Back on the Trans-Siberian:Cirkumbaikal and entering Mongolia

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This morning we were really early on the train station while the train instead was late... The waiting can seem endless in that case... In the end we boarded the train around 6 am. I decided to take a (power)nap for a couple of hours and then wake up when we start circling southern part of Baikal Lake. Getting up at that time - certainly paid off. The view was just splendid: lake, forest and mountains in the background. We coasted the lake for over 200 kilometers and the view just got better and better.

Once we moved away from the Lake Baikal, we rode along the Selenga river. Also beautiful! No need for any other kind of entertainment... just watching through the window.

Towards the evening we arrived on the Russian border. The soldiers picked up our passports and we were simply waiting. One hour, two hours... six hours. 😞 This is crazy! Pure torture... Since those soldiers picked up our passports we haven't seen anyone and had no clue when will we get those back or move on. The patience was quickly wearing off. We couldn't get off the train, we couldn't open the windows and were hot, and we couldn't go to the toilets...

Only after over six and a half hours did we move on... and that only to stop shortly after on the Mongolian side of the border. Luckily their control was not as bad - they probably figured that the Russians did a thorough search during all those hours. It was so late at this point that we decided to go to bed.

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Photos

Selenga river
Mirror effect

The train
serpents through the forest...