A Trans-Siberian Railway Odyssey – The Prologue

---

It’s amazing how many people we know or have met who have experienced the diverse adventure of the Trans-Siberian railway. From a friend I met through following Liverpool and England’s (lack of) fortune who started the long trek by train from the UK to Moscow via Belarus to friends we met whilst at sea (although we only found out quite recently) who journeyed back in the day when the Russian words perisroika and glasnosthad yet to make it in to the Oxford English dictionary!!

This trip has always been near the top of our bucket list (along with being zoo keepers for the day!!) However, it was our good friends Donny and Marie who convinced us to step up to the plate. They provided the name of the company and in doing so earned £100 referral fee. At the same time, we received £100 cash back. The rest of the organisation was up to us. This was just over 12 months ago.

The Go Russia customer service has been second to none. All emails to our queries have been answered within an hour. We were required to obtain not one but three visas. Depending on your destination, visas can be a necessary expense that many people forget to budget for. Go Russia took all the stress away from applying for, and dealing with three different consulates, which meant we could convert our unused stress to abject frustration when completing the Chinese visa application form!! The Russian and Mongolian applications were relatively straight forward (if rather lengthy!) but what the Chinese lacked in length, it made up for in seemingly probing questions. Not only did the form ask for the applicant’s name and date of birth, it also asked for your parents’ names and dates of birth AND dates of death (if applicable) as well as your current AND previous employment. This was starting to feel a lot less like applying for a visa and more like applying for a job!!!

A condition of the Russian visa was to apply to the consulate in person as the applicant is required to be finger printed. A trip to London was necessary

‘I’m bored!!’ I said to Roisin having finished yet another word search.

‘Bored??’ replied Roisin. ‘We’re 1 hour 40 in to a 2-hour journey. In a few weeks’ time you’re travelling on the longest railway in the world. How are you going to cope being seven days on a train?’

It was at this point I couldn’t keep a straight face any longer and burst out laughing. Seconds later, Roisin joined in seeing the funny side of this predicament!

Ten days later and a knock at the door. Our passports had been sent special delivery. I frantically tore at the packaging. To our relief, neither of us had been successful in the Chinese job application but we were now both the proud owners of three travel visas!

Once the initial euphoria had subsided, I turned to Roisin, ‘So, it’s really happening’, I said.

Traditionally, the Trans-Siberian railway starts in Moscow and travels 6,152 miles to Vladivostok on the Pacific coast. Whilst tradition has its place, Roisin and I are not traditionalist (especially if it costs more!!) We’re taking the scenic route through the land of Genghis Khan. Our journey starts in Moscow. From there we travel overnight to Yekaterinburg where two continents meet. Staying overnight we then depart on our longest leg; three nights onboard to Irkutsk. Another night in a hotel then a further two nights onboard, crossing the Mongolian border to the capital Ulaanbaatar where we stay overnight in a Ger. If you want to know what a ger is, it is an older more traditional type of yurt!! Our final leg is overnight to Beijing. There we stay for three nights in a hotel before flying back to London. I didn’t state the main mode of transport in this 5,673 mile trek but the fact that the title of this blog is a Trans-Siberian Railway Odyssey should provide a massive clue!!

---