Train to Ulan Bataar

Trip Start Jul 21, 2008
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Trip End Ongoing


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Thursday, July 31, 2008

We left Olkholn Island On Thursday Night (30th of July) on the last bus out of the island for a few days as the buses were fully booked. Our minibus had 5 russian people in it and us 2. We endured the 6 hour druve back which began at 6pm, so we arruved in Irkutsk at 12 midnight. We were literally told to get off the minibus on the outskirts of the town and told to walk 1km down the road for a taxi. It was so horroble. we had no idea where to go, we only knew where our hostel was, as we had an address. So we walked for about 15 minutes amongst the local drunks and stumbled avross a taxi in a car park. He called one of his other taxi friends over the radio, who took us to the address.

When we got out of the cab, it was a dingy looking area, we spent about an hour knocking on doors but devided to walf the 3 miles to the train station as no one would answer their door to us! So there was no point in pre booking the hostel!

We got to the station at about 1am and found a secret room where you pay about 10 pound for the both of us to sleep in a room with very comfy sofas, air von and chandeliers!! So all was good in the end!

The next morning we managed to bool our train tickets to Mongolia, leaving the evening of 31st of July. So we spent the day walking around the markets of Irkutsk which was amazing! We also walked straight into the 2 girls that we had met on the island, the ones from Canada and Switzerland. They invited us back to their hostel which was really an apartment..... turns out, they had a spare room in which the landlord had told them that 2 people were turning up at midnight... but never showed.... wonder who that was meant to be!! It was the apartment block that we had been standing outside of trying to get in the night before!!  They cooked us dinner that evening and we set off for the train station.... running of course..... as we were late!!
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