When I moved back to America from Japan last year, I took the long way home: the Trans-Mongolian Train to the Trans-Siberian!
The Trans-Siberian goes from Vladivostok, Russia to Moscow, Russia. I chose to take the Trans-Mongolian train which goes from Beijing, China through Mongolia and ultimately turning into the Trans-Siberian train in Ulan-Ude, Russia.
I planned extensively thanks to Seat 61, bought my tickets via Real Russia, and was ready to go!
On April 6, 2010 I got up early, packed my bags, and set off for the Beijing Railway Station. There were so many people around, and I had so much to do. I remember buying ramen to go, water, snacks– and I’m pretty sure I had a McDonalds breakfast while I waited to board the train!
Soon enough, I figured out that we could board. I made my way towards the tracks:
And then I saw it- the first leg of the Trans-Mongolian!
It was clean inside, and I was lucky to be sharing my 4-person room with 3 other young travelers:
We passed the time by talking, reading, and eating. The food on the train was amazing- I had heard about it before- but it was the best Chinese food I’ve ever had in my life.
The views were spectacular as well, as we wound through the Chinese countryside:
Some things were pretty crazy!
It was still pretty cold outside even in April, and became colder as we moved north. A coal furnace kept us warm and gave a great smell to the train:
After a while, the landscape changed. We had entered the Gobi desert!
The sun began to set, and we began to anticipate arriving at the China/Mongolian border:
Soon enough it was dark and the train began to slow down. We were at the border. Customs boarded the train, checked our papers, and searched the train. The Mongolian officials (and people in general) were tall and broad for people in Asia- very different from Japan and China. I felt small again!
After these checks, the train can’t just start up again. The tracks are different between China and Mongolia, so workers must literally lift the train, remove the Chinese wheels, and attach Mongolian/Russian wheels. It takes several hours and you can choose to stay on the train and sleep or wait in the station. The guys in my car and I decided to hop off the train during this time and check out the station.
It was eerily empty except for a small grocery store where we stocked up on goods and items. We waited for what seemed like forever, and finally it was time to board the train and head on to Ulan Bator.
When we woke up in the morning, something was different. We now had snow and ice!
It got colder and colder, and the train wound through the rolling hills of Mongolia:
Soon enough, we began to see more and more on the side of the tracks. And even sooner enough, we began to enter Ulan Bator. It’s not like arriving in most cities– many people in Ulan Bator live in Gers!
We finally came to a stop at Ulan Bator station:
I had not only survived the first leg of the Trans-Monglian, but I was now in a country most people never even have a chance to get close to in their lifetimes. It was time to explore!!!
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