The Trans-Siberian Railway

What a time to land back in Brisbane. Warm weather, flowering jacarandas, cackling kookas and swooping magpies. And that view across the hills of the inner west – pitched tin roofs, skinny stilt legs and lacy-latticed verandahs. Of all the cities in the world, this can only be Brisbane. It’s wonderful to be home.

We’re now – in every sense – a long way from Moscow, the starting point of our trip on the Trans-Siberian Railway. Those three weeks of travelling through the changing landscapes of Russia, Mongolia and China were a period of transition for us. It was one last adventure that marked the end of our time in Europe – and the beginning of our journey home.

Russia

Moscow is a fascinating and, in parts, beautiful city

The famous St Basil's Cathedral with its colourful, onion-shaped domes

Red Square and, on the left, the Kremlin

Moscow is named for the river on which the city is located

One of the so-called Seven Sisters, a group of near-identical sky scrapers built in the Stalin era

Moscow's metro stations are among the most elaborate in the world

Soviet-era propaganda posing as beautiful art and architecture

The metro network is extensive, but it's not easy to find your way around it - either with the metro map

Or even when you're staring at the name of the station

Fortunately we managed to find our way to the right place for the start of our Trans-Siberian journey

We booked first-class tickets for the trip - more expensive but the only way to avoid sharing a very small compartment with some very new friends

The alternative wasn't appealing

Trains on the Trans-Sib route are either Russian or Chinese; our first leg was on an internal Russian passenger train and it was great; here's the very contemporary dining car

Most people choose to bring supplies of food onto the train with them; our home-made breakfast of champions (even in first class you have to bring your own cup and cutlery)

Moscow to Beijing direct would take about a week, but we stopped off several times along the way; our first break was at Lake Baikal in eastern Siberia; this is the world's largest fresh-water lake - it contains 20% of the earth's unfrozen freshwater supply

The town of Listvyanka is the lake's most popular holiday spot for Russians

It reminded us of those old photographs of Surfers Paradise in the 60s

The local dried fish market

 

There are around 40 species of fish in the lake - almost all of them are unique

The lake has existed for 25-million years and, in that time, the fish species have remained largely unchanged

This lovely Kazahk nut seller had the best mouthful of gold teeth we'd ever seen but, unfortunately, smiling in photographs is not the done thing

The first thing you notice about Listvyanka, though, is the incredible architecture

These fabulous Siberian timber cottages are decorated with wooden 'lace' window shutters

Each cottage has a different design

And they're all wonderful

 

 

 

Though the town sits alongside the lake, many people still draw water from local wells; the wells tap a huge underground artesian basin

Quite by accident we ended up here in autumn - and the landscape was spectacular

One day we hiked up through the hills beside the lake - it was amazing

 

Our guide, Genia, conjured up a delicious lunch - including some wild thyme foraged from around the campsite; the thyme went straight into the billy with the tea

After Lake Baikal we headed to Irkutsk; you've heard of Russians being exiled to Siberia - this is where they were sent

In the early 19th century, after an attempted revolt again Tsar Nicolas I, many artists, officers, and nobles were exiled to Irkutsk and the city became a major intellectual and social hub - not quite the plan we suspect

Some fine examples of timber houses still exist here, too

Unfortunately very strict regulations make it almost impossible - logistically and financially - for people to renovate these houses

But enough of Siberia, it was time to continue our journey

The landscape through the last part of Russia included more spectacular autumn birch forests

The occasional large city

And a lot of smaller stations

In some of these places the station was far and away the largest and most important building in town

Sometimes a stop of half an hour or so provided an opportunity to stretch the legs, or buy some more dried fish; enterprising local women are always ready and waiting with supplies for sale

During the days on the train we did a lot of this

And a bit of that

And then, just over a week after we left Moscow, we were leaving Russia itself

Mongolia

For the second leg of our trip, from Irkutsk to Mongolia's capital, Ulan Bator, we were on board a Chinese train - and it was quite a different experience

Coming from Moscow, there'd been almost no other English speakers on board; on this train we were almost all tourists

First class carriage on the Chinese train

You probably wouldn't describe it as luxurious

The cleanliness of the compartment left something to be desired

But we did our have a shared bathroom - well, washbasin (let's not talk about the shared toilet at the end of the carriage - did we pack enough toilet paper?)

And plenty of hot water - the samovar at the end of the carriage was coal-heated

This is why, on every leg of the Trans-Siberian Railway, you need your own cup - bottomless supplies of hot water

But if you get sick of eating the dried fruit and cups-of-soup you've brought on board, you can wander down to the restaurant car - we particularly liked the look of the last option on this menu

The train's timetable - noting the time and duration of stops - is 'clearly' posted on the wall of the carriage; it's essential to know when border crossings will take place - they're a serious business and you have to be prepared with all your paperwork in precise order

But if you're confused about anything, your friendly carriage guard is always available to help

The end of the day and our last look at Russia

Good morning, Mongolia

 

 

Mongolia's capital, Ulan Bator; originally a nomadic Buddist centre, it became a permanent base in 1639

UB is a surprising city - the huge central square is surrounded by a mix of traditional buildings and soaring glass towers

The latter are testament to the country's booming resources industry

These athletes were in town for Naadam, the annual festival showcasing 'the three games of men' - Mongolian wrestling, horse racing and archery

Mongolia is in a state of transformation - a traditionally pastoral country, it's becoming a mining powerhouse; 80% of the country's energy - and much of its polluted air - is generated by coal

But it's out of the capital that you get a better sense of the country

This is a place where you wait while yaks cross the road

And where the horses are milked many times a day

 

Herders live in these traditional tents known as 'gers'

At the end of each summer, families pack up their ger and relocate it to a more sheltered site for the winter; it's a simple life, but not an easy one

Stoking the fire with dried dung

Home-made donuts and dried milk curd - the curd is an important food source in winter

Mongolia's growing tourism industry has seen the establishment of ger camps like this one

A few years ago the only gers in this valley belonged to herders - today all these are tourist camps

But the herders carry on regardless, grazing their stock on the last of the summer grass

A herder's wealth is determined by the number of animals they own - typically yak, sheep, horses or goats

 

And then, in what seems to be the middle of nowhere, there's this - a giant statue of Genghis Khan; at 40 meters high, it's the world's largest equestrian statue

Genghis Khan (1162-1227) is revered as the founder of the Mongol empire, the largest land empire in history

We know that because Saud, our great young Mongolian guide, told us so

Back on the train, the Mongolian dining car; each border crossing involves not only immigration and customs checks, but the train's wheel sets are replaced to accommodate the changing track gauges, and the restaurant car is swapped out so it's consistent with the relevant country

All of which takes a couple of hours on each side of each border (and requires pre-planning to ensure you have the right currency)

As we left the Mongolian capital, the first winter snow began to fall

Our thoughts were with the herders, by now setting up their ger camps in the next location and preparing for a long and very cold winter

China

The third and final leg of our Trans-Siberian adventure

Another Chinese train, though these carriages were a bit more modern and a bit more comfortable

This part of the journey included a long stretch through the Gobi desert, where there's nothing to see apart from the odd passing train

Some found it a bit boring, but we loved every long hour of it

Occasionally we'd arrive at a little station where families sell what they can to make a few tugriks (1 MNT = 0.00054 AUD)

The next morning, we were in China - after disembarking the train in the middle of the night to have our bags and papers checked, and then waiting 4 hours to re-board

In China it seems that at every small station or siding, a railway employee stands to attention as trains pass (a lucky few have a small shelter to stand in - many don't)

Beijing and the end of our journey

Like Russia and Mongolia, China is a fascinating country

Entrance to a hutong, a traditional neighbourhood - these days most of the hutongs are closed to all but residents

 

 

You do see some interesting things in these parts ...

 

Like Moscow and Ulan Bator, traffic in Beijing is often unbearable

Very fortunately, our visit to China coincided with the national holiday to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic

Families from provinces all over the country gathered in Tiananmen Square to join in the festivities

Flags, stickers and photos - it was all excitement plus

 

In Beihai Park, big screens replayed non-stop highlights of the massive October 1 parade

 

The Communist Party showcasing its military muscle

No matter where we travelled, it was all about the anniversary

 

 

 

Of course we went out to visit the Great Wall

It was a highlight of our time in China

 

Another day we visited the Heilongtan Valley, about 100 km from Beijing

 

The trail along the valley passes a series of ponds and waterfalls

 

It's a very beautiful location and a long way from the bustle of Beijing

Finally there was just time for a quick tidy up

(Don't worry about that cut-throat razor in the ear there)

And it was onto the plane for a short hop home - and our first look at Australia after two years, two months and a couple of weeks. It's good to be here.