A
Trans-Siberian-Mongolian Journey
A
long, long Railway Journey
Part
Two
By
Gyan
C. A. Fernando
Still On
The Road
The
train travels rather smoothly and even at stops there is very little awkward
movement. Helped by the Vodka, sleep is therefore easy.
During
daytime, it is mostly an endless, flat, landscape of Beech and Pine forests.
We
stop at Nizhny Novgorod, which is on the River Volga, and which was formerly known as
Gorky.
We
get to Kirov and then on to Perm. Just before getting into Perm we cross the
Kama River. The bridge here is quite impressive and long.
By the time we get to Perm, we are two hours
ahead of Moscow Time. The platform is full of vendors, including ladies selling
vodka.
At
1777Km from Moscow and a day after leaving Moscow we cross from Europe into
Asia. This spot is apparently marked by an obelisk but we didn’t see it.
Rugged
Carriages
 | ||||||
| Carriage electrical compartment |
 |
| Carriage hand brake |
The
carriages are rugged with a high loading gauge and are spacious. The doors are
solid and all metal. They may lack the opulence of European trains but they are
certainly solid and give a sense of security.
The
toilets are basic but clean and well-looked after by the carriage attendants.
There are no showers in second class but the girls in our group managed to wash their hair
and clothes.
 |
| Our carriage attendant |
 |
| The brisk blonde in the other carriage |
We
Move On
 |
| Shawl seller and the author |
 |
| Omsk Station |
This is now the second day and Christine is not feeling well. I suggest antihistamines. She lies on her bunk and I sit at the foot of her bunk.
On the second day we reached Omsk.
We are now 2676 Km from Moscow and three hours ahead of Moscow time.
The corridor has been vacuumed and new carpet protectors have been laid.
At Omsk, I buy a bottle of Baltic beer. I am not sure why I wrote this information in my diary because I have had a few Balticas in Moscow and so it is nothing new.
On the second day we reached Omsk.
We are now 2676 Km from Moscow and three hours ahead of Moscow time.
The corridor has been vacuumed and new carpet protectors have been laid.
At Omsk, I buy a bottle of Baltic beer. I am not sure why I wrote this information in my diary because I have had a few Balticas in Moscow and so it is nothing new.
Just
before Omsk a few vendors got on the train selling shawls and other items. This
relieved the boredom a bit.
The landscape is still of unending Birch and Pine
forests.
 |
| Baltic beer |
Life
in the Carriage
I
have settled in my carriage with "my" girls. I am ordered out of the compartment, good-naturedly,
when the girls want to change for the night.
I have now stopped bothering with changing for
bedtime and am happy to sleep in my ordinary clothes.
On the advice of our leader, we have the basic necessities in our small bags. Our big bags are stored out of sight and it is not easy to access them.
Some of my stuff fall off my bunk onto Maggie’s bunk, but we are getting used to communal living on the rails!
On the advice of our leader, we have the basic necessities in our small bags. Our big bags are stored out of sight and it is not easy to access them.
Some of my stuff fall off my bunk onto Maggie’s bunk, but we are getting used to communal living on the rails!
During
day time the occupants of the top bunks need to sit on the lower bunks and
there is a need not to drop bread crumbs on someone else’s bed! All of us seem
to get on with each other so far! We have even made friends with other passengers in our
carriage.
On
the instructions of our leader we wash our hands with alcoholic hand wash but I
just use Vodka. It is the same thing anyway and cheaper!
By
the end of the second day we arrive at Novosibirsk, 3,303 km from Moscow and
three hours ahead.
The train is rapidly becoming our home. It is like being in a pleasant hostage situation!
Lycra Shorts
Meanwhile, our carriage attendant girl has got more casual although she wears her uniform most of the time. Last night she was seen in a negligee but then that was probably her bedtime.
Now she is seen in a pair of Lycra shorts because she is vacuuming the corridor. We start referring to her as "Lycra Shorts"!
 |
| The restaurant car |
Lycra Shorts
Meanwhile, our carriage attendant girl has got more casual although she wears her uniform most of the time. Last night she was seen in a negligee but then that was probably her bedtime.
Now she is seen in a pair of Lycra shorts because she is vacuuming the corridor. We start referring to her as "Lycra Shorts"!
(Continued: Part Three Beyond Novosibirsk)
 |
| The author |
Copyright:
Gyan C. A. Fernando, 2012
Illustrations:
The photographs all belong to the author and are copyright. The rail map is
from Wikipedia.
Further
Reading:
- The Trans-Siberian Railway (Wikipedia): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans-Siberian_Railway
- The Practicalities (Wikitravel): http://wikitravel.org/en/Trans-Siberian_Railway
- The Trans-Siberian Route: http://www.waytorussia.net/TransSiberian/Route.html
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