Four trains, 10,000km, 170 stops, two countries, four cities.
Samovar and champagne!
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EAST EXPRESS TRAIN
As I write this post, I am sitting on the last train of our trip in Eastern Siberia. I feel the atmosphere of our last morning. In a Russian third-class open carriage, on the eastern express train known as the Trans-Siberian railway.
My husband and I started a six-month vacation by doing nothing. Breathing in place. Looking out the window, reading and sleeping as much as you can. Without internet, without hurry, but by moving from one place to another.
At the moment, 12 hours of sleep, banana porridge and morning coffee are behind us. The sun shines into the carriage alternately on both sides and the landscapes are rolling. The wagon is an open wagon with sleeping places. This wagon is our home for 4 days. There are nine lodges in the wagon and there are six beds in each lodge. At the other end of the cart is a samovar, from which hot water is fetched. At the other end, two large toilets, which are surprisingly clean.
There are only three left in our lodge, because one left in the morning. At regular intervals, a toddler with a baby bottle, and sometimes two, strolls along the corridor. There are a few boar-looking men sitting in the lodge next door. Eight of these gentlemen sat in our lodge the night before. There are chicken legs preserved in glass jars and all kinds of snacks on the tables. An empty vodka bottle is spinning under the bench.
A corridor splits through the carriage. The atmosphere is relaxed and everyone wears sweatpants. The calm rattling of the lodges is rhythmic to the gently rocking and clattering movement of the train. My new husband is sitting on the opposite side of the sofa reading another book during the day. We drink champagne in the evening, just like when we leave and feel the journey we have made.
In this post, I will write you some tips and a little feeling about what life is like on a train, on the world's longest railway.
Have a nice trip!
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HELSINKI – MOSCOW – ULANBAATAR – IRKUTSK – VLADIVOSTOK
Our route consists of four parts and two countries. You can go faster through Siberia, but we wanted to use our time and booked days off in the cities between trains. We wanted to squeeze more out of the local culture.
Here is our 18-day schedule:
- Train 31, Helsinki – Moscow (Russia)
- Train 4, Moscow (Russia) – Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia)
- Train 305, Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia) – Irkutsk (Russia)
- Train 2, Irkutsk (Russia) – Vladivostok (Russia)
For those who just go on a train trip, an interesting route choice would be Russia-Mongolia-China, which allows you to get to know three great countries. I recommend stops in all countries, if the schedule and budget allow it.
VISAS
In the model we built, you have to apply for one Mongolian visa and one Russian visa, which allows you to enter the country twice. You should set aside time to apply for a visa and find out in advance about all the necessary documents.
Our visas came through a travel agency. It is slightly cheaper to apply for the visas yourself. Our visas cost:
- Mongolian visa 70€ / person
- Double Russian tourist visa €150 / person
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LIFE ON A TRAIN
Train hostess/ host:
Each carriage has its own "master-master-tirehtöör-king" with whom it is recommended to be on good terms to guarantee a comfortable journey. Unfortunately, they did not want to be photographed. We reserved chocolate for each train master on our stage based on the tips received from others. They are responsible for cleanliness, a samovar (an essential need for every train rider), kiosk products, opening the locks of the toilets, garbage, heating the carriage (on train number 4 from a coal stove, because the individual carriages of the entire train were heated with coal) and moving around the stops. There is usually not much common language, but you get "extra points" for mastering the local language such as thank you and excuse me, good morning and good night.
Different train cars:
In trains, just like in hotels, there are different levels of travel options. Two-person cabins, four-person cabins and open wagons. We wanted to test all options. We started in Helsinki in a two-person cabin drinking champagne and end the journey in an open-top car drinking warm local vodka. The spectrum of different travel experiences works. I recommend. Does not leave cold.
Sleeping:
- All strollers are already equipped with blankets and pillows. Linens are brought after the train departs and when you leave the train you return them to the hostess/master of the train.
- We ourselves have a sleeping bag inner sheet with us on the trip, which has proven to be pleasant to sleep on even if it is not in the sleeping bag. We are testing the silk and cotton versions on this trip.
- Please note for tall travelers that the length of the beds varies. The length of the bed in our first train is 190cm, in the second and third 190-200cm and in the last open carriage 180cm (it is worth booking a place where the bed is not parallel to the train corridor).
- Ear plugs! The train jerks and rattles, others talk, the train also stops at stops at night, and new people pass through the corridors. Having often been on the trip, I have found Class Ohlson's laced plugs to be diamonds, to which I attach a small accessory locking ring, which can be used to attach the plugs to the shirt. Thus, the plugs stay safe and you can find them even at night in the dark. There is a box for the corks where they can be stored.
- In the cabins with four beds, the lighting is staggered and the cabin is darkened at night. In the open wagon, the lights dim to half-lighting in countries of nine and to night lighting in countries of eleven. If the lighting is too bright for a sensitive sleeper, you should bring eye patches.
Stops and schedule:
- We chose January as the date. The cold, barren season, when there are as few other tourists as possible. Siberia is a cold place and you should take it seriously if you intend to be outside for longer periods, e.g. on breaks in cities. Ordinary winter equipment is sufficient for train stops only.
- There are a lot of stops and most of them have the opportunity to fill up on fruit and vegetables food stores or make impulse purchases. For cash, I recommend breaking it into small pieces in advance, as the stall holders may be short on change. Fresh products such as fruit are difficult to find, so you should buy them elsewhere. Beer, ice cream, delicacies, sausages, noodles, pâtés and all kinds of snacks are easily found in the biggest kiosks.
- Be careful with schedules. Some trains are regular in arrivals and departures. Some don't. As an example, we left a long stop 12 minutes early. The carriage hostesses/hosts speak little English, so one of us stands guard at the door, waiting for the other to miss the trip. That's why we always kept our passport, ticket, phone with us at stops.
Monetary:
This will surely interest those who head to the tracks.
- Train tickets for two people in different carriage classes cost us €1188. The price may differ from what you found, because we bought the tickets through a friend from Russia.
- You should change the money already in Finland and break it into small pieces. The kiosks at the stops do not always have change.
- Passport bag for money, cards, tickets and passport. Lockable storage facilities are not available.
Eating:
Some trains have a good restaurant car, but it is not always open. There was also a train on our journey, which did not have that comfort at all. You should book your own snacks.
- You should reserve money for food, depending on how much you plan to eat in the restaurant. Many people prefer their own snacks.
- You can always get hot water from the samovar, so you should bring your own coffee and tea. When bought from a coffee shop, the coffee is the same thing anyway.
Here is an indication of what purchases can cost:
- ice cream on the train 100 rubles (about €1.5)
- beer outside in a pub 150 rubles, restaurant 150-300 rubles (about 2-3 €)
- food in a restaurant 300-1000 rubles (€4.5 – €15)
- pasties outside at a kiosk 50-100 rubles (€0.8 – €1.5)
Tips for your own cookies:
- Luha/spork (spoon-fork) works. Alternatively, leftover cutlery that can be thrown in the trash at the end of the trip. My favorite is the titanium spork, which can withstand even rougher going.
- We forgot to grab freezer boxes from home, so right before we left, my friend Helka (Thanks ??) flashed us the old ice cream and potato salad boxes with lids ? . Works!!!! Actually, any box with a lid and slightly higher edges is good. Under the lid, porridge or noodles cook in peace and work well for packing small things. We stocked certain ingredients in the cities for the trip and ate some in the restaurant car
- As for drinking, we ended up with two liter nalgenes, because they can hold boiling water. Sometimes you only get really hot water from the samovars, so the bottles can cool in peace with the cap closed next to the window. We didn't take other mugs, because we optimized the stuff for a six-month trip. If the journey was only by train, I would pack my own mug with a lid. Alternatively, you could buy tea from the cafe and then keep the mug with you the whole way.
- We packed disposable glasses for sparkling drinks, red and white wine. We brought them with us from Finland.
- The linker has been found to be invaluable and the lid of the plastic box works well as a cutting board, sometimes for dried sausage and sometimes for tomatoes
- Dried meat, bear, beaver, deer, reindeer preserved by a friend went with us. Caviar was sometimes enjoyed bubbly, and sometimes with wine and side dishes.
Other things to note:
- Stock up on toilet paper. It is not offered on some trains. Toilets are closed during stops.
- A small towel (washing with hot water) or baby towels are already good in terms of general comfort. Washing is possible in the toilet. With a small bribe, you might get a bucket from the train hostess.
- Your hands. We had a broken toilet faucet on one of the trains...
- The charging options for the mobile phone vary. On one train, we bribed the trainman so that we could charge the devices in his premises. In one train, there were two chargers in the corridor in the whole carriage and you can guess how charged they were... We ended up using a solar panel in the window of the train. On one train, the socket was next to our bed.
Clothes, jewelry, makeup, etc.:
You don't need any special clothes for the train. The more relaxed the better!!!! Everyone travels in pushchairs (also in the restaurant car) and also sleeps in them. You should reserve a T-shirt and definitely a warm long-sleeved/hoodie. From time to time, the ventilation in the carriages can be really bad, or, correspondingly, the temperature can be really hot when the heating is working.
- We prefer merino wool clothes for traveling and training clothes that are comfortable to move during breaks.
- Hotel slippers. The most functional and pleasant solutions in a stroller. Better than släbäri (flip flops). Dark slippers are more practical, because somehow the white ones turn ugly.
- Dry hemp. Diamond!! I wouldn't leave it out.
- Beautification. Yes. I personally carry some make-up, a miniature perfume (credit product of a traveling woman), a brush, creams and a small varnish. Sometimes it's nice to dress up a bit and at the latest it can be cleaner in the cities.
- Some jewelry is included. On the train, I'm careful, because I didn't want to attract unnecessary attention. There are no separate locked storage places. The goods are based on their own luck if you leave the bed place. From the beginning of the journey, there were so many hot guys in the open wagon (only a few women) that I ended up patching my wedding ring ? pointless or not, but I didn't want my camos to be messed with in the first month. Otherwise, I was carefree in the other carriages.
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Why? Why not?
Alongside all the general abundance and general well-being, it's nice to experience something else. Genuine, unadorned and something you only hear stories about and see in pictures.
It's easy to go from where the fence is lowest. Stay in similar hotels around the world. If you compromise a little on comfort, you adapt to sharing space and are ready to do nothing. The East express train has not been praised and mentioned in speeches for nothing. It's a special trip! You miss small things, such as unhurried morning moments. There is time here and permission to just be. Recharge batteries
Traveling with locals is fun. We spent many evenings in a good mood, even though we don't have a common language. Presence. Meeting. .
Interesting encounters with new people and a variety of moments on and off the train. On the train, you will surprisingly become familiar with others in a few days. We spend a lot of time in the corridors of the train.
There is time to stop and stare at the changing scenery. When there is time, extremely interesting discussions and ideas also arise. Maybe based on them again new adventures about which I will write here.
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Aika on rajallinen ja niin tämä postauskin 🙂
Laita rohkeasti viesti ja kysymyksiä. Kaikilla on erilaisia kokemuksia vastaavasta reissusta ja tässä yksi niiden joukkoon 🙂
Hopefully, based on this post, your or your friend's dream will be one step closer. It would be great if one day I could get a message that your trip is about to start, or some good news from the trip. Or, if this has inspired or been interesting otherwise.
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The journey continues around the world
During the spring of 2018, I will travel around the world with my husband Kaj with 45l backpacks on my back. On Instagram, you can follow the adventures of the so-called in real time!
Instagramissa laittelen “dayfeediä” sen mukaan miten nettiä on (tarinat säilyvät VAIN 24h julkaisusta).
There I also like to read messages, greetings, comments and questions or stories.
If you don't want to download the application, you can browse just image updates via google (google -> instagran Nora casén)
Soon we will hear and see more ??!
Nora Casén