are crazy about plemenis...so on our third night, we went back to the restaurant car...for more beef, and pelmenis!
I was also successful to get some nice pelmenis during our stop in Novosibirsk...that was the only stop where I could find them. Beside this, the food on offer at the platforms...was not at all...well...what we would go for...sorry to be slightly fuzzy.
I did also get a bottle of vodka...it didn't go down very fast...vodka on my own with the kids...is really not me...but the 4th night...I got invited for a drink with the mecanics
and few of the ladies attendants...brought my bottle...that went down fast...fun experience, but no pictures of it, these people are pretty shy to work and drink at the same time. Smile!
We had Mongolian cars. These were old...but everything was clean, comfortable...and working properly. I would find out later on that old is ok...what count is do they keep the place comfortable and clean...they did it...great job!
We also had some time to work on or Mongolian language skills...well, let me tell you something, Mongolian is very close to Greenlandic...I know...what the hell...well, today I did both, and it's astonishing to hear how close the sounds are...as obviously, I understand strictly nothing...and for info, it is also linked to Hungarian....I can already see the smiles!
Than came the scenery...the dilapidated Russia factories that you see all over the place. The wooden houses...and the soviet type accommodation buildings...plus the miles after miles of trees...and gorgeous nature...trust me, I didn't get bored.
Than one morning, at 6am, I look outside, to see....the Lake Baikal. We followed it for a good hour. The kids had an interest in it for 5
minutes, than went back to sleep....but hey, how often do you ride a train next to the Lake Baikal.
The crossing of the border took a good 5 hours...with a smooth crossing, and very nice and polite officers...
Just before Ulan Ude, the last big city before Mongolia...I heard an Australian accent in our car. Who is in "my" train....what is this guy doing here. Trust me, after having a train for your own little family for 3 full days, this is how it feel...I know...weird!
This was it, we arrived in Ulan Baator, for more fun. Why I never took this ride before, having lived 17 years in Asia...don't even ask me. Why nearly none of my friends living in Asia has ever done it...don't ask me.
Would I do it again...trust me, yes! Did I love it...yes, all of it. It was cheap...it was fun...ok, it was fun also because of two great kids, Leslie and Tiffany. Had I been on my own, I may have another feeling!
Next stop...some snow...and even more of a private experience...just need to chose the pictures and
write the text!
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Home and Away
Bob Carlsen
You have amazing kids to have survived that long of a trip...
I would never have lasted 100 hours without a shower.