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I left Irkoutsk on the evening of Friday, the 1st of July, for once making it at the train station in ample time. I very much liked Irkoutsk for its charm, old wooden houses and grand stone buildings.
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The only reservation I would have about it is that the mosquitoes are the size of Mig 29's and do just about as much damage.<br/><br/>
Trans Mongolian
Degrubenc2005-12-09 14:08:59
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for a couple of hours. When I returned, my bunk had been transformed into a sorting station and, unfortunately, there was little I could do about it. I did fetch the controller; she arrived (still wearing her confused look), saw the situation, asked Short and Fat and Long and Thin to vacate my bed. Short and Fat gave her a few bank notes and a slap on the bum, she giggled stupidly and trotted back down the corridor leaving me with a furious envy to stick her head, instead of logs, in the hot water boiler.
After much negotiations and patience, I regained my bed only to find it absolutely littered with packs of cigarettes. By this point, I started fearing that, should the border guards lock up my gang of two, they might take me along for the ride as an accomplice.
I proceeded to wash vigourously. It has become one of my favourite activities. I discovered the joys of washing thoroughly in a moving train, from a tiny basin, quite an art, I assure you. I also discovered the versatility of soap: it can be used for shampoo, shaving cream, washing powder and can also become a dangerous slipery object in the toilets of a moving train.
I counted that I had already spent 10 days and 9 nights on board trains.
At about 12:00, we arrived at the Russian border town and were told that we would be stuck here for 4 hours before we could get on with the customs. We all got off (apart from my two) and went to the little market near the train station. The reason given for such a prolonged stop is that the train has, once again, got to be lifted and placed on new rails of different sizes, as the russians, of course, feel that they have to do things differently. I expect it is a left-over from the cold war but it must be slowing down trade between Russia and its neighbours.
The market looked like much any other market in Russia: fake goods imitating big brands, fake CD's and DVD's, a few bars
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See photographs from:
Mongolia Gallery
