Train Life

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After a suprisingly good sleep we were up and excited to see the sights out of the window. Maybe a bear, a wolf, a Gulag but no, we got trees, trees and more trees and frankly not much else. With the view not so good at the monent (remember the journey is 9000km so it can only get better) we got out our magasines, cards and travel connect 4 and we were set. When the old tummy started to rummble it was time to get pot noodle number 1 out (well the russian equivalent) and head to the samova which is a constant supply of boiling water for tea, coffee and pasta type dishes. The noodles were good and at least it kept the wolf from the door until it was time to hit the restaurant carriage. Night time came, about 2 hours early as we had crossed 2 time zones, the train however always runs on Moscow time which was a bit confussing at first working what time local time was as no-one realy told you. We headed to the restaurant carriage and met up with some of the other guys on our trip. We had some food (Beef stroganoff) and as the drinks flowed we all had a jolly good English time, drinking Russian beer! The next morning we were up at what we believed to be about 11 am local time so about 8 Moscow time. Our cabin buddy Martin had other ideas and didn't get up until about 4 pm. he did warn us he would sleep but was alittle bit anoying as we just wanted to open the curtains to let some light in to see if the view had changed and changed it had! We now had a lighter shade of green on the trees and the trunks were a bit whiter! The day was quick as we passed through more time zones and it was food time again, this time goulash. After a few more beers with the guys it seemed a good idea for us all to bowl back to someones cabin and drink the 3 bottles of vodka one of the lads had brought with them. Thankfully it wasn't our cabin. It was a fun evening and Russian Vodka does taste a little different, but not so much as it becomes nice. I had a few and lisa dipped her little finger in her glass to taste, no more vodka passed her lips that evening.

In the morning we both felt just about OK i think we have learned our limits which is more than we could say for some of the others who were feeling how can i put it, a bit unwell. Another nondiscrip day passed, this time with no alcohol as we were arriving in Irkutsk (Siberia) at 9.30am local time, 4.30 Moscow time! We were met at the station and transfered to our Siberian village by Lake Baikal. The scenery was now trees and water!

G & L

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