All aboard!!! The Trans-Mongolian begins!

The weather in Moscow is dreary, I have walked around the city for days, and I am feeling incredibly fat and lazy… so it is therefore time to update the blog!!! Don’t miss the map I have now added to the bottom of the blog – it’s beginning to look like a real trip!

 

Meeting up with my VodkaTrain tour group in Beijing, we spent our first day together exploring more of what Beijing has to offer, and braving the public transport to the amazing 798 art district (see pictures), before boarding the first overnight train of our 8045km Trans-Mongolian journey from Beijing to Moscow. Our 12 day journey actually took us along a number of different railway lines, and I will briefly explain the train journey – as it is rather confusing!

The Trans-Mongolian Railway runs between Jining (China), and Ulan-Ude (Russia), passing through Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia. At Ulan-Ude, our journey then met the Trans-Baikal Railway, which now forms part of the Trans-Siberian Railway – undoubtedly one of the most famous railway journeys the word has to offer. The Trans-Mongolian line was built between 1949 and 1961, and is now a vital route for both freight (80% of all freight) and passengers (30% of international passenger transport), and as we were to soon find out – smugglers! Construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway (which in places joined existing railway lines) was started in 1890, with the complete Moscow – Vladivostok route completed in 1916. At 9259km, the Trans-Siberian Railway is still the longest railway in the world, spanning seven time-zones, carrying over 200,000 freight carriages a year, and taking over 190 hours to complete from end-to-end. That’s big!

Crossing some of the most challenging landscapes, and taking on the freezing Siberian winter, the complete railway network is a vital form of transport to all three countries. To put this into some perspective, prior to the completion of the railway network in 1916, to get from Vladivostok to Moscow it was actually quicker to cross the Pacific Ocean, North America, the Atlantic Ocean, and all of Europe – rather than trying to cross Russia!!! 

Boarding the train in Beijing, I was very pleasantly surprised! The train was new, clean, quiet and smooth, and the beds were comfortable, soft and offered individual lights, power outlets and storage space for each passenger. 12 days of this was looking pretty good!

Arriving in the early morning in Hohhot, we were all quite relieved when we were greeted with a beaming smile and an offer of breakfast on the platform, and made welcome by local ‘honcho’ Kyle. As part of the VodkaTrain package, we were given local guides in each city we stopped in along the way, providing local knowledge and advice, taking us to the cheap and nasty restaurants, cafés, karaoke bars and clubs, and teaching us about the local customs, traditions, and the way of life in our destination. Kyle was incredibly eager to meet us, and to show us his city – as we were his first tour group ever!

Hohhot is a small Chinese city (only 3 million people) in Inner Mongolia (a province of China, not Mongolia… confusing!), famous for it’s historical sights and temples, and was the 2005 winner of ‘Dairy Capital of China’ – an interesting award considering I didn’t see anything even remotely dairy related! We spent our day wandering the chilly city streets, visiting a Buddhist temple and marketplace – which seemed to specialise in stuffed dead animals – and exploring the sensational Hohhot Museum (the dinosaur animatronics were actually amazing!), before retiring to the warmth of the local shopping centre to await yet another overnight train.

Heading to Ulaanbaatar, it became clear that not all trains on the Trans Mongolian railway are of the same standard as the Chinese trains, as we boarded a slightly older, yet still relatively clean and comfortable carriage, and prepared for two nights and a border crossing on our way to Mongolia. The China/Mongolia border crossing is the most interesting border crossing of my travels to date – with the Chinese and Mongolian railways operating different gauge trains, and rather than moving the passengers and freight from one train to another, the train is instead lifted off the tracks, and the ‘bogeys’ changed to suit the gauge of the other country. It sounds like a thrilling spectacle to watch, however it ended up being incredibly boring, with my expectations of the carriage (which we were still inside) being lifted hundreds of metres into the air soon dashed, as the train was lifted only slightly, one bogey wheeled out from beneath the carriage, and the next promptly wheeled in. Devo. With the bogeys changed, our carriage was then moved to the station platform to await the rest of the carriages, and to waste six hours with no access to the on-board toilet, and what we expected to be very limited excitement. How wrong we were!!!

Keen to stretch our legs, relieve our bladders, and see the local town, four of the seven of us got off the train in search of some excitement. Speaking to the semi-English speaking guards at the station, we explained we were going for a quick walk, and checked to make sure we could get back on the train if we passed through the security check – no problems. Wandering out of the loo, my internal bladder pain now subsiding, it became clear that things weren’t as easy as we had first anticipated. The guards (who we had spoken to about 2 minutes earlier) had decided to lock the station – with 3 of us still inside!!! Even though they were standing next to the locked doors, with keys in hand, and had just told us we could get back on the train, they had changed their mind. Our arguments (both verbal and charade) proved futile, and although we could see our fellow travellers through the stations windows (three on the train, and one now locked on the town-side of the station, not knowing what was happening!), and we were the only people in the entire station, the three of us settled into the empty station waiting room for a four hour wait, hoping the train would not leave without us.

Four hours later, incredibly bored, hungry and sick of waiting, the guards grudgingly unlocked the doors and we were finally allowed back on the train, which much to my relief, was still at the station! Rob (who had been locked alone for four hours on the other side of the station) joined us shortly after, and after clearing customs, the train was off again on our way to Ulaanbaatar.

Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia, has a population of just over one million, and along with its temples, monasteries and Mongolian architecture, is famous for being (debatably) the worlds’ coldest capital city – with winter temperatures dropping to as low as -50° Celsius. Luckily, I was headed to Ulaanbaatar in spring, and while the city streets and walkways were still showing signs of winter snow (now sludge), the weather was hovering around 0°, and sightseeing was chilly yet possible. Meeting local guide Gerlee, we headed out into the city, learning about the political history of Mongolia, the current economic boom, and life in the coldest capital on earth. Ulaanbaatar (much like all of Mongolia I saw) is an incredibly barren city, with no greenery, garden beds or open parks, yet the city has an energy and buzz, and the locals were incredibly welcoming, friendly and hospitable. Spring sees the city turn into a hive of activity, as construction work goes into overdrive after the cold winter months, and the revellers party the night away in any of the city’s countless karaoke bars and clubs.

Heading out of the city for a couple of nights, we headed into the Gorkhi Terelj National Park, to spend some time experiencing traditional Mongolian housing, camping out in a Ger Tent. I talk the experience up as if it was incredibly primitive and basic, however the reality is we stayed in the traditional housing, however the addition of comfortable beds, blankets, a basin and a daily 5am visit from the staff to stoke the fireplace ready for our wake up probably made the experience less traditional than planned, but much more comfortable!!! The campsite is owned by the VodkaTrain tour company, and is made up of roughly 18 accommodation tents, three communal tents, and two formerly-long-drops, containing visible piles of goodness, affectionately known as the ‘Tower of Terror’. Yum. Our time at the campsite was spent competing for glory in archery, dressing up in traditional Mongolian dress (which definitely suited my figure) and horse riding… which I semi-enjoyed… not sure my horse/pony agreed!!!

Heading out from the campsite for a day, Gerlee took us to meet a local family on their property, where we spent an hour or so enjoying Mongolian hospitality, developing an acquired taste for at least nine different types of yak curd (hmm…), and learning about the traditions of the Ger tent, the way of life in Mongolia, and the difficulties faced by people living in rural areas in a country which has such devastating winter weather. The family were absolutely beautiful, welcoming us into their home, answering our questions, and letting me run amok with their kids, who were supposed to be on their best behaviour!

Heading back to the comforts (shower and toilet!) of the city, we returned to Ulaanbaatar, enjoying a local cultural show (including a contortionist act that still makes me cringe!), belting out some karaoke, and spending out last day wandering the thousands of stalls and vendors at the UB Black Market – the most impressive local market I have seen anywhere in the world! Boarding yet another train out of Ulaanbaatar, we were set for the longest, and most eye-opening leg of our journey – fine days non-stop on the smuggle-train!