life on the train

Well that's us spent our first spell on the train, and now we're back on beds that don't move, and toilets that flush. Here's some info about life on the train...

Accommodation

The compartment is about 6 foot by 5 (so about the size of my bed at home). The bottom two bunks lift up for luggage storage, the top two fold away for a bit extra head room during the day. Sharing such a small space with three others is a bit like doing a dance where we all know slightly different steps, and having to learn a new version we can all do - fortunately we seem to be getting there, with only the occasional stepping on each others toes.

Food

There is a samovar with constant hot water at the end of the carriage - it's quite exciting filling your mug as the train lurches from side to side... We brought plenty of food on with us (and a bottle of Jamiesons for good measure) but as hot food is limited to cup-a-soups and smash, we have explored the restaurant car. The menu offers such delights as "hot shack with bird" and "language sandwich" - I suspect google translate may have had something to do with this. We've foud the best strategy is to point to what someone else is having.

Toilet

The toilet facilities are basic, though kept reasonably clean (the cpnductors have to use them also so it is in their interests to maintain them). Of course, they have no proper flush and just drop out onto the tracks. You can see the icicles hanging from the bottom of the hole! This also means we can't use them when in the station - if you time it badly then you have to sit for half an hour while the train is unloaded and loaded again, with your legs crossed...

People

This is not tourist season, and we are doing the journey the opposite way from most transib travellers, so most of our travel companions are locals. They are not a smiley lot - on a british sleeper there would be lots of nodding and pleasantries, not so on a russian train - people simply glance with slight bemusement at these four women who speak a strange language and take photos of everything! There have been a lot of police and military travellers, including two chinese soldiers. We have therefore been behaving very well...

Attire

This ranges from glamorous (the lady in the blue satin kimono and spike heeled boots) to very little (the boys playing cards in their football shorts). The temperature on the train is generally (too) warm, so the vest tops I brought to layer up have proved useful to layer down!



We are now in Listvyanka, a picturesque village by the side of Lake Baikal - still entirely frozen. It is very cold (glad for those extra layers now) but clear and bright, so the perfect antidote to the stuffy warmth of the train. Right, that's enough time sitting at a computer, I'm off to explore!