Trans-Siberian Railway (15/09/2004 – 15/10/2004)

ISABELLE AROUND THE WORLD

THE TRANS-SIBERIAN RAILWAY

______________

DIARY

(15 September 2004 – 15 October 2004)

 

To my Grandfather Arthur,
and to my Parents, Yves & Monique.

First… The Idea!

I have been thinking about it for years, when I finally took the big step and booked my trip via Sundowers an Australian agency (the cheapest!). I wanted to go through Mongolia as it is a part of the trip with the most stunning sceneries!

I purchased the lonely Planet guide “Trans Siberian Railway” as well as The Trans Siberian Handbook from Bryn Thomas to help me choosing the right trip and keep me company during my trip.

From the booking time, I could not wait for my epic journey to start!

I wanted to go all the way by train, so I booked my train tickets from Paris to St Petersburg via Deutsch Bahn with my rail staff discount; it was really good as I had a direct sleeper train from Berlin to St Petersburg. I choose to travel first class (my birthday present!).

Second … The Visas!

Oh Boy! That’s was a pain! Mongolia, Belarus and China were easy; I took my precaution and started queuing up early at the Chinese embassy. Russia on the other hand was a major pain, it would have been impossible to obtain a visa without an invitation letter given by the travel agent but as well as three recent bank statements, and proof of travel insurance.

The first day I arrived at 06.55 in front of the embassy, about 20 persons in the queue. A man was standing with a sleeping bag in his hand and clearly spent the night here… I was thinking that it was strange at the time. I was unable to get in as they shut the gates at 11.45 with 6 people still in front of me, so I came back the following day. I started the queuing at 6.00 am and there was already 10 people in front of me most of them spend the night there as the guy I saw yesterday! I only managed to get inside about 11.00 and was among the last persons allowed in!

Introduction

“It is time a high time” (Alexander III, 1886)

With these words the Tsar gave the thumbs up to arguably one of the wonder of the modern world.

The Trans Siberian Railway is spanning mighty rivers and running through mountains, dense forest, murky swamps and vast steppes. The Trans Siberian Railway’s construction is an engineering achievement with little parallel.

In 1891, approval was given to begin the construction of a Railway across Siberia, linking Moscow to the Pacific. The route was divided into six sections for the construction:

- West Siberian Line Yekaterinburg to Novobrisk, completed in 1896

- Mid – Siberian Line Novobrisk to Irkutsk, completed in 1899

- Circum Baikal loop in 1904

- Trans Baikal Line, from Lake Baikal to Sretensk in 1900

- Armur Line from Kuenga to khavabosk in 1916

- Usseri Line from Khavabosk to Vladivostok in 1897

The Trans Mongolian was completed in 1956.

Prior to the completion of Circum Baikal loop, a ferry service was introduced to cross Lake Baikal. The Ferry Baikal was able to carry the complete train on its deck.

(Well some of the Eurostar passengers thought of that!)

Three long distance train services currently run from Moscow

- Trans Siberian: Moscow-Vladivostok

- Trans Manchurian: Moscow – Beijing via Harbin

- Trans Mongolian: Moscow – Beijing via Ulan Bator… 7,865 km

All trains run at Moscow time!

All together my journey from London to Beijing by train was about 12,145 kilometres!

A Quotation to Start:

 

“It is important to travel when you are young: you travel light and cheap, and your heart is like a sponge. The paths across the world make up a school which tempers the character and reinforce tolerance and solidarity. You learn to give and to take, to keep the doors open in the house of spirits and above all to share. You learn to enjoy small things, to value what you have, to be happy in the times of scarity and celebrate abundance. You learn to listen, to watch and to love.”

From “Black on Black” by Ana Briongos

Day 1: Wednesday 15 September 2004

Finally the big day!

My journey started with the departure of the Eurostar at 07.09 to Paris. I am travelling first class of course! Gary my boyfriend is with me, we decided to spend the day in Paris. We visited Montparnasse tower, Luxemburg gardens and walk along the Seine River. I said my goodbyes to Gary in Gare du Nord, his Eurostar left at 20.43. I waited patiently for my platform to be announced for my overnight train to Berlin. I felt sad to be suddenly left on my own; it was really a weird feeling!

I was very excited to start the first leg of my epic journey; I went to board the DB sleeper who was leaving at 20.46. The cabin was very comfy; it even has got a shower on board! I started to settle down for the night, my first night on board, dreaming of all the exciting adventures waiting for me.

Day 2: Thursday 16 September 2004

I woke up on board, my train making his way to Berlin, in which we arrived on time!

I made my way to Lichtenberg station hopping to find lockers in order to leave my bags. Due to my luck, of course there were no lockers in that deserted station. So it was back on the S Bahn for me to Ostbahnhof station, where I found lockers.

I had three hours to visit the city. I made my way to the TV tower in Alexander Platz, which was expensive by the way! But the view is worth it! Then I went to see the Reichstag (from the outside only as the queue to get inside was a mile long) and the Brandenburg Gate, followed by Check Point Charlie. I did not have enough cash and time to get inside, what a pity! On my way back to the station I stopped to see the remains of the Berlin Wall and grab my lunch at Mc Donald’s.

I made my way to Lichtenberg station which is very small, like a suburban station and was being refurbished. Even if on my train ticket it was written Lichtenberg, I was starting to wonder if I was really at the right place as there was not even a shop in the station. At that time I understood I will have to ration my food and water as might not be an opportunity to stop along the way.

I was delighted when I saw the train turning up at the station!

I was excited to see the nice Russian attendants in their uniforms. The cabin was not as nice as the DB one, but that will do!

The train left Berlin and I was asked to fill up a declaration form in order to enter the Russian Federation but it was in Russian, I was thinking to myself, “Cela ne va pas faire avancer le Schmilblick” a catch phrase from a famous French TV show in the 80′s. Thankfully a lady helped me, she did not speak English, but we managed it in German. I started to ration my food as I was thinking I might not have enough. I settle down for the night. My carriage attendant was called Dimitri.

Day 3: Friday 17 September 2004

We arrived at the Polish-Belarus border at 01.20 (Belarus Time). The train for some reasons kept moving forward and backward (probably the shunting engine separating the carriages). Then the controls started, the border guard looked very strict, but good in their uniforms! Then the train was parked into a shed to change the bogies. I have to say that it took less time to change the bogies than checking the passports.

One guard entered my cabin and checked every where for whatever he was looking for. One guard took my passport away. After a while, the train was starting to move away, but no passport!!!!! I quickly shout out at Dimitri who press some buttons on his control panel, the train stopped after 2 minutes. At this same time I saw a guard running after the train with my passport in his hands. I was at the same time panicked, but wanted to burst out laughing as well! My trip nearly ended before it even started!

At 04.30 the train finally continued its way for good. We later stopped in Minsk, where I had enough time to get out to stretched my legs, there were also a band playing on the platform, I felt welcome even if it was not for us, but for the train and its passengers on the other side of the platform.

While as I was on the train I could not stop thinking about the millions of people that used the same tracks as they were deported to the death camps during WWII, it was sad.

At 12.30 local time, we stopped at Orsha for 278 minutes precisely according to the timetable.

Dimitri the train attendant took me to the local market, the fruit stall was a pity. The price of a bunch of bananas is almost a weekly wage down here. I took the opportunity to refill with food.

I wander off inside the village, where I saw pretty houses, with the typical look of Eastern Europe.

I noticed that a lot of people where walking over the railway tracks, then I could not resist it! On an empty line I walked and walked over it (I would have got arrested for this in Britain!). Then I sat down on a stair to enjoy a beer. I made way back to the train.

Day 4: Saturday 18 September 2004

I woke up on board, only an hour to go before the arrival in St Petersburg. When the train pulled into the station, I was happy to arrive but sad in a way, as I got used to this train. Vitebsk station is very elegant; it was built in 1837, decorated in Russian Art Nouveau.

My transfer went all right all the way to the hotel. I could not check in before 12.00, so I left my luggage in the hotel and went for a walk; I managed to buy goods, especially water as I was bursting for a drink. I even venture in the Metro.

In the evening I saw a representative of the agency and met my travelling companions: a very nice couple Bernadette and Russell from Australia and 2 corpulent rotund sisters Paula and Melda also from Australia, but because there travelling in “first class” (2 persons per berth), and I will be travelling in class “coupe”, 4 persons per berth, I will not see them that often.

In the evening we went out for a meal.

Day 5: Sunday 19 September 2004

St Petersburg was founded by Peter the Great in 1703 on the marshy Neva River. In the early 19th century St Petersburg had firmly established itself as a cultural centre of the empire. Industrialisation brought a flood of poor workers associated to urban squalors.

Revolution against the monarchy was first attempted in a coup in 1825. The leaders were banished to the outer edges of the empire, becoming some of the earliest Europeans Trans Siberian travellers.

The revolution in 1905 sparked by Bloody Sunday of the 9 January, when more than one hundred people were killed after troops fired on a crowd petitioning against the Tsar outside the Winter Palace. The Tsar government limped on until Vladimir Lenin and his Bolshevik followers took advantage of Russia’s disastrous involvement in WWI to instigate the third successful revolution in 1917.

St Petersburg was renamed Petrograd.  To break with the Tsarist past, the seat of the movement was moved to Moscow and the city was renamed Leningrad after the leader’s death in 1924.

As the Soviet Union came tumbling down, the city was renamed St Petersburg in 1991, and celebrated its 300 anniversary in 2003.

We set out in our mini bus with Helena our local guide, we drove around the city. We saw a bear cub chained up, it was sad to see animals abused like that. The town is really magnificent, a beauty and very rich in history.

We stopped at Peter and Paul fortress where St Petersburg was the first founded. It is the oldest building in the city. I also saw Peter the Great last resting place.

I did enjoy my own walking tour of the city, including a horse ride near the church of the Resurrection.

Day 6: Monday 20 September 2004

We went to Pushkin, the Tsar’s village, or better known as Tsarkoe Selo. The palace was created between 1744 and 1796, it is situated 25 km south of St Petersburg. The palace of Catherine the Great contains the Amber room, a magnificent room!  (I filmed and took a photo despite the interdiction! very cheeky… I know!) It was very busy and big groups were following each other, room to room. I guess it is their equivalent to Versailles in France, Schoenbrunn in Vienna.

I had lunch on the grounds of a palace in a small cafe/restaurant, I also fed the ducks on the on the lake.

It was very pleasant to walk in the park.

Back in St Petersburg, I stayed down town to email family and friends.

In the evening I went to the ballet to watch Swan Lake, it was very lovely, really nice! Once again I managed to cheat by taking photos and swapping the SD card when an attendant spoke to me…!

Day 7: Tuesday 21 September 2004

I came back to Vitebsk station, the station in which I arrived to have more time to look at this splendid place.

In the afternoon with the 4 Australians and our local guide we went to the Hermitage, the 2 and 1/2 hour visit went very quick! The State Hermitage Museum is one of the largest, oldest, most important and famous art galleries and museums of human history and culture in the world.

The museum comprises of two huge buildings, the Winter Palace, and the Hermitage. The Winter Palace was completed in 1762. The dozens of rooms and hall contained within its baroque exteriors were decorated in the reign of Catherine the great who favoured the classical style. The palace included a Boudoir; I only wish we had one like that at Eurostar! They also had a collection of Dutch and French paintings.

I left the group at the end of the guided visit, they all wanted to go back to the hotel, so I stayed on my own to spend more time, take more photos. I made my way back to the hotel much later.

I made a stop at the Chocolate Museum, despite having a shop inside, I came out empty-handed!

After a rest at the hotel, I loaded myself at dinner, I was so hungry!

I realised that St Petersburg was over and we are now moving to Moscow. Our train left at 23.59. I shared my cabin with 2 Russian girls and 1 Australian bloke who worked for agency he will take us to Moscow and leave us here.

The train looked very comfy, they had 3 trains to Moscow within 10 minutes of each others, it is even better than the Northern Line in London’s Underground!

Day 8: Wednesday 22 September

It is now a week I am on the rails!

Arrival in Moscow in the early morning. The city was founded in 1147. It is a city living mainly from aerospace, automotive industry and chemical equipment industry. The old part of Moscow has radial circular layout.

The historical part of the City is the Kremlin ensemble and the Red Square close to it.

The actual population of Moscow is now nine millions.

When we arrived, we had breakfast in Leningradsky hotel, one of the seven so-called “wedding cake building”.

Our city tour started with our local guide. The most embarrassing part is when our corpulent Paula was unable to get on board the minivan; we had to push her inside. She was so plump that it was difficult for her to climb inside. I felt sorry for her. I was restraining myself not to burst out laughing! I felt sorry for her in a way! We discovered the first views of the Kremlin, it was lovely, but a pity it was raining! Then we went shopping in Arbat Street. Paula the biggest of the sisters decided to stay in the mini bus rather than walk with us, well that’s her problem! We continue to drive in the city, we saw the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour which is the tallest Eastern Orthodox Church in the world.

Later we went to Lenin’s hill, were we saw The Moscow Olympic Stadium (Olympic Games of 1980), and the  main building of Moscow State University (Europe’s tallest building when completed) part of The Seven Sisters (called “vysotki” in Russian) are a group of seven Stalinist skyscrapers in Moscow. (Other seven sisters include Hotel Ukraina and Hotel Leningradskaya.)

To end the tour we wanted to go in the Metro, it was a museum in its own right. The metro is very clean, not a graffiti in sight. The Metro system has got over 120 stations and around 250 km of tracks. The first stations dates from 1935 and were digged very deep to also act as bomb shelters. The most beautiful stations are Mayakovskaya, Ploshchad Revolyutsii, Kievskaya and Belorusskaya.

In the evening we went to the restaurant.

Day 9: Thursday 23 September 2004

Today was our free day in Moscow, so I decided to walk around the Kremlin walls, it would have been probably impossible to do it twenty years ago without arising some suspicions! Kremlin Walls refers to the defence wall that surrounds the Kremlin. The height at some places ranges from no more than 5 metres quadrupling to 19 metres elsewhere. The thickness of the walls also varies from 3.5 to 6.5 metres. The Kremlin has got just over 20 towers.

In 1935, the Soviets installed a red star on top of the Spasskaya Tower. The height of the tower with the star is 71 metres.

The Kremlin is the apex of Russian political power and once the centre of the Orthodox Church; it is not the Kremel of Moscow but also the whole country.

It is from here that the Tsars, the communist dictators, and the democratic presidents have done and continue to do their bets and … for Russia.

Kremel in Russian means fortress, and every medieval towns had one. The first settlements was built in the 1150’s and was changed over the years including the reconstruction commissioned by Ivan the Great in 1475, in which most of it still stand today. Until 1955 the Kremlin was closed to the public, most of them would have fear death entering the terrifying lair of Stalin.

The Red Square was closed as well as Lenin’s Mausoleum, it was impossible to walk through it, only by the side. The square separates the Kremlin, the former royal citadel and currently the official residence of the President of Russia, from a historic merchant quarter, known as Kitay-gorod. As major streets of Moscow radiate from here in all directions, becoming highways outside the city, the Red Square is often considered the central square of Moscow and of all Russia.

The name of Red Square derives not from the colour of the bricks around it, nor from the link between the colour red and Communism. But the name came about because the Russian word “krasnaya” can mean either “red” or “beautiful”.

I saw St Basil Church, but it was surrounded by buildings works… my lucky day!

St Basil was established in 1561 to celebrate Ivan the Terrible taking the Tatars of Kazan.

I went to G.U.M (Gosudarstvenny Universalny Magazin), a massive shopping centre designed for “les nouveaux Riches”, the Russian elite. The shop was built in the 19th century but now you can find 200 boutiques such as Channel, Benetton, Mont Blanc, Dior…) but they sell the best Ice Cream in Moscow! The glass-roof designed makes the building unique. The roof diameter is 14 metres.

In the gardens behind the wall there was the tomb of the Unknown Soldier, I was lucky enough to see the changing of the Guards.

Then I walked to Lubyanka Square that is best known for its large yellow brick building which has been the headquarters of the KGB in its various incarnations. The square was renamed Dzerzhinsky Square for many years, in honour of the founder of the Soviet security service.

I went back to the Metro to finish my own Metro tour, and made my way back to the hotel (VDKh Metro station). Here a monument was dedicated to the Soviet Space flights, it is an obelisk made of titanium, and a statue includes Laika, the first dog in space.

In the evening, I went to the Bolshoi to see a representation of “Sleeping Beauty”, it was impressive but seating at the last level on the back it was difficult to see. Photos were forbidden, but everybody was doing it with flash (I did not), and get caught! I quickly swap my digital card without being noticed, and I explained the attendant that I was using my zoom, in order to see better, he bought my story and let me stay after I showed him that there were no photos taken (ha ha ha!) I got away with it! I am very naughty!

Day 10: Friday 24 September 2004

We visited the inside of the Kremlin enclosure, I was glad that I took pictures from the outside yesterday, as today I would not had enough time to do it. We started in the Kremlin Armoury Museum, the Armoury with its 700 rooms; it is officially the residence of the Russian president. It also has a collection of treasures accumulated over the centuries by the Russian state and church. It’s famous collection, the Faberge Eggs; the eggs are made of precious metals or hard stones decorated with combinations of enamel and gem stones.

The term ‘Faberge Egg’ has become synonymous of luxury and the eggs are regarded as masterpieces of the jeweller’s art. The themes and appearance of the eggs varied widely. For instance, on the outside, the Trans-Siberian railway Egg of 1900 was dominated by a dull metallic grey band with a map of the railway’s route, but inside it had an entire tiny train in gold. We also saw other treasures such as the ivory throne of Ivan the Terrible, imperial carriages, weapons, armours etc.

I saw the change of the Horse Guards, outside instead of visiting a church I decided to watch with Russell. The tour guide was not very impressed, but so what, it is my tour, so I do what I want! Our visit continue with The Cathedral of the Dormition was completed in 1479 to be the main church of Moscow and where all the Tsars were crowned, with its five golden cupolas. Next to it was the gilded, three-domed Cathedral of the Annunciation was completed next in 1489.

Ivan the Great Bell Tower on the north-east corner of the square, which is said to mark the exact centre of Moscow and resemble a burning candle. Completed in 1600, it is 81 metres high. Until the Russian Revolution, it was the tallest structure in the city, as construction of buildings taller than that was forbidden. Its 21 bells would sound the alarm if any enemy was approaching. We also admire the Great Bell or “Tsar-Kolokol”, with 202 tonnes it never rang since it was cast in 1730, as it fell and the ground during the attempt to attack it the tower, the bell broke section at the bottom.

Our visit of the Kremlin was ending, it was very interesting.

Later tonight we made our way to the train station, to board our train to Yekaterinburg, to celebrate I order some Russian “champagne”, Moscow was already over!

Just before leaving I talked to the guide showing her which I thought was throats tablets, but I still had my sore throat, I knew the pharmacist did not understand me. I even showed it to her on my language book. When she saw the box she burst out laughing! In fact I was given pills for sprain ankles! It was so funny! No harm done. She took me to the chemist and said “Strepsils!” I wish I had know that! That will teach me trying to speak the local lingo!

Day 11: Saturday 25 September 2004

Life on the train.

I travelled in second class or coupe, which involves a 4 berths cabin. Third class is completely open like a dorm and a bit of pigs style travel. First class is a two berths cabin, but not really worth the extra money.

Each carriage has a Provodnitsa, a carriage attendant, who lives at the end of the carriage and always wearing an immaculate uniform. They check your ticket and passport when you board the train. Their job consists as well as keeping the train and Samovar running. The Samovar is a big kettle with hot water; this thing is really good for your Pop noodles! And tea, oh! And for burning your fingers when the train suddenly jerks as they often do! Apparently it contains 80 different parts (it is a kettle not a rocket…!)

The most important function of the provodnitsa is being the keeper of the holy key… the one that opens the toilets! The chances of being locked because you are in a station obviously increase with the urgency and the lengths of the queue…

Each train is usually 15 cars long, one of which is the restaurant car. It is impossible to find out what time they open since the train runs at Moscow time and not local time. I think they change it depending on the way they feel like.

The carriage itself consists of a long corridor, linking the two ended doors that connect the rest of the train. The corridor is wide enough for two people to pass face to face. The corridor is packed up and down not only by the people going to the loo, but also by the sales people of various descriptions.

I share my cabin with two Russian girls and an Irish guy, one of the girls spoke little English and was a teacher, so I tried to improve my Russian a little bit.

I crossed the train to say hello to the others, we were eight carriages apart. We went to the dining car, where I saw “language boiled” on the menu, I was very impatient to know what it was, so I ordered it I was thinking to myself that it was beef tong and they say language instead of langue. That was so funny. In the mean time I ordered Vodka. My plate turns up, I was right, it was really beef tongue!

We arrived in Yekaterinburg late evening and our transfer was waiting for us, her name was Oxana, we went straight to the hotel.

Day 12: Sunday 26 September 2004

Yekaterinburg: 1814 km from Moscow!

The city is the centre of Sverdlovsk region and was founded in 1723 as part of Peter the Great push for to exploit the Ural region’s minerals, it was named in the honour of the empress Yekaterina II.

Yekaterinburg is most famous as the place where the Tsar Nicholas II, his wife and children were murdered by the Bolsheviks in July 1918. The city was closed for years to foreigners until 1990 because of its defence plants. With Oxana, we went to visit the town, at the market I bought old soviet coins used for the Moscow Olympic Games in 1980.

During our free time I went to the Mineral and Geological museum, it was very interesting.

Later we went inside a church built at the emplacement where the Romanov’s were murdered; it was completed only last year.

Then later we drove away from the city on the road that goes to Moscow, we drove 40 km to stop at the Europe/Asia obelisk, I had one foot in Europe, the other in Asia, oh weird! It was very funny!

Along the way on our return we saw a memorial dedicated to the victims of the Gulag and the massacres during Stalin’s rule

The Gulag: the exile system was abolished at the start of the 20th Century, but Stalin brought it back with a vengeance, expanding it into the full-blown, home-grown slave trade. It was during his role that Siberia became synonymous with death. He established a vast bureaucracy resettlement program, labour colonies, concentration camps and special psychiatric hospitals, commonly known as GULAG (Glavnoe Uprovlenie Lagery). An estimated 20 million people have died in the Gulags.

Nicolai our driver was very funny; he kept pestering against bad drivers.

Later in the afternoon we went to visit the Saint Newly Martyrs Monastery which is all built of wood, in the middle of the forest. Wooden churches were constructed in 2000 with local timber and without the help of any nails. It is the emplacement of the Four Brother Mines (Ganina’s Pit), at the time of the murder of the Romanov’s, the guards spend three days destroying evidence of the murders …oh sad!

The city today, also home of Boris Eltsine ids very industrialised. The city is much industrialised, it is also focussed on armament research and production. We also saw the “Black Tulips” monument inside the town centre with a giant soldier with downcast head dedicated to the lives of Russian soldiers lost in the Afghanistan war and other soviet conflicts.

Late evening we were back at the railway station admiring the paintings on the walls of the huge waiting room.

It is 23.52 the train creaks and growls a starting to move along his path through the dark Siberian wilderness. Next stop Irkutsk.

Day 13: Monday 27 September 2004

I woke up at 10.30, my companions where a young couple with a three year old daughter and a Russian bloke. I tried to make conversation, but I was hopeless!

My watch said 11.00, but in real it was 12.00, travelling east, I had to put my watch forward an hour again! The berth being comfortable there is no need to get up, no incentive either! It was nice to have a lie in.

You have nothing to avoid, no phone calls from your boss or your bank manager…

I spend the day watching the landscape. In the corridor, Alec a Russian guy was trying to chat with me but conversation was difficult due to the language barrier. He later invited me for dinner in the dining car; I politely declined under the amused looks of my fellows berth companions.

We stopped at Omsk for a few minutes; I got off to stretch my legs and take a bit of fresh air. I took the opportunity to clean my window from the outside with some wet wipes, it was not perfect but better than nothing, at least my photos will be better! After the station, we crossed the Irtysk River.

I spotted snow just before arriving at Barabinsk, it was very amazing to see the sun set reflecting on the rails, giving it a golden look at the station. It was night before we knew it my companions offered me Vodka, later I went to see the others as well. We chatted for an hour, and then I made my way back to my berth.

Day 14: Tuesday 28 September 2004

After a freezing cold night on board, I woke up and glazed at the window to discover nice little Siberian villages under the snow. Far away I glimpse at the Ural Mountains.

I tried to converse with Loubna my provodnitsa; my Russian phrase book was my bible! She was really brilliant, 40 years in the job!

During the night we cross the Ob River, just before Novosibirsk. Nearly a century of operation, many of the steel bridges of the early Trans-Siberian are still in use today. Known as Hay back bridges because of the hump in the middle of each span, they are supported by massive stone piers. The 870m bridge had 7 spans. The Ob River is one of the longest flowing more than 4000 km.

Unfortunately it was a little bit too dark to see properly. We stopped at Krasnoyarsk for a few minutes, so I took the chance to get off the train and see our big red locomotive. I saw man charging the mail from all over Siberia to our train. Shortly after leaving the station we crossed the Yenisei River. 4098 km from Moscow!

Day 15: Wednesday 29 September 2004

Early morning, we woke up early to get off at Irkutsk. I was dying to bring back a souvenir of my Trans-Siberian adventure, so I asked Loubna, the Provodnitsa how much she wanted for her scarf with the train logo on it. I think that first she was shocked and surprised but when I pulled out 500Rb note (I did not have anything smaller), she quickly changed her mind and passed her scarf to me, feeling guilty she added an enamel badge as well, so I had more that I bargain for! I was really happy! The train pulled in Irkutsk.

Irkutsk was founded in 1651 as a Cossack garrison to establish authority over indigenous Burgats. In the 1700’s, it was the springboard for expeditions to the far north and east. Irkutsk becomes the Eastern Siberia trading and administrative centre. From here, Siberian furs and Ivory were sent to Mongolia, Tibet and China in exchange for silk or tea.

When gold was discovered in the Lana basin in the 1880’s, the city was boomed. The newly rich built brick mansions and grand public buildings, many of which are still standings. The shops filled with luxuries and imported goods, and Irkutsk became known as “the Paris of Siberia”.

The first Trans-Siberian arrived on 16th of August 1898.

We visited the town, as you might have guess, the 2 fat sisters decided not to join us, I was so glad to walk after 3 days on the train! Not much to see apart the museum of local history, featuring the B.A.M railway model. Paintings of what Irkutsk was like and soviet era posters. The ethnographic gallery contained exhibits from archaeological sites from indigenous tribes and their nomadic culture.

The market was lovely, lots of choices on offer (not like the one in Belarus!). Outside there was a camel, he was very cute!

After lunch, Paula yet again did not come out of the room (Allez ma bonne grosse, on se bouge!)

It was very cold outside and it stating snowing, to my best delight! I went to the internet cafe to send a few emails; there was a French couple that were there to adopt a little boy.

In the evening we went for a meal to a nice medieval restaurant with Bernadette and Russell as it was Russell’s birthday (yes you are right Paula and the other did not come out of their bedroom, why do they travel????).

In the evening Russell received a phone call offering sex services!

Day 16: Thursday 30 September 2004

I woke up and it was snowing heavily, we set off in the minibus to Lake Baikal. It was a pleasant trip as we were in the mood to sing Christmas songs, well, a bit early but what the hell!

Lake Baikal, the Pearl of Siberia, known as well as the Blue eye of Siberia, the lake has got a crystal colour clear body of the bluest water, surrounded by all sides by rocky trees, covered cliffs, and dotted with tiny settlements of wooden cottages. The lake itself is a living museum of flora and fauna, 80% of which is found nowhere else on the planet.

Shaped like a banana like, Lake Baikal is 636 km from North to South and 60 km wide. It is the world deepest lake with 1637m near the western shore. As such, it contains nearly one fifth of the world fresh water, more than in North America’s five Great lakes combined.

Lake Baikal was formed by a collision of two tectonic plates which left a rift of 9 km deep. Over the course of 2.5 million years, 7 km of sediments has collected at the bottom. So although the lake is less than 2 km deep now, it is gradually getting deeper as the plates separate and will eventually become the earth fifth ocean, splitting the Asian continent.

Lake Baikal might not have a monster living in its waters, well, unless you have drunk 3 bottle of Vodka, but a superstition says that if you deep your hands you will live a year longer than you will otherwise would, dip your feet and your life will be extended by five years. Brave the icy waters for a swim and if the shock does not kill you instantly, you will be around for the next 25 years.

One the way we stopped at the Museum of Wooden Architecture, which is a reconstructed Siberian village in the 18th century. It was very fascinating, especially under the snow, it looked more …Siberian!

Then we stopped at the Lake Baikal Museum, which contains specimens of marine life, to which Lake Baikal is home, as well as maps, diagrams and models.

Our local guide Eugene was talking to us about how cold the water was when he had an epileptic fit, at the first we thought he was mimicking a hydrocution, but we soon realised what happened. I ran to get the driver waiting outside in the bus to come over. The poor guy at first must have thought that I was crazy, as I could not tell him in Russian what was going on. Then we waited for a bit for Eugene to recover, and then we went to the Chalet to drop off Eugene, so he could sleep for a bit to recover better. The driver called the office for Eugene’s wife to pick him up and new guide to be sent to us.

In the mean time the driver to us to a lovely small local restaurant where I ate fish from the lake, it was really nice. A bit later we met Alex our new guide.

The chalet where we stayed was situated in the village of Listvanska, a village with a charming atmosphere and the chalet had brilliant views over the lake.

With the guide we went for a walk in the village, without Paula of course, no wonder she is so rotund, and no exercise too much eating! We saw a small Russian Orthodox Church, very lovely, and small wooden cottages. A lot of houses in the village do not have running water or electricity. It was so quiet, so calm comparing to Moscow!

I later take the opportunity to deep my hands and feet in the lake, so according to the legend, I should live longer!

In the late afternoon I went for a walk in the woodlands behind our chalet with Russell, as on the trains there are no physical activities, it was now or never to do it! The soil was very damp and I got my feet and socks wet. I did not have any change of clothes as I left my main bag in Irkutsk.

In the evening we went out for beer with Russell and Bernadette in a very quiet bar, very boring. On the way back I was glad that I brought my lamp torch, it was pitch dark, not a light in the street! A yappy dog tried to chase us, it was so hilarious!

Day 17: Friday 01 October 2004

Tatiana, the chalet owner cooked us a huge breakfast, it was a real feast! We went back to the Lake Baikal Museum to end our interrupted visit! I saw two fresh water seals, they were so cute!

We drove back to Irkutsk, in the afternoon I went shopping to buy my food for the train ride.

It was time to leave for the station, a tour leader of an Irish group that was leaving at the same time as us realised that he forgot his passport in Moscow; He had to stay in Russia, as his group was going to Mongolia with us. It was so embarrassing for him! As it is his job to tell people not forgot anything behind them!

The train left at 20.10, it was dusk. It was my last day in Russia.

I realised how quick the time went by.

Day 18: Saturday 02 October 2004

Life continues on board of the train, the landscape is really amazing; we are passing through the semi-autonomous Republic of Buryatia (once a nomadic tribe). These Mongol people are the largest indigenous group in Russia, numbering 420000. Just over half of them live in the Buryatia Republic south East of Lake Baikal, which was Genghis Khan Territory. Others Buryats are in rural autonomous districts west of Irkutsk. Many Buryats converted to Buddhism in the 18th century, though many western Buryats later turned Orthodox Christianity.

We are following the Selenga River and Goose Lake. 5885 km from the Russian capital!

We are now officially on the Trans-Mongolian route. This route is an ancient one, followed for centuries by tea caravans between Beijing and Moscow. Travelling nonstop, foreigners and imperial messengers could manage their journeys in forty days of cute discomfort. This was also the route of the 1907 the Beijing to Paris rally, the great motor race that was won by the Italian Prince Borghese and Barzini.

Until the middle of the 20th century, a rough track over the steppe lands of northern Mongolia and the Gobbi desert in the South was the only route across this desolate country.

In 1956 the line was completed and regular services began from Ulan Ude and Beijing.

It is 12.30 and we had just arrived at the Border on the Russian side at Nauski. We had to fill forms concerning immigration and customs. Official are searching through every compartments, spending a long time in the ones of the local traders.

A Mongolian lady and her son arrived in my carriage, they sounded really nice, so I tried to communicate with them, and she invited me to her house! It was so nice so diplomatic! It is so frustrating, as there are so many questions I want to ask them, but I am not able as I have only my little phrase book, the language barrier is hard to break!

We are finally allowed of the train for a few minutes but only on the platform, but not outside the station, so I managed to do last-minute shopping, I bought water, chocolates and Russian cigarettes as a souvenir… I walked around the platform in order to stretch my legs. I later got the chance to change my last roubles for Mongolian money on the black market on the train.

Five hours later, we were back on the train, as it passes through no man’s land. We stopped at Sukhbaatar, the border point on the Mongolian side. Here Mongolian officials stepped in, a border guard said thank you to me in French as he gave my passport back, I was surprised and happy!

After all the formalities we were once again allowed off the train, sometimes you have to stay according to my companions. A local trader was selling Momos’s (meat dumplings), a good occasion to refuel my stomach!

An American guy (who else!) had a Frisbee and was playing with it with the Australian and 2 Danes, at one stage the Frisbee landed on the roof of the train, the stupid American decided to climb on the train’s roof in order to retrieve it. While he was on the top, he asked the Dane to take a photo of him standing on the top, it was also getting dark. The Dane took a photo of him with the camera of the American round his neck, and another photo with his camera. Before we realise, there were 2 Mongolian border guards arriving and taking the Yank away as well as the Dane. That was so scary, Russell the Australian came back to me, saying thanks got I don’t have my camera! I wonder if they ever come out before the train’s departure!

The Dane came back out within minutes, but the American got release later with his media card confiscated. He had many photos since he was travelling since Portugal. He later got it back after negotiations, the dodgy photos being deleted. Later a French guy asked me for 3$ to pay for a room, he claimed he did not any money left as the Russian guard took his money away as he was smoking on the platform and he was not allowed. How you are so stupid to give it all out?

At the station there were a lot of street kids, we played together and I gave them the rest of my dinner, it was really sad to see all these abandoned kids without a proper home to go to. I later discovered that Mongolia had a big problem with alcoholism and many kids were running away from home.

We left the border at 22.45; it took over 10 hours to cross the border! I was bursting for the loo as the one in the stations were so disgusting that I did not want to go there!

Later I joined a group of Irish and Danes in the next carriage, we were singing and drinking, well having a party if you prefer! That was the Irish group that had to continue without their tour leader as he left his passport in Moscow, how embarrassing!

Day 19: Sunday 03 October 2004

I will start the day by this Mongolian Proverb:

“It is far better to have seen it once than to have heard about it a thousand times”.

I awoke very early in the morning, the moon was very clear and was reflecting on the patches of snow, it was very beautiful.

We arrived in Ulaan Baatar (UB) at 06.30. I was a bit disappointed when I arrived, as the train was rolling, it was the industrial suburbs and concrete tower blocks that welcomed me as the first sight of the city.

Ulaan Baatar is the world coldest capital (-46 degrees Celsius), its population is of 600,000 inhabitants.

The first recorded capital city of the Mongolian Empire, orgoo, was established n 1639 at the Da Khuree Monastery, about 420 km from UB. The Monastery was the residence of the five year old Zanabar, who had been proclaimed the head of Buddhism in Mongolia. In keeping a nomadic lifestyle, the capital was moved to various locations. The capital finally established in the present location in 1778.

The town quickly grew as a religious, commercial and administrative centre. Its architecture however remained predominantly GER, and thus the capital earned the name of the “city of felt”.

Further name changes accompanied various invasions by the Russians and Chinese. Finally in 1924, the city was renamed Ulaan Baatar (Red Heros) and declared the official capital of Mongolia.

Our local guide was Eggi, she met us at the station and we arrive at our hotel to drop our stuff and rest for a while, after a quick nap, I was eager to see the city.

We met Touro our driver, a nice chap!

Our first stop was at Gandan Monastery or Gagantegchinchen Khiid. The name translates roughly as “the great Palace of Joy”. Mongolia had over 700 monasteries, but virtually all were destroyed in the communist crack down at the end of the 1930’s. Prayer was forbidden under the Communist rule and between 1932 and 1937, 17000 monks were killed and the majority of monasteries destroyed.  The original monastery site was built in 1785 but destroyed. The new buildings were put up in 1938, as well as the main temple, there are stupas, a library and accommodation for the monks. The Monastery is also home of a giant Buddha of 28 metres high. Today Mongolia is enjoying a Buddhist revival.

Then we went to Zaisan memorial, dedicated to soviet heroes, the best part is the view of UB, it was really great! The Zaisan Memorial includes a Russian tank paid for by the Mongolian people, and a circular memorial painting which depicts scenes of friendship between the peoples of Russia and Mongolia. Of course we so many steps to climb you know who did not come!! (Paula, of course!)

Back in the town centre I stopped at the post office, and then we saw the central square of Sukhbaatar. A Mongolian hero, his words are engraved at the base of the statue in the centre of the square “if we the people, unite in our common effort and will, there will be nothing in the world that we cannot achieve”! The massive building on the other side is the government house.

We had lunch and then I went to the internet cafe to send a few emails.

With Russell and Bernadette we went to the State Department Store, it was really massive, over 5 storeys high, I bought a few souvenirs.

After that Russell wanted to go to the circus at the bottom of the road, I joined him in that great idea, but the show was only for small children so we were politely refused entry! …. whoops!

I walk back to the hotel, in the evening we had a really nice Mongolian dinner.

Day 20: Monday 04 October 2004

In the morning, I had time to visit the Winter Palace, or Bogd Khan Palace as it is called and its museum. It was next to our hotel and they do charge big money in order to buy a permit to take photos. This is a wonderful old place; it is like the Forbidden City in Beijing on a smaller scale. There are exhibits of Thankas, the Buddhists paintings, musical instruments, Buddha figures as well as the day to day furniture of the buildings of the old time. It also included a collection of stuff animals.

We boarded our mini bus later on to make our way to Terelj National Park. The landscape was really amazing. The park is situated at 80 km of UB. We had stunning views over the mountains. On the way we stopped at a Buddhist shrine.

Later on the road we saw some herders with camels, we stopped on the side, Bernadette and I wanted to have a ride. The camels were really cute, so soft as well, they well cared for. It cost 1000T to ride on it for 15-20 minutes (1$) a bargain! I hoped on one and Bernadette on the other, it was very cool, her camel could not stop complaining, as he was asleep when we arrive. It was really good fun!

Back on the bus we continue, only to stop a few miles later near a cave, climbing was involved so some people were automatically out! (The 2 f… sisters!). In this cave over 100 monks hide from the soviets during the revolution to escape persecution.

Mid Afternoon, we arrived at our GER camp, it looks really nice, we had a small building next to which a small dining room and toilets. There was heating in the building but in our GER tents we had a wood stow. The inside of the GER was lovely, there was lots of space.

Later on, we went to see a huge rock shape like a turtle “Turtle Rock” (Melkhi Khad), to arrive at the view point, you have to climb up a tiny path, that remind me the time I was working in Nolay and I went to the “bout du monde” with my dad. Once you arrive at the top, you have to squeeze through a tiny hole to access the view point, only accessible to skinny or normal people without a coat on. It was really good fun, but a lot of people could not get through, on the way back, people had to be pulled out as it was extremely difficult to come back through. The view was really rewarding.

After that we continue to walk to a small monastery, walking!! So obviously you do know who stayed on the bus! Honestly I wonder why these 2 women travelled, they are not visiting anything! It was closed, but the views over the mountains were stunning.

I met a Chinese girl speaking French, she studied at la Sorbonne and is now working for Saint-Gobain in China, and we decided to meet when I will be in Beijing. We talk a lot, she was happy to speak French with me.

After a nice dinner in the evening, we played card games and I taught Touro our driver to play Ludo, it was very noisy, Eggi joined us, we had good fun.

Day 21: Tuesday 05 October 2004

I woke up after spending my first night in the Ger Camp, early in the morning a lady went to put more wood in our fire, so we will be warm after waking up. It was really great to sleep in a traditional Mongolian yurt.

The yurt consists of a wooden frame, carrying a felt cover. The frame consists of one or more lattice wall-sections, a door-frame, roof poles and a crown. The frame is held together with one or more ropes or ribbons. The structure is kept under compression by the weight of the covers, sometimes supplemented by a heavy weight hung from the centre of the roof. They vary regionally, with straight or bent roof-poles, different sizes, and relative weight.

I wanted to go horse riding, at the first herder we went, the woman wanted to charge me for a guide that was her job! It was supposed to be included. So with Eggi we went away and found a farmer not far from our camp.

At the beginning, my horse didn’t want to go, so I came back and wept my horse, a little boy that was about 10 took me for the ride. When he saw that that I was managing more or less ok, we started to gallop, and went rounding some wild horses, when suddenly my horse went nuts and was going really fast, I lost control totally and I was grabbing everything I could not to fall off. In the same time I could feel my saddle slipping away, oh dear! I finally managed to stop and fixed the problem that was really scary!

The Mongolian horse is the favourite animal of the Mongols, and not only because Genghis Khan conquered half the world with its help. The traditionally living nomads still hold more than 3 million animals, outnumbering the country’s human inhabitants. Despite the small size, Mongolians reject the term “ponies”.

In Mongolia, the horses live outdoors all year (at 30°C in summer down to -40°C in winter) and search for food on their own. The mare’s milk is processed into the national beverage Airag, and some animals are slaughtered for meat. Other than that, they serve as riding animals, both for the daily work of the nomads and in horse racing.

Mongolian horses are of a stocky build, with relatively short legs and a large head. They have a certain resemblance to wild horses. Mongolian horses are frugal, arduous, and tread safely in rough terrain. In Mongolia, most animals are kept roaming free, and only a small number of riding animals get caught and tethered. Once the animal has become familiarized with carrying a rider, it will be calm, friendly, and very reliable.

The ride was really fantastic, the scenery was really stunning! I arrive back at the camp, and saw a yak, so I decided to ride on it for the fun of it.

When I walk back down, I saw Eggi and Touro playing basket ball, they asked me to join them, but my legs were very tired, I was hopeless! Two girls against Touro, and he still won!

After lunch we went to pay a visit to a local herder where I was offered some yogurt which was really lovely, and then I tasted mare’s milk called Airag which is a fermented drink. It is very light in body compared to most dairy drinks. It has a unique, slightly sour flavour. I have to admit it tasted disgusting, I did not like it at all, but in order to offend my host I had to drink it! Because mare’s milk contains more sugars than the cow’s or goat’s milk fermented, Airag has a higher, though still mild alcohol content, about 3%. It can be increased by adding berries such as Juniper.

It takes considerable skill to milk a mare: the milker kneels on one knee, with a pail propped on the other, steadied by a string tied to an arm. One arm is wrapped behind the mare’s rear leg and the other in front. A foal starts the milk flow and is pulled away by another person, but left touching the mare’s side during the entire process. In Mongolia, the milking season for horses traditionally runs between mid-June and early October. During one season, a mare produces approximately 1,000 to 1,200 kilograms of milk, of which about half is left to the foals.

The herder keeps the milk into a cow’s stomach which can hold 20 litres.

The herder offered us home vodka as well as homemade biscuits as well. It was fascinating to discover their lifestyle, it was an amazing experience!

In the afternoon, I went back to the farmer and I went horse riding again for another hour. We went to the village where I bought some vodka for the party of tonight.

To celebrate our last night in the yurt, we organised a party, it started in my tent, and finished in Eggi’s one. We were singing stupid song and making lots of noise when we heard a knock about 11.30 at night. It was the local farmer who wanted to join us, he displays his throat singing skills, too much of our delight. He was really good, and he was happy to show that to us as it much part of the Mongolian culture.

Day 22: Wednesday 06 October 2004

We left the camp, and made our way back to Ulaan Battar. I was a bit sad as I did enjoyed myself.

On our arrival we went to visit the Natural History Museum. The museum contains exhibits on ancient burial sites, ethnic folk and art culture, Buddhist ceremonial objects, and other Mongolian ethnic objects.

It also included a statue of Genghis Kahn. Genghis Khan was a Mongol political and military leader or Khan (Ruler) who united the Mongol tribes and founded the Mongol Empire, (1206 – 1368), the largest contiguous empire in world history. He forged a powerful army based on meritocracy to become one of the most successful military leaders in history.

While his image in some regions of the world has traditionally been that of a ruthless and bloodthirsty conqueror, Genghis Khan is an iconic and beloved figure in Mongolia, where he is seen as the father of the Mongol Nation. Before becoming a Khan, he eliminated and united many of the nomadic tribes of north East Asia and Central Asia under a social identity as the “Mongols.”

Genghis Khan created one of the most powerful empires in history. Starting with the invasion of Western Xia and Jin Dynasty in northern China and consolidating through numerous conquests including the Khwarezmid Empire in Persia, Mongol rule across the Eurasian landmass radically altered the demography and geopolitics of these areas. The Mongol Empire ended up ruling, or at least briefly conquering, large parts of modern day China, Mongolia, Russia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Iraq, Iran, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Tur kmenistan, Moldova, South Korea, and Kuwait.

Negative views of Genghis Khan are very persistent with histories written by many different people from various different geographical regions often citing the cruelties and destructions brought upon by Mongol armies, but some historians are looking into positive aspects of Genghis Khan’s conquests. Genghis Khan is sometimes credited with bringing the Silk Route under one cohesive political environment. Theoretically this allowed increased communication and trade between the West, Middle East and Asia by expanding the horizon of all three areas. In more recent times some historians point out that Genghis Khan instituted certain levels of meritocracy in his rule and was quite tolerant of many religions. For instance in much of modern-day Turkey, Genghis Khan is looked on as a great military leader and even many male children are named after him with pride.

Genghis Khan was taboo, and was officially and heavily suppressed by the Soviet-backed communist government. He was largely described as a bad person and a tyrant. However, after the fall of the People’s Republic and the onset of democracy in Mongolia, the memory of Genghis Khan has been catapulted to legendary status, and has become a source of pride for Mongolians. Genghis Khan is now regarded by many modern Mongolian observers, and by the general public of Mongolia, as one of Mongolia’s greatest, most legendary and cherished leaders. He was and still is, in their eyes, responsible in large part for the emergence of Mongolia as a political and ethnic identity.

Mongolians have given his name to many products, streets, buildings, and other places. For example, his face is on the largest denominations of T500, T1000, T5,000 and T10,000 tugrug, the official currency of Mongolia. Mongolia’s main international airport in the capital Ulaanbaatar, for example, is known as Genghis Khan International Airport and he is viewed with great respect by virtually all Mongolians and Mongol-related ethnic groups, such as Buryats and Evenkhei.

In the afternoon we had time to do some last minute shopping.

In the evening we went for a cultural show, with traditional music and throat singing (also called khoomii). Musicians also played the traditional Mongolian violin called moriin khuur (or horse fiddle), a distinctively Mongolian instrument, traditionally played by the uligershin (bards) of that culture and seen as a symbol of the country. The instrument is two-stringed and is bowed like a cello. There is some controversy regarding the traditional carving of a horse on the upper end of the peg box. Some scholars believe that this is proof that the instrument was originally a shamanistic instrument, as the staffs of shamans have a horse similarly carved on top; the horse is a much-revered animal in Mongolia.

We later went out for a meal, it was my last night in Mongolia, I love this country, and it was really great, so rich in culture and history. Tomorrow we will leave for Beijing.

Day 23: Thursday 07 October 2004

We boarded the train from Ulaan Bataar station early morning, en route to Beijing, my final leg of my epic journey. We saw Kate a representative of Sundowners, she will joined me in my cabin with another group she lead all the way, she just had her camera stolen in her hand bag, she is talking to the police. I saw another group where the agency books the ticket at the wrong date, so they were unable to board their train.

The train is now moving through the Mongolian “alpine” area and Mongolian steppe, the Bogdkhan Uul Mountains, the train starts climbing like a snake through the landscape. I managed to get some good photos of the locomotives.

This time in my cabin there was only Europeans including Mr “I know everything, I have seen everything”, my god I am glad I did get this tour, I would have hated travelling with Europeans all the time, it was good fun to share your cabin with the local population.

I spotted a few nomads in the middle of nowhere, their tent look like a small island lost in the sea.

In the afternoon we entered the mystical long awaited for Gobi Desert. It was beginning to get very hot in the carriage. The attendant pretending it was winter was refusing to unlock the window, demanding a payment for it. It was unbelievable!

The Gobi desert is a large desert region in China and southern Mongolia. The desert basins of the Gobi are bounded by the Altay Mountains and the grasslands and steppes of Mongolia on the north, by the Tibetan Plateau to the southwest, and by the North China Plain to the southeast. Phonetically, the word Gobi means “very large and dry” in Mongolian.

The Gobi measures over 1600 kilometres from southwest to northeast and 800 km from north to south. The desert is widest in the west. It occupies an arc of land 1,295,000 square kilometres in area, making it one of the largest deserts in the world, and Asia’s largest. Much of the Gobi is not sandy but is covered with bare rock.

The Gobi desert is a cold desert, and it is not uncommon to see frost and occasionally snow on its dunes. Besides being quite far north, it is also roughly 900 metres above sea level, which further contributes to its low temperatures. An average of approximately 194 millimetres of rain falls per year in the Gobi. The Gobi Desert is the source of many important fossil finds, including the first dinosaur eggs.

It is impressive for its emptiness, just the occasional collection of yurts, herds, Mongolian horses and groups of camels.

We stopped in the middle of nowhere at a station called Choyr. It displayed a statue of a Mongolian cosmonaut call Vvt Ertvvuntz. We are 649 km from the Russia/Mongolian border and 464 km from the Mongolian/Chinese border. I was enjoying my last few minutes in Mongolia as China was getting closer.

It is 19.30 and we arrived at the Mongolian side of the border at Dzamyn Unde, we are now 7013 km from Moscow, here official steeped in. The station was illuminated; it was like a Christmas market. The Mongolian guards stands outside each carriage in case someone tries to make a runner. This time we were not allowed to get off the train. Customs inspected the luggage of Chinese and Mongolian travellers but did not seem to be interested in others. I had to fill out my customs declaration forms.

We are 842 km from Beijing, after leaving the Mongolian side of the border, we arrived at the Chinese side, the station was called Erlyan. They wanted to check every one temperature as they were very concerned about the SAARs. I was worried as I was running a bit a fewer from my cold. If you had suspicious fever you had to declared it, obviously I did not say anything, I was lucky as they did not check me. We were luckier than in Mongolia, as on the top of the lights, we had music blasting off with a “Vienna Waltz,” a full blown “sons et lumières”, and free of charge!

On the top of the health questionnaire we also had to fill out a currency declaration form.

The train had to change the boogies, so we were parked into a shed for that where we spend quite a while. Since Russia and Mongolia use broad gauge railways while China uses the standard gauge, there is a break-of-gauge, meaning that carriages to or from China cannot simply cross the border, and each carriage has to be lifted in turn to have its bogies changed. Rail gauge is the distance between the inner sides of the two parallel rails that make up a railway track.

The Chinese Railway system uses the standard gauge (same as in Europe and America) and this is 1435 mm, narrower than the 1524 mm gauge used in the former Soviet Union and Mongolia.

Giant hydraulic lifts raise the carriages of the former Soviet Union and Mongolia and the boggies are rolled out and replaced.

After all this was completed we were allowed off the train for a few minutes, so I decided to go out and stretch my legs. I was glad that I saw the boggies change, it was very interesting. While they were changing the boggies I saw Russell and Bernadette, we were making signs to each other.

Chinese trains ride on the left side of double tracks unlike trains in Russia who runs on the right side. The People’s Republic of China has one of the largest rail transport networks in the world. With more than 76,000 km of tracks only the United States and Russia have larger networks.

It was my last night on board of the train, the last night on board of the Trans Siberian Railway adventure, time have past so quick! It was strange after travelling for so long!

We left the border shortly after 1am, after drinking Vodka we settle down for the night.

Day 24: Friday 08 October 2004

I woke up still on board of the train, only a few hours remaining to arrive in Beijing. A few hills welcomed me. I saw some locals in their fields with an ox or a bull, they did have a tractor.

We made a stop at Fenezhen where a new locomotive was attached; it was a DF4D “Chaiman Mao”.

We passed through Datong, which is a large city; there is also a large locomotives works.

We later spotted the first glimpse of the Great Wall, it was fantastic. A lot of people were exciting on board of the train, but the train manager who I nicknamed “Sergeant Major” choose this moment to hoover the floor in the corridor, disturbing everybody as we were all send back in our berths. I missed out a great photo opportunity, people were really pissed off!

We stopped at Zhangjiakou, where I made the bad decision to buy some coke….it was the most disgusting thing ever!

Shortly after we stopped at Kanzhuang where the train stop for a banking engine to be attached before the steep ascent up through the Great Wall. A banking engine is a railway locomotive that is temporarily attached to a train that requires more power.

The train started to climb up and passed under a tunnel (through the Great Wall), shortly after we stopped at Badaling, for a short while, where we could clearly see a section of the Great wall. We stopped for a few minutes so I took the opportunity to get out for a bit. There was some good view over The Great Wall. But later we stopped for longer at Quinglongqio which is the second stop for the Great wall. After that stop the train started to reverse downhill through a spectacular series of tunnels alongside the road. Progress was very slow because of the bends, and the train kept braking, as I was putting my head outside, I saw some people jumping off the train and later run to re-climbed on it holding plants. It turns out that it is Marijuana that grows near the tracks.

Then we made a stop at Juyonguan for a while as continuous application of the brake blocks make them very hot, so it was necessary to stop here.

We stopped at Nanlou to detach the banking engine, and then the train speed off through the plains to Beijing.

Beijing was getting closer, only a few minutes left on the train, it was so strange!

We arrived at Beijing at 14.30 7865 km from Moscow. My trip was ending, I suddenly feel sad after travelling for so long, and I knew I still have Beijing to visit and Hong Kong coming up, but my time on the train was over! We arrive at Beijing Main Station. I can fold up my map and put away my Trans-Siberian book away I will not need it any more to follow the route.

Kobe our local met us on the platform, with Mr Chi our driver, as you might have guess, I was the only one laughing my head off in back of the mini bus once we stepped in! Bernadette seating next to me was looking at me with strange looks, I gave her an explanation, and she started laughing as well. On our way out of the station, there were lots of drivers who chase you and try to persuade you to go with them because they are illegal taxis without metres and they will charge you above normal rates.

Beijing was formerly known in English as Peking or Peiking. Peking is the name of the city according to Chinese Postal Map Romanization, and the traditional customary name for Beijing in English. The term originated with French missionaries four hundred years ago and corresponds to an older pronunciation predating a subsequent sound change in Mandarin from “k” to J. The Communist Party of China reverted the name to Beijing (Peking) in 1949 again in part to emphasize that Beijing had returned to its role as China’s capital. The government of the Republic of China on Taiwan has never formally recognized the name change, and during the 1950s and 1960s it was common in Taiwan for Beijing to be called Beiping to imply the illegitimacy of the People Republic of China.

Beijing has been the centre of cultural and political life in China since the 13th century, when Genghis Khan descended on the city in 1215 despite the construction of the Great Wall. From here his son and later his grandson ruled the largest empire in the world history.

Yong-Le from the Ming Dynasty, the emperor in the 1400’s built the Forbidden City (1406-1420) and the Temple of Heaven (1420) as well as commercial streets.

Many architectural achievements were destroyed during The Cultural Revolution in 1966.  It was launched by Communist Party of China Chairman Mao Zedong on May 16, 1966 to regain control of the party. Though Mao himself officially declared the Cultural Revolution to have ended in 1969, the term is today widely used to also include the period between 1969 and the arrest of the Gang of Four in 1976.

Between 1966 and 1968, Mao’s principal lieutenants, Vice-Chairman Lin Biao and Mao’s wife Jiang Qing, acting on his instructions, organised a mass youth militia called the Red Guards to overthrow Mao’s enemies and seize control of the state apparatus.

In the chaos and violence that ensued, millions were persecuted and as many as half a million people may have died. The Cultural Revolution remains a sensitive issue within the People’s Republic of China.

While there is little censorship of descriptions of events of the Cultural Revolution, historical views which run counter to the version outlined in the 1981 Resolution, either by suggesting that the Cultural Revolution was a good thing or that Mao was more or less culpable than the official history indicates are routinely censored. Repairs and construction of damaged buildings have been ongoing since the 1980’s.

Even more striking, the new development in Beijing is overwhelming, including posh hotels, shopping malls and super highways. It shows no stopping signs, the city is preparing fast for the 2008 Olympics Games, and Beijing was elected host city on July 13, 2001.

The first thing I noticed is how busy the city is, it is bustling, the roads are huge and it looks much polluted!

We arrived in the hotel where I tried to cash in some traveller cheques, but my signature apparently did not match completely, s the cashiers gave me a hard time. At one stage, I really though they will not take them!

In the evening with Russell and Bernadette we went to the old quarters called Hutong, it was like stepping back a few years! The streets toilets were very smelly, 1 or 2 water taps for 2 or 3 families as they not have running water. It also looks so quiet comparing to the busy streets just a few yards away. Locals were spiting all the time, you could hear them miles away! They don’t seem to care at all where their “object” will land. I am sure that if a long distance spitting was an Olympic discipline they will get the Gold, Silver and Bronze medals! They say that spitting is very healthy.

The word hutong comes from the Mongolian hottog meaning “water well.” During the growth of towns and cities, wells dug by villagers formed the centres of new communities. Since the mid-20th century, the number of Beijing hutongs has dropped dramatically as they are demolished to make way for new roads and buildings. More recently, some hutongs have been designated as protected areas in an attempt to preserve this aspect of Chinese cultural history.

China really opened since a couple of years; it has the most ancient civilisation still existing, but did not let its people out of the country. Earlier foreigners were watched by government members and were taken to where the government wanted them to go; they did not see the real China, the poor China. The country became more capitalised in the 1980’s, now it is fashionable to go to McDonald and drink coke, it would have been impossible in the 60’s and 70’s.

In the street there was an army of bicycles they were everywhere!

I gave up on trying to speak Chinese from my phrase book, the pronunciation was impossible, each word have a different tonality given it a different meaning each time. I have been told that if you can sing, you can speak Chinese, but I can’t sing: that’s my problem! I felt strange; I could not read, write or speak in Chinese. Thanks god that most locals speaks English!

In the evening we went back to have a meal, I was not really sure what I got in my plate, I don’t really want to know either! The restaurant if I can call it like this did not have an English menu. Chinese people are very noisy while eating their food; they also shout and bang on the table. (Everywhere I have been was like this!)

Day 25: Saturday 09 October 2004

We started the day by paying a visit to Tiananmen Square. The name Tiananmen means Gate of Heavenly Peace. The square is 880 metres south to north and 500 metres east to west, a total area of 440,000 square metres, which makes it the largest open-urban square in the world. It has great cultural significance as a symbol because it was the site of several key events in Chinese history.

Tiananmen Square was built in 1417 in the Ming Dynasty. Enlarged in 1949 to the current size, its flatness is broken only by the 38 metre high Monument to the People’s Heroes and the Mausoleum of Mao Zedong. The square lies between two ancient, massive gates: the Tiananmen to the north. This gate prominently features the portrait of Mao while the Slogan read “Long live the People’s Republic of China” and “Long live the Unity of the People of the World“. The other gate, the Zhengyangmen is in the Southern end. Along the west side of the Square is the Great Hall of the People. Along the east side is the National Museum of China.

The Square is lit with huge lampposts which also sport video cameras. It is heavily monitored by uniformed and plain clothes policemen.

Tiananmen Square has been the site of a number of political events such as the proclamation of the People’s Republic of China by Mao Zedong in October 1, 1949, for annual mass military displays on all subsequent National Days until October 1st 1959, plus the 1984 military parade for the 35th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China and the 50th anniversary in 1999 plus for mass rallies during the Cultural Revolution.

The political turmoil between spring and summer of 1989 by the government of the People’s Republic of China, were a series of demonstrations led by students, intellectuals and labour activists in China between April 15, 1989 and June 4, 1989. The protestors came from disparate groups, ranging from intellectuals who believed the Communist Party of China-led government was too corrupt and repressive to urban workers who believed Chinese economic reform had gone too far and that the resulting rampant inflation and widespread unemployment was threatening their livelihoods.

It resulted in the killing of Chinese protestors in the streets to the west of the square and adjacent areas. Some Western reporters who were on the square during the unfolding events reported that they saw no one actually die on the square itself, though did see bloodied people but could not confirm whether they were either dead or injured.

The number of dead and wounded remains unclear because the Chinese government never released its data. An unnamed Chinese Red Cross official at the time reported that 2,600 people were killed and 30,000 were injured. Two days later, Yuan Mu, the speaker of the State Council, estimated that 300 soldiers and citizens died, 5,000 soldiers and 2,000 citizens injured, 400 soldiers lost contact, and that many of the soldiers were burned alive by the protesters

The Tiananmen Square protests damaged the reputation of China in the West. Western media had been invited to cover the visit of Mikhail Gorbachev in May, and were thus in an excellent position to cover some of the government crackdown live through networks such as the BBC and CNN. Protestors seized this opportunity, creating signs and banners designed for international television audiences. Coverage was further facilitated by the sharp conflicts within the Chinese government about how to handle the protests. Thus broadcasting was not immediately stopped.

CNN was eventually ordered to terminate broadcasts from the city during the crackdown, and although the networks attempted to defy these orders and were able to cover the protests via telephone, the government was able to shut down the satellite links.

Nonetheless, the image of “the unknown rebel”, in particular, was quickly broadcast on international news programs. The suppression of the protest was immortalized in Western media by the famous video footage and photographs of a lone man in a white shirt standing in front of a column of tanks which were attempting to drive out of Tiananmen Square. Taken on June 5 as the column approached an intersection on the Avenue of Eternal Peace, the footage depicted the unarmed man standing in the centre of the street, halting the tanks’ progress. He reportedly said, “Why are you here? You have caused nothing but misery.” As the tank driver attempted to go around him, the “tank man” moved into the tank’s path. He continued to stand defiantly in front of the tanks for some time, and then climbed up onto the turret of the lead tank to speak to the soldiers inside. After returning to his position blocking the tanks, the man was pulled aside by onlookers who perhaps feared he would be shot or run over.

What happened to the ‘tank man’ following the demonstration is not known. In a speech to the President’s Club in 1999, Bruce Herschensohn a former deputy special assistant to President Richard Nixon reported that he was executed 14 days later.

The topic is still a political taboo in mainland China, where any public discussion of it is regarded as inappropriate. Currently, due to the strong Chinese government censorship including the Internet censorship, the news media is forbidden to report anything related to this subject. That part of history disappeared in most of the Chinese media including the Internet. No one is allowed to make any web sites related to this.

We later made our way out to the Mausoleum of the Chairman Mao, but the queues were so long, that I did not bother!

To my delight, I found the Square decorated with Chinese and French Flags to honour the visit of the French president Mr Chirac.

We crossed an under passage-way to access the north side of the square across the street to penetrate the Forbidden City through The Gate of Heavenly Peace.

The Forbidden City was the Chinese imperial palace during the mid-Ming and the Qing Dynasties.  It has span over 560 years, 24 Emperors lived here up to the abdication of Pu-Yi in 1912.

Its extensive grounds cover 720,000 square metres (app. 124 acres). The Forbidden City has 800 buildings with 8,886 rooms.

The Forbidden City is listed by UNESCO as the largest collection of preserved ancient wooden structures in the world. The Forbidden City was declared a World Heritage Site in 1987 as the “Imperial Palace of the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

It is surrounded by a six meter deep moat and a ten meter high wall. The Forbidden City includes five halls, seventeen palaces, and numerous other buildings.

The Forbidden City is divided into two parts. The Outer Court, which includes the southern and central sections, centres on three halls which were used for ceremonial purposes, such as coronations, investitures, and imperial weddings. The three halls include the magnificent Hall of Supreme Harmony, itself fronted by the Gate of Supreme Harmony.

The most important among these is the Palace of Heavenly Purity. The Inner Court was where the Emperor worked and lived with his family, eunuchs and maid-servants.

The wall around the Forbidden City has a gate on each side. At the southern end is the Meridian Gate. To the north is the Gate of Divine Might, which faces Jingshan Park. The distance between these two gates is 960 metres, while the distance between the gates in the east and west walls is 750 metres. The walls are thick and squat and were specifically designed to withstand attacks by cannons.

Outside the main gate to the Forbidden City, the Meridian Gate faces a square where imperial corporal punishments were sometimes carried out. To the south of that square stands Tiananmen Gate. That is where Mao Zedong gave his famous speech on communism.

The Gate of Heavenly Peace like other official buildings of the empire, the gate has unique imperial roof decorations. It has the highest number of figures on the roof ridges ten in each set. In front of the gate are two lions standing in front of the gate and two more guarding the bridges. In Chinese culture, lions are believed to protect humans from evil spirits.

Since the death of Mao in 1976, the central gate has had a portrait of Mao Zedong towering over it, while the western and eastern walls have had giant placards; the left one reads “Long Live the People’s Republic of China” while the right one reads “Long live the Great Unity of the World’s Peoples“.

When I entered this complex, I could not stop thinking of the film of Bertoluchi “The Last Emperor“, depicting the life of Pu-Yi. In 1908, emperor Pu-Yi, a 3 year old, inherited of an empire on the verge of revolution. The young emperor did not last long on the throne. In 1911 Sun Yasten’s provisional Republican government replaced the 267 years of Manchu’s rule. When the Japanese took control of Manchuria in 1931, Pu-Yi seeing a chance to regain his childhood glory collaborated with them. He was captured by the Russians in 1945 and return to the Chinese in 1950 where he spent 10 years in jail, he emerged a changed man. At his liberation, more free than ever before, he worked as a gardener until in died in 1967.

It was really fantastic; it was just as I imagined it, even bigger than I thought. There was so many people that you really had to fight for your corner. The locals are very good at pushing around!

Later in the afternoon, we went to the silk market, damn! You really have to bargain hard. Sellers will grab you “come come!” They were very aggressive, you could buy as many fake items as you ever wanted! When they told you a price you had to divide by 5 or 6.

I went back for a walk in the Hutong, I saw some guys playing Badminton, they invited me to join them, I kindly decline the invitation, as I do not want to ridicule myself as I don’t really know how to play, but it was good fun to watch.

In the evening we went to watch a Chinese acrobat show, it was really nice.

Day 26: Sunday 10 October 2004

In the morning, we boarded the bus to go to the Great Wall; Kobe told us that Mr Chi our driver was sick, so with Bernadette we figured out he had diarrhoea.

When we arrived in Badaling, at 70 km north of Beijing, we saw the remains of the Great Wall. When we stepped out of the mini bus, it looked very steep, of course Paula and the other stayed in. At the beginning it was very busy, but the further you go up, the least people there are. The weather was very misty, the views were not great.

On the top there was hardly anyone left, as I was making my way down, I saw a little spider with a yellow body.

The Great Wall is a series of stone and earthen fortifications in China, built between 5th century BC and the 17th century to protect the northern borders of the Chinese Empire during the rule of successive dynasties. The fortifications that remain today date from the Ming Dynasty, and the longest section stretches 6,352 km from Shanhai Pass in the east to Lop Nur in the west, along an arc that roughly delineates the southern edge of Inner Mongolia. It is generally considered to be the longest man-made structure on earth.

The Great Wall concept was revived during the Ming Dynasty, following the Ming army’s defeat by the Mongols in the Battle of Tumu in 1449. The Ming had failed to gain a clear upper-hand over the Mongols after successive battles, and the long-drawn conflict was taking a toll on the empire. The Ming adopted a new strategy to keep the Mongols out, by constructing walls along the northern border of China. Acknowledging the Mongol control established in the Ordos Desert, the wall followed the desert’s southern edge instead of incorporating the bend of the Huang He.

Towards the end of the Ming Dynasty, the Great Wall helped defend the empire against the Manchu invasions that began around 1600. Under the military command of Yuan Chonghuan, the Ming army held off the Manchus at the heavily fortified Shanhai Pass, thus preventing the Manchus from entering the Liaodong Peninsula and the Chinese heartland. The Manchus were finally able to cross the Great Wall in 1644, when the gates of Shanhai Pass were opened by Wu Sangui, a rebel Ming border general. The Manchus quickly seized the Ming capital of Beijing, and subsequently defeated the remaining Ming resistance to establish the Qing Dynasty.

Construction and repairs of the Great Wall were discontinued under the Qing rule, as China’s borders extended beyond the walls and Mongolia was annexed into the empire.

Before the use of bricks, the Great Wall was mainly built from earth, stones and wood.

Bricks were heavily used in many areas of the wall during the Ming Dynasty, as well as materials such as tiles, lime, and stone. Bricks were easier to work with than earth and stone as their small size and light weight made them convenient to carry and augmented construction speed. Additionally, they could bear more weight and retain their integrity better than rammed earth. Stone, though more difficult to use, can better hold well under its own weight than brick. Consequently, stones cut in rectangular shapes were used for the foundation, inner and outer brims, and gateways of the wall.

The steps that form the Great Wall of China are very steep and tall in some areas of the wall. Tourists often become exhausted climbing the wall and traverse no more than a mile because of this reason. Along the wall on either side, are “holes” where the builders of the Great Wall didn’t place any bricks. They are a little over a foot tall, and about 9 inches in width. These holes were used to shoot arrows out of when being attacked.

The construction of the wall required hundreds of thousands of workers, many of them political prisoners. Over the course of 10 years, it is estimated that one million people died, legend has it that the bodies of deceased workers were among the buildings materials used.

The wall is also watch towers at regular intervals, which were used to store weapons, house troops, and send smoke signals. Barracks and administrative centres are located at larger intervals.

Communication between the army units along the length of the Great Wall, including the ability to call reinforcements and warn garrisons of enemy movements, was of high importance. Signal towers were built upon hill tops or other high points along the wall for their visibility.

The Wall was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.

Mao Zedong had a saying, “You’re not a real man if you haven’t climbed the Great Wall”.

Neil Armstrong stated about the view from Apollo 11: “I do not believe that, at least with my eyes, there would be any man-made object that I could see. I have not yet found somebody who has told me they’ve seen the Wall of China from Earth orbit. … I’ve asked various people, particularly Shuttle guys, that have been many orbits around China in the daytime, and the ones I’ve talked to didn’t see it.”

It was really amazing to see this structure stretching 7200 km from the Bo-sea in the East to the Gobi in the West; the Great Wall of China is truly a wonder with breathtaking views and beauty.

When we left the Great wall, we made our way for lunch, nut on our way we stopped at a Jade factory, like other factories we saw, we were handed a ticket with a number on it, after hard investigation, I discovered that numbers were allocated to tours guides which in return will earn commission for each sales his group member make. I bought a little ox, which is my Chinese lucky animal (1973), well at least I know it is real jade, not a fake item. We saw how workers carved the jade, well they only show you what they want you to see…of course…!

We later saw a silk factory, and a pearl factory, they explained how to spot a fake pearl to a real one. Then we had lunch.

Later we stopped at the Ming Tombs, it was not really as I was expecting it, but it was nice. The tombs are in a bunker 100m below the ground.

In the hotel, I was admiring all the souvenirs I bought today:

* A pearl necklace, which I bought in the Pearl market with my Chinese friend I met in Mongolia. She knew how to bargain!  * A Chinese silk top, a stress ball, chop sticks, and an Ink pad as well.

I also purchased a metal plaque to commemorate my walk on the Great Wall. I also bought a game of MaJong.

It was my last evening with group, as they are all leaving tomorrow for Hong Kong by train, so we went to the hutong to eat a Peking Duck Dinner. It was very small and rustic, but the restaurant is well known and seated many celebrities.

The trip went really fast, we spend the evening talking about our experiences, Paula and Nelda, hardly ever joined us on excursions, what memories do they have????????????

Day 27:  Monday 11 October 2004

We went for a visit to the Summer Palace, the summer retreat of the Imperial family since 1750. It is also called “Garden of Nurtured Harmony”.

At the top of Longevity Hill we could see the Duobao Glazed Pagoda. We first saw the Hall of Benevolence and Longevity, which is a small palace beautifully decorated with bronze statues.

Then we saw the 728 metres Long Corridor along the Northern Gate is richly decorated with mystical scenes, a collection of over 14000 paintings. The paintings depict episodes from Chinese classical literature, folk tales, both historical and legendary figures, and famous Chinese buildings and landscapes along with flowers, birds, fish, and insects.

The corridor leads from the Gate for Greeting the Moon in the east westwards along the northern shore of lake to the Marble Boat Pavilion at western end of the lake. Along its course, there are four octagonal pavilions representing the 4 seasons.

In the long corridor, we saw a large group of school children all dressed up in a bright light blue tracksuit, they wanted us to take their pictures.

At the end of the corridor, we arrived at the Marble Boat pavilion, it is also known as the Boat of Purity and Ease. It was quiet impressive.

We were back on the bus to visit our last attraction, The Temple of Heaven; it is China’s finest example of the Ming architecture. Construction of the complex began in 1420, and was thereafter visited by all subsequent Emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties. The complex comprises of 3 major groups of constructions, The Earthly Mount which is an empty platform on three levels of marble stones, where the Emperor prayed for favourable weather, the House of Heavenly Lord, a single-gabled circular building, built on a single level of marble stone base. The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, a magnificent triple-gabled circular building, built on three levels of marble stone base, where the Emperor prayed for good harvests.

In ancient China, the Emperor of was regarded as the “Son of Heaven”, who administered earthly matters on behalf of, and representing, heavenly authority. To be seen to be showing respect to the source of his authority, in the form of sacrifices to heaven, was extremely important. The temple was built for these ceremonies, mostly comprised of prayers for good harvests.

The Temple is surrounded by two cordons of walls; the outer wall has a taller, semi-circular northern end, representing Heaven, and a shorter, rectangular southern end, representing the Earth. The blue roof tiles are representing heaven.

The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests is 32 metres in diameter and 38 metres tall. It has four inner, twelve middle and twelve outer pillars, representing the four seasons, twelve months and twelve traditional Chinese hours respectively. It was built without a single nail.

If a visitor stand at the centre of the platform and clap his hands, another person can hear the echo because of the concavity of the surrounding wall, a curved wall, 6 metres tall and 32.5 metres in radius.

The round altar possesses and obsessive symmetry revolving around the heavenly number 9. 9 rings of stones, each ring composed of 9 steps.

It was a very informative visit; my visit of Beijing was drawing to the end.

In the evening, I said my goodbyes to the others, Russell, Bernadette, Paula and Nelda. They were on their way to board the train to Hong Kong. I could not do this part as it was much more expensive. It was really strange to say farewell, after spending a month together. I was the end…

I knew I will never see them again as they live on the other side of the world. I am going to miss Russell and Bernadette as they were really good company. I had mix feelings, sad as we had a good time together and it was time to end my epic journey, it went so quick! I felt really happy in the other way, as the following day, I will board a plane to Hong Kong, and I will meet Gary, and further more the comfort of own home again in a few days.

I have so much stuff! I had to buy an extra bag to fit it all in!

When their taxi left, I felt lonely; it was really a weird feeling! I spend my evening packing, my god I can’t believe I am going to conclude this part of the journey by a quote.

“I used to think that the cost of travel was little. I invested my money in the University of Life, not in stocks and shares. Then I experience the travel buy. That’s when the real cost of travel began to bite: the more I travelled, the more I wanted to travel, the less money I had to travel.” from Breaking Ranks by Ben Blooks.

The Trans-Siberian Journey is officially finished; I will now make my way to Hong Kong.

Day 28: Tuesday 12 October 2004

I left the hotel at 06.30 in the morning and took a cab to the airport. Despite the long ride it only cost me 130Yuan. I did allow plenty of time to get there in case of the morning rush hour, so I arrived with plenty of time to check-in.

My flight was at 10.15 with Air China, I had to pay excess luggage of 215Yuan, but I had only 200 left on me, they let me off of 15Yuan.

The flight had a duration of 3hours 1/2, it was very pleasant; I was the only European on board. I arrived in Hong Kong and time and went through the control procedures.

I met Gary at the airport, I was so happy to see him again!

We took a special train back to the city and then a shuttle bus next to the hotel; we were staying at the YMCA. Gary organised a surprised he upgraded the room to a mini-suite with a large view over the harbour. It was really great, the bed was massive!

I quickly visited the rest of the room, unpacked some my luggage, and rest for a while.

Hong Kong was the last British occupied corner of China, which was the final part of the colonial saga that started more than one hundred years and fifty years ago, and ended when Hong Kong was handed over back to China in 1997.

Most people think of Hong Kong as an island, whereas it is actually made up of 236 islands plus a chink of mainland China bordering the province of Guandong. Much of the area is inhabited while other areas are among the most densely populated in the world. At the heart of it all is the 78sq metres Hong Kong Island itself, and it is the oldest part in terms of British History as it was acquired in 1841.

The centre of Hong Kong Island is the business district where today, as the name suggests, the colony’s business life goes on in some of the most expensive buildings in the world.

All signs are in Chinese and English, before the handover, it was the other way round.

Hong Kong covers 980 KM square in total.

After my rest, I was ready to explore the city; we went to a park with flamingos and other bird species in the heart of the city. We later walk along the port watching sunset, and then we went to a big shopping street called Nathan Road, where I exchanged my money. Every 10 metres there was people trying to sell you fake watches, and other fake stuff, I was starting to get annoyed by it.

In the evening we went to the hotel swimming pool, there was a sign saying “please do not spit”, I found it a bit amusing!

Back in the bedroom, I was admiring the view and the lights of the harbour.

Day 29: Thursday 13 October 2004

I headed off to explore Hong Kong Island and see more of the world most expensive buildings; the tallest one is the International Finance centre at 415 metres with 88 floors.

From Kowloon pier, it is a seven minutes ride across one of the greatest harbours to the peninsula from the mainland. We took the Star Ferry across to Honk Kong Island. We saw one of the most breathtaking views in the world as the ferry crosses from Tsin Sha Tsui to Central on Hong Kong Island. The ride was really amazing, really spectacular! You could see all Hong Kong skylines. The ferry has been operating since the late 1880s.

We decided to make our way to Victoria Peak, so we can have good views over the city, there is a say: “if you have not been to the Peak, then you have not been to Hong Kong”. So I am not going to miss that opportunity! It offers spectacular views of the city and bay, and the Kowloon Peninsula.

The peak is at an altitude of 552 m, it has been the place to live ever since the British moved in, and today the price of a real estate is astronomical.

We took the tram to make our way to the top, it provides the most direct route and offers good views over the harbour and skyscrapers of Hong Kong. The Peak Tram runs from St. John’s Building in Central to Victoria Peak via the Mid-Levels, with four request stops in between to serve local residents. The track is about 1,365 metres long and the tram takes seven minutes to reach The Peak.

It first opened in 1888, at that time; it used a static steam engine to power the haulage cable. In 1926 the steam engine was replaced by an electric motor. In 1989 the system was comprehensively rebuilt, with new track, a computerized control system and new two-car trams with a capacity of 120 passengers per tram. The Peak Tram uses rail gauge of 1520 mm. At the track’s steepest point, the cars run at an incline of 27 degrees.

At the top of the Peak there was restaurants, cafes… we stopped for an ice cream. I chose a green tea ice cream, it was very refreshing!

I suggested that we should walk back on the side of the peak; we followed a foot path, not really knowing where we would end up. It was a woodland area, it was really lovely.

When we arrive on the other side, it was an area called Aberdeen, we took a bus, we saw Repulse bay on our way to Stanley, where we stopped by the beach for a while. We went shopping and I bought a pair of trainers New Balance for a mere £23, it was a bargain!

We took a bus back, on our way we saw a theme park, called “Ocean Park”, therefore we decided to come back here the following day. This side of the island looks so different from the north side, as it is less busy.

We took the metro at Chai Wan station back to the hotel, the metro is very clean, no food and drinks are allowed. The MTR or Mass Transit Railway is the name of the local transport company. The network got 53 stations over 91 km of tracks.

There are no separations between carriages; you can walk all the way through.

We spend the evening relaxing in the hotel room.

Day 30: Friday 14 October 2004

After a huge breakfast, we boarded the Star Ferry again and took a bus to Ocean Park. According to the entrance sign it is the best marine theme park in the world. The park is over 87000 metres square and was built on both sides of the mountain; a cable car links the 2 different parts. The park opened in 1977.

The park offers different rides with different themes, but their aim is the education and the entertainment of the visitors by showing them different animals as well as conservation tips.

I was eager to see their star animals: the giant pandas! An An and Jia Jia. They are a gift from the Central Government; they are in Ocean Park since 1999.

An An is a male of 18 years old, 163 cm length and weights about 100-110Kg.

Jia Jia is the female; she is 26 years old, measures 151 cm and weights about 82-90Kg.

They on average of 10-14Kg of bamboos a day as well as fruits and vegetables.

Giant pandas can be identified by their distinctive black and white fur on their eyes, ears, nose, chest, arms and legs are black, while the reminder of their body is white. Scientists believe that such conspicuous marking around the eyes may enlarge the glaring eyes and helps the giant panda to scare off enemies. Newborn cubs do not have this distinctive black and white fur; they only have a thin layer. Bamboos make 99% of their diet, they spend 14 hours a day eating and searching for food.

Due to habitat destruction and various human activities, the survival of the giant panda in the wild is seriously threatened. Nowadays only 1500 wild pandas can be found in the province of Sichuan and Gonsu.

When we first arrive; both of them were asleep, so we decided to come back later to see them better.

We arrive at “Bird Paradise”, this section had parrots, flamingos, toucans, we even saw a show with a display of birds, and it was amazing as they were flying over you. Birds were also making clever tricks.

After that we made our way to the “Butterfly House” which is a glass cocoon where butterflies are bred. At the entrance there was a sign “please do not spit!” I found out that many Chinese people do spit in public.

Then we went to the marine section, we saw a funny show with sea lions and another one with dolphins.

We also went to see the aquarium; it reminded me the one in Boulogne, in France. Their collection of fish and other marine mammals was huge.

This park was really good fun to visit. We took a break and relax a little bit. We also went on a few rides before making our way back to see the pandas. It was feeding time, it was to observe them! We spend at least half an hour watching them, it was astonishing! They were so cute, I was really happy to have seen them.

Later we made our way back to the hotel, were we relax in the evening.

Day 31: Saturday 15 October 2004

The last day in Hong Kong, tonight we will be on the aircraft back to London.

We took the Star Ferry again across the port, and then we took the tramways (also called streetcar) to visit the city and go to the market.

In constant operation since 1904, it makes Hong Kong tram line, one of the oldest street car operations in the world. The tram line is 13 km along the Northern Coast of Hong Kong Island. Hong Kong has got a fleet of 164 double-decker trams; the only other city to fully operate double-deckers trams is the city of Blackpool.

It was really weird to ride old tram, with wooden benches in such modern city! It was quiet spectacular!

We sat down on the harbour to watch life goes by, it was very interesting. It was time to come back, Gary went to collect his new suit from the tailor, we finish packing and we were ready to go… to the airport.

We check in and made full use of the airport lounge, I was thinking of all the images of trip, it was over, I felt really sad!

It is 23.25 we are taking off, good by Hong Kong!

The aircraft touched down at 05.25, the onboard entertainment was really good, and the plane was on time. The weather in London was really grey… for a change!

It was straightforward through the controls although my bags took a while to come out onto the carrousel. I presume that they had been inspected by the drug sniffer dog first to see if there was anything interesting!

Then it was the Heathrow Express, Bakerloo Line…and our beloved Northern Line! ….. Then Home sweet home!

CONCLUSION

That was it, I had done it!

The months of preparations had definitely paid off.

I had read just about everything there was to read about the countries I had visited and had planned the journey meticulously to see the most of each country and sites that I was visiting in the time I had available.

I felt that I had accomplished my goal and had travelled overland to Beijing, although I do not think, even in my wildest dreams I had ever imagined it would be as amazing as it turned out.

For me, as it must be for everybody, a journey on the Trans-Siberian, part of the largest rail network on earth, has no rank of the mightiest and most evocative train ride of all. No other train anywhere has so captured people’s imagination.

Much of its fascination stems from the realisation of the route’s terrible history. Starting with Peter the great who introduce penal colonies in the east of the country through the hideous excess of the Stalin era, when before its death some fifteen millions souls lay rotting in Siberian labour camps.

Reflecting briefly on my journey; travelling on the Trans-Siberian route, visiting the Hermitage in St Petersburg, the Red Square and Kremlin in Moscow, Mongolia’s Gobi desert and walking on the Great Wall of China. Also the from the Peak overlooking Hon Kong harbour are just a few highlights that spring into my mind, but there are so many more experiences that occurred, or that I observed.

I have learned a lot on this journey, I found that the Russians have a lot to learn in customer service, they can be very direct! Also, that their land is very diverse.

People in Mongolia were very welcoming, they live in a beautiful country, and Mongolians are not bloodthirsty people as they were described under Genghis Kan ruling, but the nicest people I have ever met.

Chinese people are friendly, but only as they want your business.

They are some people I will never forget, Loubna, the provodnitsa on the train between Yekateringburg and Irkutsk. The little boy who took me horse-riding in Mongolia. The badminton players in the middle of the street in a Beijing Hutong who invited me to play with them.

But still Loubna was really great, she made my trip wonderful.

Surely there must be a limit to the number of times that I could have my breath taken away due to the splendour of the sights that I have visited.

Yet time after time it happened, and for me, it was an overwhelming experience never to be forgotten…

I only hope that I have adequately put my memories into words in this journal.

* * * * * * *

Sources of my researches:

 

Internet:

- Wikipedia

- Sacred-Destination.com

- Seat61.com

 

Newspaper:

- The Guardian

- The Daily Telegraph

 

Books:

Insight Guide, Great Railway Journeys of Europe, 2002

Lonely Planet, Trans Siberian Railway, 1st edition, 2002

Trans Siberian Handbook, Bryn Thomas, 5th edition, 2001

The Trans Siberian Railway, A traveller’s Anthology, 1988

 

+ Various tourist brochures picked up along the way… I had to ditch them to save weight…

* * * * * * *

Just a word…

I love challenges. I want to go to my limits. I want to understand and experience the world around me, the different cultures. I am eager to share my experiences with others.

One to one connection is better to understand each other. Maybe it is the best way for a world peace; it is well known that famous dictators where the worst travelers.

I hope that this book will inspire others to follow their dreams.

My motto comes from a Mongolian proverb that says, “It is far better to have seen it once than to have heard about it a thousand times…”

Travel, discover the world, and take pictures of it… This is what I really like!

Isabelle GUYOT

Ps. I have decided to give away 2% of my royalties on this book to a charity called “Task Brasil”. Task Brasil aims to improve the lives of street children and teenagers who live and work on the streets of Brazil by motivating them towards education, professional training, music, arts and sports, encouraging social skills and emotional bonds by teaching ethical, moral and civic ideals. If you too want to donate to Task Brasil, please go to: http://www.justgiving.com/jnpaquet

* * * * * * *

 

Copyright © 2004-2012 by ISABELLE GUYOT. Text copyright.

The right of Isabelle Guyot to be identified as the Author of the Work as been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patent Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the author, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

Copyright © 2012, LDN HOUSE. All rights reserved.

 

 

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