Russia VI - Moscow and St Petersburg

My time in Russia ended with its most famous cities Moscow and St Petersburg. I had a superb time travelling across the country. The Trans-Siberian trip was an ambition of mine for some time. I was really glad I had the opportunity to stop in cities across Russia to get a taster for the country. Moscow and St Petersburg are on a different scale to other Russian cities. There are lots of great sights to see. As I travelled across the country I was warned that the closer to Europe the less friendly Russians became. I did not find this to be the case. The people of Moscow and St Petersburg were just as friendly and helpful as any other big city.

My arrival in St Petersburg was the end of my journey on the Trans-Siberian Railway. I had travelled all the way from Ulan Ude in Siberia by train. There is no one train called the Trans-Siberian Express, rather the rail line itself is known as the Trans-Siberian. It had always been an ambition of mine to travel along the Trans-Siberian. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to see Russia from the train. It satisfied my romantic notions of travelling. While there is a certain cache to travelling directly from Moscow to Beijing by train for five days, I was glad to have the time and money to get off the train to see more of Russia. Travelling by train in Russia is an excellent way to meet local people. If you travel on the direct trains without getting off to say Irkutsk, Ulan Bator, or Beijing you'll often find lots of westerners in the carriages with you. Whereas travelling from East to West and making stops you will travel mainly with Russians. Travelling with the Russians highlighted how friendly and generous they are. From Moscow I caught an overnight train to St Petersburg. It was on the night of the Euro 2008 semi-final between Russia and Spain. One of the guys on the train was hanging out of a window with a TV aerial trying to get a good picture. The train from Moscow to St Petersburg cost 2311 Roubles, I bought the ticket at Hotel Irkutsk in Irkutsk. I was on train 004 the newest train I had travelled on in Russia. The train journey from Kazan to Moscow was another overnight train. We bought the ticket the day before from the Kazan ticket office for 2575 Roubles. I managed to drop a full bottle of beer on the floor as soon as we walked into our Kupe. The smell of beer stayed with us through the night.

I arrived in Moscow without great expectations, they were reserved for St Petersburg. I was mightily impressed by the centre of Moscow. There are lots of historic buildings that have been tastefully preserved. Undoubtedly the highlight is Red Square. While Red Square is tiny in comparison to Tiannamen Square it is far more atmospheric. St Basil's Cathedral sits at one end while the high walls of the Kremlin dominate the other side. I went to see Lenin's pickled body and completed the hat trick of dead communist leaders, Ho Chi Minh, Mao, and Lenin. It is quite obvious that Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum is heavily based on Lenin's. It was a much more tasteful affair than China. There was no pushing and shoving, although there were still guards shushing the crowds. Another great highlight of my stay in Moscow are the metro stations. I spent the best part of a day touring the various stations with their different architecture styles. I stayed at Novo Hostel, a great little hostel that was more like a home stay. 700 Roubles a night. A common story I was told on the traveller grapevine was militiamen targeting tourists for their papers. I fortunately did not have a problem. However, Hemmo did. He was stopped by a militiaman. Hemmo produced a photocopy of his passport and his registration card. The militiaman accepted the photocopies but he also said that he needed to see Hemmo's train ticket to prove that he had arrived within 72 hours. Hemmo stood his ground and refused to go and would not pay a bribe to the police station, and eventually the militiaman gave in and left him alone. I had also heard stories about violence in Moscow. Moscow did not feel anymore dangerous than any other Western city. Leningradsky train station was the most unpleasant part of Moscow. that I came across Outside lots of dodgy guys were hanging around with various wounds and injuries. There was a heavy police presence. Once inside the station it was perfectly safe but I did not fancy hanging around outside for any length of time.

St Petersburg is a beautiful city. I was in town for the White Nights. In the middle of summer it doesn't get truly dark at night. The Russians use this as a great excuse to party in the streets. I was watching the nightly water fountain and light show when three Hummer limousines pulled up full of Russian women in wedding dresses. I'm not sure why they were all in wedding dresses but they all seemed to be enjoying themselves. St Petersburg is known as the Venice of the north. Canals criss cross the city. At night you have to be careful that you don't get stranded on one of the islands when the bridges are raised in the early hours to let ships pass. St Petersburg has lots of wonderful old buildings. Peter and Paul Fortress has great views from the battlements that overlook the city from the opposite side of the river. Outside of the city Peterhof Palace is spectacular with huge golden cascading water fountains. The Hermitage is famed as one of the best museums in the world. It is an impressive building. I was a bit disappointed. It felt to me more like a gallery than a museum. There are lots of nice things to look at but they become a bit monotonous. I really liked the rooms that had furniture and artifacts. Even if most of the rooms are galleries they are still quite something. I stayed at Nevsky Hostel, which has a great location close to the Hermitage. It was 750 Roubles for a bed in an 8 bed dorm. The staff were very friendly and helpful.

Russia V - Russia 3 Holland 1

I arrived in Kazan the day of the Euro 2008 Quarter-Final between Holland and Russia. I was travelling with a Dutch guy and we were intent on watching the game. We very nearly missed the train to Kazan from Yekaterinburg, beginning the journey in carriage that resembled a sauna.

I arrived in Yekaterinburg just after Russia had qualified for the knockout stages of Euro 2008. In the morning there were still a few people driving around with flags hanging out of their cars. In Kazan on the day of the Quarter final there appeared to be little interest in the match. As kick-off drew near we headed out into the city in orange t-shirts from a charity shop. If you walked around in orange t-shirts on the day of an England/Holland match in the UK I think you would stand out. Russian men have such a lack of fashion sense that two men walking down the street in bright orange t-shirts draws no attention. We struggled to find a bar with atmosphere to watch the game, until we stumbled upon a small bar which was packed. We were given pride of place in front of the TV. When the locals discovered I was English there were many apologies for knocking England out in the qualifying. They gave a hearty rendition of the Russian national anthem (click here to watch). The match began and Russia dominated. While I was wearing a Dutch shirt my sympathies were with the Russians. When they went up 1-0 the place erupted. The Dutch drew level at the very end of normal time and Hemmo jumped up and down screaming for joy. Luckily no one clouted him. In extra-time the Russians took control and scored twice to win 3-1 (click here to see the Russians celebrate the third goal). Immediately after the final whistle crowds of people poured on to the streets. Cars raced up and down the streets with flags hanging out of the windows and people were on top of buildings celebrating (click here to watch a video of their celebrations). One of the guys in the bar wanted to swap t-shirts with Hemmo and went off happily in the dodgy orange t-shirt. Needless to say Hemmo was none to pleased about the result.

The journey to Kazan from Yekatertinburg should have been straightforward. We arrived at the train station with plenty of time to spare. We kept an eye on the departure board and went to our platform. The strange thing was there was a different train there and when it pulled off no-one was left on the platform. I thought this was a bit strange and had a wander over to the other platforms. I discovered our train had had its platform changed. I ran back to Hemmo, we grabbed our bags and ran across the station. We managed to jump on just in time. It was a hot and humid afternoon and we had already begun to sweat. To save some money we had decided to do this leg of the journey in Plastkartny, third class, the equivalent of hard-sleeper in China. I bought the ticket from Hotel Irkutsk and it only cost 1000 Roubles. In Plastkartny there are about sixty beds crammed into a carriage. The carriages have air-conditioning but this works on an air pressure system when the train is moving. The train had been sitting there a while, fuill of people in the sun. We struggled into our carriage already dripping with sweat only to be confronted by a sauna. Plastkartny is a bit of a squeeze and not quite as comfortable as hard-sleeper in China. However, it is not that bad. I found Kupe a much more comfortable way to travel for long distance. I was amazed to see in our carriage a boy wearing a Tottenham shirt. I tried to inform him of what a good team he wa supporting but it seemed to him it was simply a t-shirt. It was the first time I had seen any local wearing a Tottenham shirt in all of my travels. I had my photograph taken with him but I think this only served to confuse the kid more. A guy in our block of beds was an aircraft engineer who spoke English. We chatted with him for a bit and Hemmo did his survey. Hemmo had been conducting a survey on his travels. He asked people which three countries have the most attractive opposite sex, and you could not mention your own. Russia was figuring highly amongst male travellers simply for the way the women dress. Russian women are certainly very glamorous though this just crosses into the scantily clad prostitute look, or as an American girl described it 'trailor park trash'. Hemmo's survey was always a good ice breaker with people.

Kazan felt quite different to any other Russian city I visited. The influence of central asia can be seen quite strongly here. Kazan is the capital city of the Republic of Tatarstan. While there have been calls for independence from Russia it is still part of the Russian Federation. Kazan has a beautiful Kremlin, in the centre of which is the large Mosque in Russia (as you can see in the above picture). The Kremlin was declared a World Heritage site in 2000 when the city celebrated its Millennium. It feels multi-cultural and cosmopolitan. It is also obvious that in recent years a great deal of money has been spent beautifying the city and restoring old buildings. The hot summer weather stayed with us in Kazan and we were able to go and sit on the beach on the banks of the Volga river with the Kremlin in the distance. We stayed at Hotel Volga which is very close to the Railway Station. The receptionist was the spitting image of Deirdre from Coronation Street. Kazan is not that big and it is very easy to walk to the centre of the city or to the Kremlin from there. A twin room cost 2000 Roubles a night and a buffet breakfast was included, which I abused to the best of my abilities.

Russia IV - Russki Vodka

After returning to Irktusk from Olkhon Island I had a three day two night train journey to Yekaterinburg. For the first half of the journey I shared my Kupe cabin with a young Russian guy. After going through the getting to know you section of my phrasebook conversation stalled. I worked on my journal and read my book whilst the Russian stared at the floor for a couple of hours, after which he went to sleep for twenty hours. At Novosibirsk the youth departed and I was joined by a Russian Army Major, called Andreas, who could not speak a word of English. He immediately pulled out a small bottle of vodka. We started on the getting to know you phrases but communication was a bit tricky. He did want to make sure I was Christian and I decided it was best not to get into too tricky a religious debate with a Russian Army Major who could not speak English and had served in Chechnya. We did get along well and being polite I did not refuse the large glasses of vodka that he offered me and expected me to down in one. We finished the first bottle of vodka and headed for the restaurant car to buy another bottle. Along the way we came across members of his unit. We got back to our Kupe and started on the bigger bottle of vodka. Two of the members of his unit came to join us and the two of them could speak a bit of English. One of them was teetotal (the first Russian teetotaler I had come across). Some bread, mustard and salami was produced. I then cannot remember what happened next. All I know is that I woke up with a stinging head. I was covered in broken biscuits. I did not have my glasses, my watch or my phrasebook. Andreas helpfully sprayed some aftershave into my eyes and I went off to the toilet. I returned to the Kupe and found my watch was in my pocket and my glasses and phrasebook were hidden on the floor. The Providnista (Russian train attendant) for my carriage who reminded me of my Nan and seemed to be particularly kindly had a look in our Kupe. She took one look at the state of the Kupe and then looked at me to which my answer was, "Russki Vodka". She gave me a knowing look and a tut tut shake of her head. I get the impression that a large part of the Providnista job is looking after the paralytic Russian male. Russians do not drink until they are drunk but until they are unconscious. Andreas seemed to be in a worse state than me. He had offered me a glass of beer which I declined. He drank the beer and went back to sleep. The rest of the journey to Yekaterinburg seemed to take an absolute age.
Yekaterinburg sits on the continental border between Europe and Asia. It is a pleasant place to take a break from the train. It feels and looks like you imagine a Russian city. However, much like Irkutsk lots of historic buildings survived the Soviet bulldozers. The Yekaterinburg metro feels like a time capsule. A great part of the stay was Yekaterinburg hostel. It had only been opened a month and the guy running it was very friendly and helpful. It felt more like a homestay as the hostel is run by a family. They cooked me dinner and had lots of food in the fridge for me and Hemmo to use. The only problem I did have when I first arrived was getting in. The hostel was as ever in a non-descript Soviet tower block. The directions from the metro to get there were excellent, however, I did not have instructions of how to get in. I sat on the steps for an hour until someone came out who was involved with the hostel.

Russia III - Bont Dwems Bont

One of the reasons I am excited to be in Russia is that I associate it with the danger and excitement of James Bond. I am no James Bond, I am more Dan Cruickshank, though not as loud and hopefully not as annoying. My Lonely Planet Russian Phrasebook is one of the more lighthearted ones I have come across. They have a section of James Bond phrases, including "Your plans for world domination are sadly mistaken", the Russians find these particularly funny. While Russians generally don't speak English you often come across people who do speak English well. These people are also very intelligent. In China and South East Asia intelligent people do not necessarily know a great deal about countries outside of their own. However, the Russians I have come into contact with seem to be very well informed. On the train from Ulan Ude to Irkutsk I was in Kupe with one other Russian guy, Sergei, he did not look the most intelligent guy. We got chatting, he spoke a bit of English and he turned out to be very well informed. We even got into a somewhat confused discussion on literature as I was reading 'The Quiet American'. Sergei, like any Russian worth his salt, shared his lunch with me, kebabs. In Ulan Ude I was in the back of a bus and the guy sitting next to me spoke English. We talked about the weather and he knew about the Gulf Stream, not something you would expect someone to be aware of in the middle of Siberia.





I hopped on the Trans-Siberian train to Irkutsk and skirted along Lake Baikal. Lake Baikal is the deepest lake in the world, and the largest freshwater lake in the world by volume, holding a fifth of the world's total fresh water. The Lake's water is so pure that you can drink it. The sheer scale of the Lake is apparent as the train trundles by although it would seem more accurate to call it an inland sea rather than a lake. I went to stay on Olkhon Island. The island is large enough to have its own lakes. The main settlement Khuzhir is a very small town of only a few hundred people. It is full of wooden buildings and has a rundown charm. Cows wander the muddy streets eating rubbish while motorbikes with sidecars zoom passed. Hemmo (the dutch guy I met in Irkutsk) caught a minibus to Khuzhir from Irkutsk. It took 7 hours and cost 500 Roubles. We had to wait our turn to get on the ferry to the island. There is a public bus that goes to Khuzhir from Irkutsk which leaves earlier but gets priority to board the ferry. The ferry boarding is every man for himself. The crew get off and stand infront of cars to stop them moving while others force their way on. Once all the cars are off the ferry the captain raises the gang plank and in a very Cold War sounding announcement gives the waiting queue of vehicles instructions. In the midst of Winter when Lake Baikal is frozen over (something I find difficult to believe after seeing it in all it's glory in the Summer) it is quicker to drive to Olkhon Island because you can just drive over the frozen Lake. Khuzhir is renowned for Nikita's Guesthouse. A holiday village of wooden huts and yurts. While I was there it was very busy as it was a Russian holiday. There is a feel of a family holiday camp which some people won't particularly enjoy, but there are lots of backpackers and travellers. The food is excellent and plentiful. There are no showers in Khuzhir so to have a wash you can either go in the Lake which is icy cold otherwise the traditional way to wash is in a Banya, a Russian sauna where you pour buckets of cold water and hot water over yourself while being beaten with birch branches. One of the days we did a trip to the North Cape of Olkhon Island. The island is a lot bigger than you imagine, being bigger than Singapore. One of the great parts of the trip was the vehicle we were in, a very cool looking old Russian jeep. Nikita's Guesthouse charged 750 Roubles for a bed in a twin room including three meals a day. The day trip to the north of the island cost 400 Roubles.

I had heard mixed reports about Irkutsk. A lot of stories involved violence amongst Russian males. I did not see anything to corroborate those stories. Irkutsk does have rundown Soviet buildings and the intimidating housing blocks with alleyways and squares. However, it also has charming wooden buildings and lots of old Grand buildings. In its heyday it was known as the Paris of Siberia. There are trams trundling down the streets and I found the locals to be helpful and friendly. While my grasp of Russian was near to non-existent I did discover I knew more Russian than I realised. I went to Subway and found one of the staff spoke English. I was ordering with another member of staff who didn't speak English and was wondering out loud what mayonnaise was in Russian, the one who spoke English answered mayonnaise. I also discovered in an internet cafe that printer is simply printar in Russian. While I was in Irkutsk I stayed at Admiral Hostel which is a newly opened hostel I found on Hostelworld. It was a nice little place. The only problem is that there are only staff there in the morning so if you turn up without having pre-booked you will have to hope that the staff are there or a guest is in. Admiral Hostel cost 500 Roubles a night, in a 6 bed dorm, with a full kitchen, and the use of the washing machine was 200 Roubles.

I made a bit of a mistake with my onward train booking in Irkusk. I went to the train station and bought a ticket to Yekaterinburg for 8000 Roubles. I didn't have a problem buying the ticket and the price was again slighty more than quoted to me by Svezhy Veter Travel Agency. I was in Kupe. Hemmo bought a ticket to Yekaterinburg leaving twenty minutes after mine and arriving three hours later than mine for only 5000 Roubles. He bought his ticket at Hotel Irkutsk who have an English speaking train ticket ofice. The woman there told him about the cheaper train. I am in train 009 and he is train 069. When I came back from Olkhon Island I went there to book train tickets on from Yekaterinburg. Hotel Irkutsk charge 150 Rouble commission. The 009 train is the Baikal train and is considered the best train on the Trans-Siberian railway. From the outside it stands out with its very bright blue and white paint book. Inside the carriages are very new and very well serviced. The providnistas (Russian train attendants) were excellent in my carriage, friendly and helpful (even though they did not speak English). In my carriage was a plate of biscuits, a bottle of water and some fruit juice.

Russia II - Cultural Differences

Whilst I am still technically in Asia, there is a definite cultural change. From the train I could see local people sunbathing on the shores of Lake Baikal, a sight I have not seen since leaving Australia. In China and South East Asia a common sight is people clad head to toe with only their eyes showing. It can be blisteringly hot but people will be wearing balaclavas and gloves. It is a strange sight for western eyes, especially those of an Englishman, because when the sun has got his hat on and the thermometer creeps to mildly hot then everyone disrobes. The reason that Asians cover themselves up is that to have a tan is an indication of poverty. To have a tan in Asia is an indication that you work in the fields. The rich stay inside and have icy white skin. To be pale is a sign of high status.

On a bus in Vietnam from Quang Ngai to Danong I was chatting to a local. He was saying how attractive pale women were. I told him that in England people crave dark skin. He found this amazing. I told him how people will dye their skin darker or go to tanning salons and he found it unbelievable. Mr Trinh Ngoc The (my guide in Ha Tien) said that Mekong Delta women were very beautiful because of their white skin (he said this was due to drinking coconut milk). In 'Another Quiet American' Brett Dakin states that Westerners have a high status in Laos partly because of their white skin. I bought Nivea suncream in Malaysia. On the bottle it said 'non-darkening' a selling point you are unlikely to see on a bottle in the West. If you look at moisturisers in shops the majority are not simply moisturisers but bleach your skin white as well. A complete contrast to moisturisers that add a 'healthy' tan to the skin in the West.

Russia I - Who said Russians don't smile?

One of the things that I have been told countless times by fellow travellers is that Russians don't smile. I arrived at an obscure Russian border crossing on the Mongolia border on a bus from Ulan Bator. The Russian immigration lady gave my passport and me a steely eyed stare for a good while. She then rang someone and then finally asked me a question. I smiled and said I don't understand but offered my phrasebook as assistance. She started laughing, not what I was expecting. She then yelled across the other side of the room to see if any of the officials over there spoke English, none of them did but they all thought it was very funny. A thin ill looking immigration official wandered into her booth and had a good chuckle aswell. Eventually a woman appeared who could act as interpeter. They wanted to know how I got to Mongolia. When I told them I got there from China I then had to explain how I got to China. Once I worked my way back to Singapore they were satisfied. I then had to take my bags over to a plinth for customs. An Asian guy appeared and asked me to open my bag, or rather signalled to open my bag. On top was my Trans-Siberian Handbook (Bryn Thomas). The official had a look at the map and the pictures. He gave me back my book and waved me on. He didn't bother with the other much larger backpack. I had been given a Customs Declaration form but it was in cyrillic so I couldn't fill it in and they didn't care. The only trouble I did face at customs was my bus 'forgetting' me and driving off. I am pretty sure they didn't forget and simply didn't want to hang around. Either way the Russians were again very helpful and called the bus back. They found this very funny aswell. If you do get the bus from Ulan Bator to Ulan Ude you can change US Dollars or Euros on the border for a good rate.

Back on the bus a woman suddenly appeared who spoke English. She was amazed by my travelling alone and not speaking the language. My answer as being English to where I was from seemed to satisfy alot of other questions she had about me. She offered a homestay at her place, "not for free of course but cheaper than a hotel". I had already arranged a homestay through Natalia Myasnikova (+7 9025 648278, myasnikova_nat@rambler.ru) who I found on the internet. I was staying for 1,000 Rubles a night including breakfast with Tatianna an old Russian lady who didn't speak a word of English but is very nice. Russia is unfortunately expensive, or at least on par with other Western countries, and isn't really setup for budget travellers. If I had not found a homestay through Natalia then I would have skipped Ulan Ude because it would have been too expensive to stay here.

Tatianna had her 11 year old grandson Bulat to stay. Bulat spoke excellent English and took me out to Lenin Square and to find somewhere to eat. I'm not sure as an eleven year old I would have been a good tour guide but Bulat made an excellent effort. Ulan Ude's claim to fame is having the largest Lenin head in the world. It is very big. The square is dominated by Lenin and people roller blading, skateboarding and BMX biking. I wonder what Lenin would have made of it. I have been impressed by Ulan Ude. It is a pleasant small town. There is a friendly atmosphere and people seem to be having a good time, possibly helped by the big blue skies and the hot temperatures. The drive into town on the bus passed through lots of rolling hills and plains with communities of wooden houses. In Ulan Ude lots of wooden homes still survive. There is a recently renovated high street which is quite pleasant. I got buses to visit the two main attractions (other than the head). On both the drivers charged me the local price and took me to the right places. I visited Datsun Buddhist Monastery a pretty spot out of town. I also went to the Outdoor Museum which was setup in 1973 to preserve old buildings. They have transported wooden houses, churches, and native yurts, aswell as sone circles to the museum. I even bought my train ticket to Irkutsk from the train station without a problem. Although I did write it all down in Cyrillic first. While I was waiting in the queue people asked me to save their places (or at least that is what I thought), which is fine until more than one person asks and then they both return. When they did return they then discovered I didn't speak Russian but they both turned out to be helpful with my ticket purchase. I mentioned that Russia is expensive and not a good place for a budget traveller. I have tried to save money by buying tickets as I go rather than going through a Russian agency. Funnily enough it seems the ticket I purchased today has cost me a few more dollars more than it would have done if I had gone through Svezhy Veter Travel Agency www.svezhyveter.ru.

Mongolia

I left Erlian in the morning. The border is north of the town. I went to the central market to try and find the Russian jeeps that go to Zam Uud. You know you are in the right place because hordes of women with roles of bank notes descend upon you wanting to exchange money. I only had 200Y left and exchanged it for 32,000TNG which seemed a good exchange rate but at the border crossing you can get a better one at the official exchanges. I intended to take one of the Russian jeeps. Instead I was directed into the back of a very shabby looking VW Passat. The driver charged me 70Y and off we went. What I hadn't realised when I got in was that the rear seat I was sitting on was not a seat. I had noticed a quilt over the back seat and assumed it was because the seat had worn out. What I did not realise until I was sitting bent double was that the quilt was covering a layer of sacks. There was another layer of sacks along the rear parcel shelf and there were sacks in the front seat wells. I don't know what was in these sacks but it was something that he had made a poor attempt to conceal. So we roared 5 minutes up the road before stopping for half an hour, turning round and going back to the market and waiting there another half an hour while he talked to some mafioso figures. Two more locals joined me on the back seat and we set off for the border. The road through Erlian, across the border, and into Zam Uud is perfectly straight. We roared up to Chinese customs, the driver was very keen on all the windows being up so the one window winder was passed around. I had no problems at Chinese immigration and pressed 'satisfactory' on the immigration official's rating box. In Chinese state run institutions they have customer service electronic rating machines, the three options being 'satisfactory', average', and 'poor'. We all piled back into the car and headed across no-man's land. A long line of trucks stretched toward the Mongolian border. We flew passed only for the Passat to grind to a halt. The driver tried a variety of fixes to get us moving again while truck drivers looked on giving encouragement. The window winder was passed around again. Eventually, with the aid of a mudpack, we were on our way again. Mongolia immigration was a breeze. No questions asked other than a stern look. The Mongolian Immigration and Customs was surprisingly chaotic. There were lots of Mongolians hanging around. I went upstairs to try and find the train ticket office. It turns out there isn't one or they did not want to sell me a ticket. I wandered in and out of offices until I found one guy who said "no Zam Uud". I'm not sure any other country I've been to would let you just wander in and out of the customs and immigration building. Outside a customs official was checking the car. He took no interest in my bags in the boot which were lifted out of the way. He did express on interest in all of the poorly hidden sacks in the car. I'm not sure what was said but we were allowed to continue. The driver then decided he wanted payment which I smilingly declined until he dropped me off in Zam Uud.

Zam Uud is only a few minutes drive from the border. It is much smaller than Erlian and much less developed. There is one very new road that goes through the town from the border (I assume the Chinese built it). Other than that there are a few ugly concrete square buildings, some charming if decrepit wooden homes and some Gers. Its pleasant to look around but it doesn't take long. I was dropped off in front of the Railway Station. The black building to the left of the Railway Station sells tickets. Mongolians like most Asians don't queue. There was hardly anyone purchasing tickets but people still tried to push in front of me even when I was in the act of buying the ticket. I got a kupe ticket (4 berth) for 15,900TUG (about $16) for the overnight journey to Ulan Bator. Downstairs is a left luggage room (250 TUG) staffed by an intimidating and authoritarian Mongolian lady who turned out to be quite friendly after I attempted to say 'thankyou' in Mongolian. When Elton John said sorry was the hardest word he had obviously not tried to pronounce thankyou in Mongolian. I kept saying it and people look at me strangely I repeat it a few times until I'd say thankyou in English whereupon they would say it in Mongolian, I would repeat it incorrectly and they would say it again, I again repeat incorrectly and they would cut their losses.

Mongolian train attendants look somewhat mean and menacing in their 1970s style stewardess outfits. I half expected a large spike to appear from the sole of their knee high boots. In my kupe was one Mongolian woman and two Mongolian traders. One was short and round and called Batu, he spoke a bit of English. He had a tall friend with a large scar across his face. I didn't catch his name but Scarface struck me as appropriate. I arrived in the cabin to find Batu tucking into his lamb dinner, a large fatty bone was thrust in my direction whether I wanted it or not. Whereupon a bottle of vodka was produced, much like the leg of the lamb I was expected to join in. The bottle of vodka ran out in no time at all and I was sent to the restaurant car to procure another bottle. Luckily enough they would not sell me a bottle unless I was eating in the restaurant car. On the way back I came across a guy who was being tasered. I am not sure what he had done to deserve this. He was not having a good time whereas the guy with the taser was. Mongolians were walking up to him and twisting his ears. The sunset from the train was particularly beautiful as we crossed the desolate countryside. We then hit the Gobi desert where the train became uncomfortable. It was an old train so lots of dust managed to fill it. All the windows were closed which meant it was very hot and stuffy. I discovered that my bed was not very comfortable and the vodka hangover was beginning to kick in. Unfortunately Batu and Scarface returned just as I was dosing off. They had been to restaurant car and by all accounts had had a very good time and brought some bottles of vodka back with them. I did not want to play and after repeatedly saying no and stopping them from dragging me out of bed they eventually gave up. In the morning I was pulled out of bed at 7.30am because the attendant wanted my sheets. Batu offered me a can of beer which I declined while Scarface was knocking back the vodka. The two hours into Ulan Bator were very beautiful as we crossed the steppes. The closer you get to Ulan Bator the uglier the view becomes. Although there is something exotic seeing the suburbs filled with Gers.

I had heard lots of negative stories about Ulan Bator. I had been forewarned about the cab drivers. I hadn't booked a hostel. I caught a taxi to UB Guesthouse (if you pre-book they will come and pick you up). The driver decided to double his price when we arrived. I started yelling out of the window whereupon he gave in and let me take my bags. In the dodgy courtyard outside the hostel a girl vomited in front of me while appearing to carry cans of glue. I discovered that dodgy courtyards are the trend in ex-Soviet countries. The idea being that the workers would live in a nice community with a large area in which to socialise. Unfortunately now it seems these courtyards are surrounded by big imposing buildings with lots of dark alleys for people to hide in and places for large groups to congregate. UB guesthouse was a nice small hostel. I had a dorm bed for $5 a night. The beds were very uncomfortable but the guys who ran it were friendly and helpful. UB Guesthouse (aswell as all of the other hostels and guesthouses) run their own tours around Mongolia. I was hoping that a short tour would be leaving when I arrived, unfortunately that wasn't the case. Their advice was to carry nothing on you when walking the streets, and not to be out after midnight. I didn't witness any muggings myself but there were lots of stories to confirm what I was told. Ulan Bator does have an international feel to it from the large number of International Aid workers there. For a small city the traffic in Ulan Bator is pretty bad. The traffic is not helped by the driving style of the locals which combines Asian crazy driving with Russian aggressive driving. Ulan Bator is not as bad as it is made out, there are a few things worth seeing such as the Natural History Museum and the Gandan Monastery. There are also lots of restaurants that are very cheap, if you are heading on to Russia this will be the best value for money you will get in a while The reason for coming to Mongolia is to not to spend your time in Ulan Bator but to visit the countryside. I didn't have as much time as I would have liked because of my Russian visa expiring at the end of June so I headed out the day after arriving for a Ger camp. I went to stay at Elstei Ger Camp which is run by Shuren Travel. It is a beautiful site about an hour from Ulan Bator. When I arrived there was only one other group of guests there. Backpackers on an organised trip from Moscow to Beijing. Elstei Ger Camp is not your typical Ger camp. For starters there are hot showers and a restaurant. The food was excellent and plentiful. The Ger's are very comfortable. If you don't fancy roughing it but want to get a taste for the great outdoors then it could be the best option. The sense of space is amazing on the steppes. I went horse riding while I was there which was a bit of a sore experience. I visited a nomadic camp and had fermented yak's milk. After a few days at the camp I went back to Ulan Bator. The only trouble I had in Ulan Bator was on my return from the Ger Camp. I was staying at UB Guesthouse but this time in one of their side apartments. I was sharing a 4 bed dorm with two Dutch guys and an Australian. All seemed fine until they returned at 3am screaming and shouting. They took great pleasure in annoying me. I took great pleasure in taking their shoes in the morning.

Where am I?

If you have been following my travels you may have noticed my blog is not up to date. I will eventually type up where I have visited and what I have been doing. In the meantime I thought I would give a brief summary of my month in China.

China is enormous and a month does not do it justice. I crossed into China from Vietnam. From Nanning I caught a train to Guilin and then spent a week in Yangshuo. Yanghsuo is beautiful with limestone karst scenery. I did a day trip to the stunning Dragon's Backbone Rice Terraces before catching an overnight train from Guilin to Wuhan. I then travelled to Wuyuan to visit the Huizhou villages. I also visited villages in Yixian county near Tunxi. The villages are wonderful time capsules. I then walked up Huang Shan mountain. I think I walked about 45kms in 24 hours broken with a fitful sleep in a very smelly dorm room on the summit. I went back to Tunxi where I caught a bus to Shanghai. I travelled by overnight train to Xi'an and visited the Army of Terracotta Warriors which isn't quite as good as you think it might be. It was in Xi'an where I felt the earthquake tremor. From Xi'an I caught an overnight train to Beijing. I had a very busy week of sightseeing in Beijing. The undoubted highlight being the 10km hike along the Great Wall of China from Jinshanling to Simatai. I left Beijing by overnight train to Datong where I visited the Hanging Monastery and Yungang Caves. I arrived in Erlian today. Erlian is the Chinese side of the Mongolian border. I cross tomorrow and hope to catch an overnight train to Ulan Bator.

If you would like to see my photos from the trip then visit www.flickr.com/photos/skimmens. The photos are up to date, unlike the blog.

China XII - Zai Jian (Goodbye)

I left Beijing and headed for Mongolia. I had intended to catch the direct Trans-Mongolia train from Beijing to Ulan Bator, unfortunately the train I would have to catch before my visa expired had been cancelled. I decided to travel to Ulan Bator via Datong. Datong is not a destination in itself. It is a large unattractive city even by Chinese standards. The reason to come to Datong are the Yungang Caves and the Hanging Monastery. I took an overnight train from Beijing to Datong, spent the day visiting the attractions and left the next morning for Erlian (on the border with Mongolia).

As soon as I stepped out of the station I was met by a very polite CITS agent. He was selling the CITS tour to the Caves and the Monastery. I choose to go it alone and regretted it. I was wandering around the main square and met Simon. Simon offered a taxi to take me to the Yungang Caves and the Hanging Monastery. It seemed like an excellent deal. What I hadn't grasped was that it relied on other people sharing the cab. We took off and for some reason drove around Datong. I was becoming fed up with their delaying tactics until they decided to take me to the Caves. We arrived and they looked for other people I could share the cab with for the drive to the Hanging Monastery. The Yungang Caves are very impressive. It does feel like an Indian Jones set with the huge carved Buddhas towering over you. When I returned after over an hour wandering around the caves I found Simon with a French couple who had been waiting an hour for me to return. We set off for the two hour drive to the Hanging Monastery. The taxi driver turned out to be the slowest driver I had come across in Asia. We arrived at the Hanging Monastery to be confronted with a very loud building site. It seems the local authorities have decided to upgrade the existing tourist facilities. The Hanging Monastery is impressive to see but not quite as impressive or extensive as the Caves. I met people there who had taken the public transport option to get there and they did not recommend it. In the end I saved a small amount of money with the taxi but it was not worth the effort.

While Datong is an ugly industrial city in the midst of a rebuild there is a certain charm to it. The people were very friendly. I was walking across the enormous square infront of the railway station and a man yelled hello at me from the other side of the square and waved (he was arm in arm with another man at the time). Another guy ran up to me said hello, giggled, and then ran away. I was on the way to dinner and came across a rag tag bunch of teenage security guards armed with truncheons who all smiled and waved at me.

In the evening I looked for somewhere to eat along Xima Lu. I tried to enter a couple of restaurants only to be met with smiling faces but waving hands saying 'no'. I eventually found one restaurant who let me in even though they were slightly bemused by my presence. A picture menu was produced. A waitress stood over me as I flicked through. The trouble with a picture menu is you are not entirely sure what you have ordered. In China the waitress hangs around and I am never sure whether I have ordered the correct amount of food. After haphazardly pointing the waitress said something. I replied 'tingbudong' (I don't understand). There was a group discussion amongst the army of waiting staff. A delegate was sent to my table to retrieve my English-Chinese dictionary. A few minutes later a diner came over to my table. She spoke some English and said that the waiting staff were concerned I had ordered too much. I suggested they cut out anything they wanted, this did not cross the language divide. After much discussion between her and the waitress fraternity it was decided the order would not be changed. The various dishes finally arrived and were pretty good. The woman who had acted as translator periodically checked in on me. The funny thing in China is that the Chinese act paternally towards foreigners, they are concerned for your welfare and will help you even when it isn't required. For instance, the waiting staff then decided that my chopstick skills weren't up to scratch and replaced them with a knife and fork.

I stayed at the Railway Station Hotel in Datong. I paid 110Y for a deluxe room (reduced from 128), though they wouldn't reduce the standard room from 107. The corridors were very long and everything was well passed its prime. The staff were very friendly even though they didn't speak English. The other guests were most surprised to see me wandering around. While the smart hostels of Beijing, Xi'an and Shanghai were very nice they do leave you in something of a Western bubble. There is some cache to walking down the corridors of a seemingly dodgy old Chinese hotel to be greeted by smiles from the other guests.

I left Datong the next day for Erlian. I paid 86Y for the seven hour journey. The bus leaves from the main square in front of the Railway Station at 9am. I had been fighting a pretty successful battle stopping people smoking on board. Unfortunately they all grouped together at the back of the bus and fended off my challenges. The drive to Erlian is interesting for the change in the landscape as you cross Inner Mongolia. In and around Datong things feel different. Donkeys appear and are used to plough, there are no water buffalos (nor rice paddies) in sight. There are even sheep. Upon leaving Datong the scenery really changes. The further into Inner Mongolia the flatter and sandier everything becomes. Other than the road and railway line there is nothing to see for miles around.

The only reason to be in Erlian is to use it as a transit point into or out of Mongolia. It is a small town by Chinese standards. I found the Erlian factsheet on Lonely Thorntree useful. If you are crossing the border to Zam Uud make sure you buy everything you need here because there is nothing in Zam Uud. Erlian is quite a busy town especially around the market. In Erlian I got quite a few surprised stares from the locals and some hellos. I stayed in the hotel opposite the Railway Station. I got a twin ensuite (hot shower) for 100Y. The price on the wall was 128Y, I wrote down 100Y and they accepted immediately (I should have pushed them harder). An interesting sight in Erlian are the huge steel dinosaur models on the road into town (which you can see from the railway line aswell).