Trans Mongolian leg two: Ulaan Baatar to Irkutsk

We boarded Mongolian train 263 (rule of thumb: the lower the number, the better the train) at 9 pm on March 31 bound for Irkutsk, Russia. Unlike the train from Beijing, this one was packed with no beds to spare. We shared our compartment with a Mongolian kid who studies in Irkutsk and a retired surgical professor who was on his way to visit a former pupil in Ulan Ude. We really lucked out with our cabin mates because they were quiet and tried to share whatever they had with us. We tried to share our instant noodles but they were much happier with their cucumber, mutton and steamed bread. They finally approved of some train station pastries Patti picked up at the border.

Our neighbours to the right were much different than our cabin mates. These lovely drunkards were Mongolia's only death metal band, "Fair Wind", on their way to a death metal festival in Ulan Ude. Apparently Russia has a huge death metal culture unlike Mongolia. It is fair to say they began the festivities the minute they got on the train and the Vodka was flowing at a incredible pace. I was fortunate enough to be invited in for some vodka rounds, so much that I have black spots in my memory from that evening. Despite the memory loss, I did get a copy of their debut CD, "Coffin Town Under the Moon". Can't wait to give it a listen at home. For any curious potential fans, they are definitely Death Metal and NOT heavy metal. I was corrected several times.

The ride was pleasant except for the border which involved sitting in both the Mongolia and Russian stations for 6 and 5 hours, respectively. None of the immigrations or customs officials paid much attention to us but worked over any Mongol or Russian person with several bags. I'm not surprised, given a couple of hours before the border the Mongolian traders were paying other passengers to bring their goods across the border for them. Very amusing situation given most the goods were fake polo shirts. Our cabin was given 2 large blankets, a bag of shirts and a pair of boots. All of them were reclaimed approximately 5 kilometers past the customs.

Great time all together.

Looking forward to the third leg: Irkutsk to Moscow.

Colin and Patti

Mutton, meat, more meats and starch

After two days of exploring UB, we boarded a public bus out of the city to spend 5 days with nomadic Mongolian families.

We were greeted my Mr. Bold (pronounced Bolt) at the bus stop who then "ox-carted" us 15 km to his ger (that means yurt) for the night. It was a cold start to the trip, since it was dark 5 km into the trip and it lasted nearly 2.5 hrs. Patti had 2 blankets on and Colin rode up front and tried to communicate with Mr. Bold. We were greeted upon arrival by his family and a nice bowl of hot milk tea (hot salty milk with maybe a hint of tea, if you really look for it), followed by a mutton vegetable soup (they can call it veg because it had at least one piece of onion in it). This was the first of way too many meat meals consisting mostly of mutton or pure meat fat. The diet amongst nomadic families is really only meat and dairy products because the soil and climate doesn't allow any ting to be cultivated. Potatoes are considered a rare delicacy and spices are never used. So to say the least, by the end of the trip we were muttoned and milked out and ready to return to the relatively western flare of Ulaan Baatar for some much needed vegetables.

One of many meals of meat (really chewy meat with lots of fat)

Mr. Bold was a HUGE man. He has competed in the legendary Nadaam festival as a wrestler and won the Lion Title. We are not sure if that means he was the Champion but arguing the fact with him would not be a good idea. Colin had a go at wrestling with him and was thrown around like a rag doll. Mr. Bold gave us lessons in ice bowling, archery, and cheating at one of their favourite pastimes: sheep ankle bone. We are bringing some ankle bones home so you can all experience the fun!

All of the families that we met were wonderful and had something different to offer. We collected baby goats and saw a newborn goat. We saw a one year old ride a horse. We stayed with a family that uses a dog sled to get around. It was an amazing experience that we would do again...but in the summer, to avoid the cold. Given the rapid urbanization in Mongolia, true nomadism may be gone shortly leaving only tourist ger camps.

Now we are back in UB (had subs, veg & fruit for lunch!) and we are preparing for a two night trip into the motherland...Russia!

See you all soon,

P & C

Colin and Patti

Tran-Mongolian Part 1: Beijing to Mongolia

Unfortunately we spent too long in central and southeast Asia, so we left little time to spend in China before we boarded the train and started the first leg of the long journey west.

That being said, we thoroughly enjoyed the capital of China, in all it's glory. We had 7 great days in Beijing. We were fortunate to find a jewel of a hostel only a 10min walk from the the Forbidden City and numerous other famous sites. We packed in the sights at a lightening pace and managed to taste all that the restaurants and street vendors had to offer. The food was so good, I think we packed on about 10lbs.

On March 23, we boarded an early morning train at the central Beijing train station and bid China fair well.

The train ride went quite smoothly. We paid for 3rd class, called 'hard sleeper' in China, expecting to be crammed into our car. Luckily, since it is the low season and also not a big travelling time of year for the Chinese, we had a compartment to ourselves and our carriage was only half full. This means twice the blankets and pillows but a less stinky bathroom. Each carriage has a coal-heated hot water tank so you can make tea, coffee, noodles, etc. It is VERY convenient. If I couldn't have tea constantly to keep warm, I would have froze to death. We had instant noodles, bread and fruit with us but we wanted to give the dining car a chance for at least one meal. We were greeted by 3 smoking chefs and a hostess woman who was not happy to see us. We ordered some food and some 50cent beers and the smoking chefs went into the kitchen (they weren't too happy with us ordering). We received very greasy fried pork and a plate full of uncooked fried chicken (were they punishing us for making them work?). We polished off the pork and then proceeded to warn every tourist on the train about the chicken. Perhaps the Mongolian restaurant car will be better.

The Journey to Ulaan Baatar took 36 hours, which included about 6 hrs at the border for the authorities to check faces and the rail crew to change the wheels. Mongolia and Russia use a different gauge of rail than the rest of the world so at the border each car is picked up and the "bogeys" are changed to match the Russian system, or vice versa if heading out of Russia. This all happened from about 9pm to 3am so it made for a rather sleepless night. Locked out of the train at a freezing station while the Chinese authorities look the train over.

After sleeping till roughly 8:30am, we were greeted by scenery like nothing we've ever seen: the Gobi Desert. It's bizarre to see snow and dirt as far as the eye can see with a sprinkling of horses and the occasional camel (with 2 humps). Southern Mongolia is where NASA should be testing lunar equipment.

All in all, a great first ride. We have already discovered the perfect recipe for success on board the Trans-Mongolian train: vodka, scotch, raman noodles and PB & J sandwiches.

Wish us luck on leg 2: UB to Irkutsk!!

P & C

Tokyo

Tokyo was an electrifying place that is non-stop with cars, people and light.

Thanks to the Russian Embassy, we weren't able to leave Tokyo at all which was a blessing is disguise since we got to explore vitually every inch of the city. Each district was more interesting than the next with so much to see, do and taste. Some of our highlights from the city include:

Shibuya crossing. As mentioned before, it feels like 5000 people cross the street every 5 min.

Dinner at the Saito household. Tsubasa's family kindly took us in for the night, where we treated to hand made sushi and fresh crab.

Harajuku girls: human barbie dolls that conveine weekly to stand around.

Tsukiji Fish Market. This is where 4500 tonnes of fish are sold each morning. Then you can dine on the freshest sushi in the world in the small restaurants around the market for BREAKFAST.

The transit system, although expensive, moves so many people on a schedule that is never broken. 3.5 million people go through Shinjuku station every day!

Vending Machines, tucked into every nook and crany. So a beer, coffee (hot or cold) or any type of drink is never far away.

Sake museum in Niigata, with 300 sakes in a huge vending machine to sample.

The old temples of Nikko north of Tokyo.

And of course ACDC!

Thanks Steph and Tsubasa! Best hosts ever!

Patti thinks my beard is gross?

I don't know why?

We made it to Mongolia....it's cold. 4 nights in a yurt coming up....will be even colder.

Chinese censorship

Everyone, we apologize for the delay in info over the last couple days but didn't anticipate that our blog would be censored while we were in China. We will be leaving for Mongolia on March 23 and should be back on the blog by the 24th.

Thanks for the patience and thanks Mike for posting this for us.

Colin and Patti.

P.S Colin smells.

Tokyo

Some stats on Tokyo:

- 12 million people living in the city and 34 million in the greater area,
over 100,000 restaurants,
- more than 500,00 vending machines selling everything and anything,
- The fish market moves: 2246 tonnes of fish a day worth 1.8 billion yen
- The average height of a person is just over 5' tall,
and every single Tokyo'ite uses an umbrella.

So if your taller than the average Japanese person you had better watch your eyes.
It rained and snowed yesterday and crossing this intersection was the most dangerous experience since leaving home.

Colin and Patti