Life on the train II

Sleep didn’t come easy on the train, though it was already relaxing to just listen to the sound and feel the movements of the train. The second night we crossed two time zone borders, meaning we were three hours ahead of Moscow time. On the schedule in the train and at the stations, however, everything is still measured in Moscow time. Each day I had to puzzle to figure out which times the train would actually stop – we arrived in Yekaterinburg around noon, while the clock at the station said it was still 9:30 in the morning!

I got out during our stop in Yekaterinburg, to take pictures and enjoy the fresh air. If you ask me, that eye watering cold on your face after a lazy morning on a warm train is one of the best feelings. I would go out without hat or gloves, just walk around and take pictures, and then hurry back inside to warm up again. After this stop we would ride on until the beginning of the evening. The view of the city, flats and houses made way for snowy woods again, for several hours long, with no mobile service to be found. Seeing these vast stretches of wood and unspoiled nature gave an idea of how huge Russia really is. I had already travelled more than 2000 kilometres since we left from Moscow. Compare that to my usual hour and a half I used to travel between my parents’ home and my room in Leiden. 2000 km is a huge distance, but I was not even half way yet! According to my Trans-Siberian handbook, we did leave Europe and entered Asia, another first!

During the stops, I felt like an bit of an daredevil getting out, constantly keeping an eye on the train to ensure it didn’t leave

without me, since there was no signal at all to let us know it would depart again. At Tyumen, I bought my dinner at a little food stand on the platform. The sales lady was very eager to explain what it was exactly, though she didn't speak English, which frustrated her to no end. It turned out I had bought a hamburger, complete with a slice of tomato and coleslaw. Outside, it was -6 degrees, which felt amazing after the stuffy train. It was even slightly snowing! After Tyumen, our compartment was full. Two Russian ladies had joined us, again speaking only Russian, though I understood perfectly well when we were all telling each other where we were going. They even seemed a bit jealous when I told them I was going to Irkutsk! I was anything but alone on the train, but not being able to talk to others at moments like that is hard even so. That'll be different in China, I think!
The closer we got to Irkutsk, the colder it became. The fourth morning, I spotted some frost on the edges of the window, on the inside of the train! At one of the station, a board declared it -13 degrees. All the women I shared my compartment with, without exception, spent most of the day sleeping - and these Russian women do know how to snore! I managed to not let the warmth and the lulling movement of the train get to me. The last lady I shared the compartment with seemed to like watching me crochet, and was quite interested in the results. She liked to act all motherly: giving me fruit, sweets, checking my coat to see if it’s warm enough and protesting when I wanted to go outside without a hat.

The fourth and last day on the train, we had some of the most beautiful views I had seen until then. My handbook told me we had crossed the halfway line between Moscow and Beijing, and we were passing the Sayan mountains. Breath-taking, these great mountains under a spotless blue sky, dark woods contrasting with snow so bright in the sunlight I almost needed sunglasses while watching from within the train. The many turns we had to make manoeuvring

through the valleys meant I had a quite some opportunities to take pictures of the train itself!

My train reached Irkutsk at 21:15, when it was already dark. After leaving the station, I decided to walk for a bit, as it seemed there were still quite some people out and about (and these grumpy taxi-drivers weren’t exactly the people I’d get into a car with). Soon I stumbled upon a tram stop and decided to wait for the tram, since my backpack was quite heavy. I had no idea which stop I had to get out again – a little adventure in itself. It was pure luck and a bit of quick map reading that made me step out at exactly the right stop. After that, it was just a little walk and a matter of finding the entrance of the hostel. Once I was inside and settled, I could enjoy one of the many luxuries I didn’t have in the train: a hot shower! A proper bed and matrass, room to stretch my legs, a clean toilet – everything takes on a lot of worth after four days. Four days is also enough to make

everything feel wobbly, as if I was still on a moving vehicle, even when I was just lying in bed. At the hostel I met two girls from Switzerland – what a joy to hear people speak English! – who were also travelling through Russia by train. They had just returned from the 2 day tour I start the next morning, but I didn’t sleep till late, determined to get a birthday card for a friend in the Netherlands on its way. I also made thankful use of the Wi-Fi to make a call home. This day and age, travelling alone doesn’t mean at all that you can’t talk to the people at home anymore, so a quick thank you to the internet!