We’re off! The Trans Mongolian Express

It was an early start for the 15 min walk to the station. Security scanners, passports etc. Train was very long, and we are in the second carriage from the back. Our guide Alex is 26, Russian from Ekaterinburg. Last night he took us out for a Chinese meal, nice and tasty, then the supermarket which was huge and under a department store so we’d never have known about it if he’d not taken us. We bought some noodles, apples and buns for the journey.

The train goes quite slowly but it is nice. The compartment is for 4 so we are sharing with 2 young women, one Canadian and the other Australian. Our big bags are under the seats and there’s space above the door for rucksacks. At one end of the carriage are 2 loos, and at the other a machine where you can get hot water. Not the old style samovar I imagined bubbling away in the corner! We have been issued with a pillow and 2 sheets and a small cover. It’s all a bit dilapidated and dusty.

Once we got out of Beijing the scenery was like the Great Wall area - jagged mountains, deep gorges and rivers. Then it was flat plain with strip farms done by hand, lots of huge tower blocks in cities, then countryside with old houses with mud walls.

We went to the restaurant car for a beer and a change of scene. The food is a dozen types of pork, so we had some of the stuff we got in the shop. There is only one restaurant car for at least 20 carriages, but people don’t seem to use it.

We ate around 6 in the dining car, run by the Chinese. Mr C had rice, pork and onions. I had omelette and tomatoes. About £3each. We went early as we thought it would close soon. We were right as by 7 it was shutting down in preparation for the big change over, entering Mongolia.

At 8.10 we pulled in to Erlian station. ( All loos were locked from then till 1.45 am). There was a lot of banging and shunting about as all 20 carriages were separated in a big shed. When our turn came we were lifted up so that the bogies could be taken off and new ones put on. This took hours with so many to do. The Chinese officials, who made us stay in our compartments, had taken away our passports and exit papers, so came back with them. We were stationary for ages, then moved off for the Mongolian border. By this time it was 1 am, the loos we’re still locked and I was asleep. (We’d made our bunks up earlier). The new officials came in for customs declarations and others with passports. The train didn’t leave again till 1.45 am.

I’m back blipping from Russia as we had no time in Mongolia.