Losing track of time

By Katherine Danks (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-07-02 11:46

The entire rail network is set on Moscow time and the train dcor becomes more pink and kitsch the closer that you get to the Russian capital. The guards are well known for their abrupt, head-mistress attitude and it becomes a game to get anything more from them than a grunt.

The woman in charge of our carriage resembled many of the other female guards. Her make-up was thick, the perfume was strong and her large stature made it appear as through she would have no problem throwing vodka-fuelled passengers from the train. She insisted on keeping the window blinds closed all the time and refused to turn the temperature gauge below 30 C.

Sometimes for a change of scenery we would head to the dining car where passengers had similar experiences with guards in their own carriages. We laughed and shared vodka and stories about our evil guards, who were probably just fed up with the passengers. After stumbling back through several carriages to the cabins, the train gently rocked you to sleep.

The border crossings are tedious and can take up to 12 hours, sometimes in the middle of the night. The luggage of Chinese and Mongolia traders and of foreign travelers is checked more carefully than others. You learn early in the journey that the toilets are locked for 20 minutes before and after you reach each stop.

From Irkutsk, the train passes through industrial cities and the Ural mountains before arriving in Moscow where you can explore the Kremlin, Red Square and St Basil's Cathedral.

As the train travels further into Russia you encounter more of the young Russian soldiers returning from Vladivostok and more Babuskas who sell dumplings and other delights on the platforms. Vodka is the common language on the train and the long journeys provide plenty of opportunity to make new friends over a drink. We learned too late in the journey that it is also a great way to get a smile out of the train guards.

There is food for sale in the dining car, which also offers more room than your cabin for reading or simply watching the scenery. Unfortunately I found the car offered little of the culinary delights I had come to expect from central Asia and Eastern Europe. Meals costs about 25-30 yuan and are delivered with the same affection displayed by the train guards.

Our fourth and final train took us to St Petersburg, one of the most beautiful cities in the world, to experience the opulence of the Hermitage Museum and the Summer Palace.

Train travel is an achingly, beautifully slow journey filled with eating, sleeping and reading. It is about patience and appreciation and it is also a very raw way to travel. It is not for those who want cocktails and long baths, but it definitely offers adventure.

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