Trans Siberian Express - Vladivostok to Irkutsk

Train to Irkutsk

We found our carriage easily and were pleasantly surprised to see the large amount of luggage space in our 2^nd class (kupe) cabin. There is ample storage space below the bed-cum-sofas and a large storage area above the door. Currently (midway through our second day), it is just Joep and I in our cabin, although there are supposedly two people joining us before we reach Irkutsk.

The train itself is much as I expected. Pre-reading before the journey prevented me from having too lofty expectations. Everything is basic, but comfortable. 1^st and 2^nd class cabins have a maximum of 2 and 4 passengers respectively.

Joep and our Provodnik (attendant)

The only real discomfort for me is the difficulty trying to keep clean and fresh. Today I managed to do a good job of freshening up by washing my hair above the WC wash hand basin using hot water from the samovar. I have brought small cotton towels that are good for using once and then throwing away.

The samovars main purpose is to provide water for hot drinks and for dried noodles etc.

Our carriage attendant is a youngish Russian called Aleksander. It addition to keeping the passengers organized, he performs small cleaning duties, and sells his own personal supply of alcohol to make some money on the side. He is useful for confirming how long each stop lasts to prevent the train from leaving without us.

Sunset on the first day

The restaurant car allows us to sit in relative comfort and watch the landscape pass us by. However, in order to sit there, you need to be eating or drinking something. The Russia beers are actually quite nice, although the food served up by the kitchen is barely adequate. The traditional borscht soup was enjoyable, but the meat dish was not exactly haute cuisine. 

Night stop at Khabarovsk

So far, the landscape has been trees, trees, the odd grassy plain, and more trees. Miles upon miles of Silver Birch. Along our way, we have stopped off at a varying collection of Siberian outposts, ranging from fairly large modern cities to small dark villages with people moving around in the darkness. Taking photos from a moving train with grimy windows is quite a challenge.

Kane and church

Almost exactly 24 hours before reaching Irkutsk, we awoke to much chillier temperatures. A look outside the window saw a dramatic change in the landscape. As the morning sun rose, grassland stretched before us. We were also now following a river (we need a map!) with the train pushing through pockets of mist which at times obscured visibility.

Many of the trees along the river looked like Scots Pines due to their high canopies.

Kane relaxing on bunk

I ventured away mid-afternoon to stretch my legs and to charge my iPhone in the restaurant car and was immediately invited to sit down by Andriy from Irkutsk, his Russian friend, and a small shouldered shifty man from Tajikistan. All went well for a while until Andriy and his friends disagreed about their bill. Their warm welcome was, I believe, genuine.

Later I offered to buy a beer – they then requested vodka. After I declined to pay the train waitress RUB 3,000 for vodka (the price of an adequate hotel room in Russia), she delivered a warning that I had better not return to the restaurant car that night or her mafia friends would have something to say to me. The threat to scare me into buying an overpriced bottle of vodka didn't work. I took the warning with a pinch of salt – but it is not a terribly nice experience to be threatened over something so trivial.

We arrived to a foggy Irkutsk early on Friday morning. After a wash, the plan was to head to the biggest prize of all - Lake Baikal.