Mongolian Experience

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  Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
Sunday, September 24, 2006

Hi hooooooooooooo... :) Tis i mind.

Oh my god, what an adventure i have just had!!! I have just spent the last 5 days on the trans mongolian express and have crossed 6 time zones - which did get a little confusing at times - and have just made sooo many new friends!!

After i went out to change my money and get whilst still in Moscow i needed to pop back to the hostel to drop some other stuff off. When i got to the TV room i walked straight into two lads (Dan & Rob as i now know them)who had just met that were catching the same train as me and needed to get some shopping supplies which was my next job, so i introduced myself and we all left to do shopping together 2 mins later!!! From there we arranged a taxi and went to the train station and enjoyed a beer together!

Ahh look at the sunset

! How about that.. All you boys and girls that told me that when traveling i would meet loads of people doing the same thing - you were spot on.

Whilst we were enjoying our beer at the station, it turned out after looking at the ticket, dan was in my carriage in the next compartment on whilst Rob was about 6 carriages away - at the time i thought to my self "poor lad having to go all the way down there" when dan and i were together, i later found out that he was sharing a compartment with two swedish girls!!! lucky bugger. When i got to my carriage i was the first there but next to come in was an american guy called mark, he had to be the most annoying american i have ever had the privaledge of meeting. The annoying accent, one of those been there done it kind of guys and an all round idiot in my view (and every one he met felt the same). Next to come in were a couple from london called Rosie :) and Leon. I had been traveling on the same train as them all the way from london!! Later it turns out that they thought i was polish?? I did think they were french so i guess thats why we never spoke. They are really great people and we got on like a house on fire. They are both musical and both brought their instruments with them. Leon had a 7 string semi accoustic brazilian guitar and rosie had a mandolin. There were several occasions on the trip when me and rosie had a jam and entertained.

Coal burner

. :) They were on their way to beijing like me but were going onto japan as leon is half japanese and is visiting his grandmamaa.

Dan from the hostel, is a 20 year old from london who has been studying japanese at college for the last 2 years and is heading to the most northern part of Japan to enrol into university to continue his studies for a further year. We got on really well.

Slightly differnt set up on this train as it is a long haul chinese train. There are 4 bunks in each compartment two on the left and two on the right with a small table in between. Although it was alittle cosie, we had plenty enough room to chill although it did get a bit messy when meal times came around! I met so many people on the train that are going the same way as me so no doubt i will be bumping into them on a regular basis.

The trip its self was the most amazing thing i have ever done. I didnt get bored once and you never quite knew what you were going to see out the window fromm one hour to the next. My window cleaning device was a great hit as no one else had one so i offered my services up and down the platform.. Also the British gas cupboard key fitted every lock on the train.. again no one else had one that i had met.. (they dont call me sneeky for nothing)..

The toilet stank but worked and with no shower it was a strip was type affair which was fine. The floor in the bathroom sloped to the middle where there was a 1 1/2" hole straight onto the tracks, so you could splash around all you liked

Coal Delivery

. Oh aand the flushing system was pretty basic, a foot pedal which tilted the pan you went on straight down the chute and on to the track.. Hence why they lock the toilets when the wheels (bogies are changed)..!

There waqs a Samavar at the end of every carraige which was a supply of hot water 24hours a day thanks to the carrage attendant (nice chinese man). The water is heated by a coal burner believe it or not!! That is also where the attendants cook their elaberate chinese meals as well - The smells were fantastic, shame i spent the whol;e week eating sanwiches, pot potatoes (smash), pot noodles and fruit etc.. The restaurant carrage from Moscow to Mongolia was basic to say the least but they did serve good borshk and plenty of ice cold beers and vodka so it wasnt all bad. Other food buying opertunities were from the Hawkers at certain platforms along the way.. You could buy anything from beer, dumplings, meat, cheese, fags, chocolate, boiled potatoes etc.. All very nice. The best hawker food i had was when we passed Irkutsk station (look it up on the map) at 5185 km from moscow. Not far down the line, we were soon to be skirting round Lake Baikal which is the deepest fresh water lake in the world and is 400 miles long. There are many types of animals that are not found anywhere else in the world, like the Omul fish which is a local delicacy when smoked.. Dan bought 4 from a hawker at Slyudyanka station (km5320)

Dan and the fish

. They come with everything still attached but gutted and smoked. Very tasty i have to say but very smokey which in turn equals very smelly!! the whole train stank!

Talking of stinking train, not everyone had the same idea concerning self clensing.. The smell of BO coming from a few of the compartments were discusting. It even wafted out into the corridoor of the carriage. Mainly the russiens that dodged the spunge i have to say!!!

Hade many parties up and down the the train. Met more swedish people than any other nationality, but there were some welsh guys and quite a few londoners. Rob (other guy from hostel) is a west country boy. He lives in gloucester and used to work in thornbury!! Small world hey. I am actually traveling with him now, oh and 4 swedish girls (for my sins) :). I had said to him that i was interested in hoping off the train early to have a mongolian adventure, he came back a few hours later and said why not, so we got some swedish girls on board for moral support :) and jumped off the train this morning. So this brings me to where i am now, typing in an internet cafe in mongolias capital Ulaan Bataar. We are all in here beavering away on the computors. Just tried to skype home, martin, funky & dad but their waqs either no one their or in martins case he couldnt hear me as my microphone is playing up!!! aaarrrggghhh

There were local hostel owners waiting for the train to come in so we just picked one and got picked up in an old army off road wagon! The hostel is really nice, it has everything one would need but best of all, it had showers!! Also a laundry service which cost me 65p to get all my stuff washed dried and back to me within about 5 hours

Dan me and Rob

. :)

Had no idea what to expect before i got here but i have to say its not that bad. The city is quite big with lots of people and cars milling around. You can see the poverty though, i got mobed by 4 street kids earlier!!! No problems though. The city is surrounded by mountains which is a nice back drop but i have to say, the roads are terrible as is their drainage system. The refeshing thing though is that the people are helpfull and friendly which makes a nice change from the russians.

We are going on a 2 day expidition tomorrow to experience the real mongolia. Some trekking is on the cards in one of the national parks, then a night in a traditional mongolian tent (Ger), should be great fun. The next day will be some a horse trekking in another national park to the south of the capital. I know what you are all thinking, how much i love horses.. :) well the mongolian horses are famous around the world, stocky and short so a trip to mongolia has to have horses involed to get close to local culture..(taken in the clean context please boys and girls) :)

Have brought my ticket today to Beijing, we are leaving friday at 8am and it only cost me 30 quid.. Bargin Me and rob are going to travel all through china together and on if it suits so expect to hear of more sneeky and rob tales from around the globe.

So that is that. Not going to up load any photos as it takes way too long, sorry guys n gals..

I will update again in china at some point.. Oh and matt (japan).. I maybe coming over, will be in touch soon to chat to you abaout it.

Bye for now.

Steve/sneeky/beeky/arr trace xx

Post your own travel photos for friends and family More Pictures

In my cabin	Leon & Rosie	Me on the platform	Party time
Shot of train	The Toilet Facilities	View from the train	View of train
When i'm cleanin windas

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