Trans-Siberian

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We are in Irkust now, more than half way through our Trans-Siberian journey. Train life is great. We are catching another train tonight to Ulan Bator. Over the past 4 nights we have played lots of cards, lost and won loads of small money and drank some vodka - of course. The cabins are 4-berth and quite spacious, although we all needed a shower!

Stopping at stations is a lot of fun. We can get off for 15 minutes or so and buy some goodies from the old ladies who come down to meet the train. We are getting more and more adventurous with the food we are trying, which will undoubtedly lead to food poisoning!

We visited lake Baikal for two days. It was beautiful there, the largest fresh water lake in the world. I went from a swim, but as it is Siberia it was cold! Having a great time and everybody in our tour group is very friendly.

We board the train again tomorrow for a two day trip to China.

**For anyone wondering who we booked through - the company is called 'Shoestring'. It is a 16 day tour from Moscow to Beijing via the Trans-Siberian with 2 and 3 night stops at Lake Baikal and Mongolia respectively. Gemma and I loved this trip and at 699 pounds it was great value for money. The hotels were very good and the Ger accommodation and inclusive meals in Mongolia were probably worth 300 pounds alone. All in all a fantastic trip that got our journey off to a great start. And I don't work for them!

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Photos

Bruce on the train.
This was my bed for 4 days and nights on the train

On the train
Crossing Siberia

Laura on the train
Our cabin mate

Choco pies
My staple diet on the train