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4 nights, 3 days on the train, 5185km!

We got on the train Sunday evening, so scared we were going to have to share our tiny 4-berth cabin with two Russians (which we wouldn't be able to communicate with!) Very fortunately a young English couple were led to our cabin and we both sighed with relief! Daniel and Luisa were from London and about 24ish who were doing the same route as us, then going on to South America. We had a great time; playing cards, eating Russian super-noodles and reading our books for hours.

We definitely went at a beautiful time of year as all the trees are changing colour so the view out the window was not just green trees. I was amazed at the small settlements along the railway, which were miles from any station and big town. Every house looked home-built and they all had small patches of land with cabbages growing.

 The first two days went quite quickly, but for me the third day dragged although Josh was quite content being a lazy-bum and reading his book! On my top bunk every time I tried to read the movement of the train would just send me to sleep and I'd wake up two hours later! So I read on the bottom bunk!

 I had a scary moment at one of the 10 minute long stops! There were always station vendors selling Russian food and water and beer etc. At one stop we had to cross another rail to get to the vendors. I spent a little too long over there (choosing my lunch of a boiled egg and an onion filled bread roll) when all of a sudden I heard all my fellow travellers on the other side of the rail shouting 'Come back, a train!' Even the street vendors were worried for me! But I wasn't going to run in front of a 6m high giant locomotive! So when it stopped I had to run 100m around the front of the train and back to our own train! It got my heart beating!

 We arrived 5.30am local time in Irkutsk and had to wait for the sun to rise before trying to walk to our hostel. The station was bustling and I got rather scared when I saw a man being carried out on a stretcher- probably hypothermia! When we did start walking it was -2' outside and we were freezing!

Irkutsk is apparently the 'Paris of Siberia' this is perhaps a bit of an exaggeration for the place they sent political exiles in the late 1800s! But we were able to spend half a day here without getting too bored! But to be fair it has a pretty waterfront along the River and shops and markets. Our hostel is very nice, its clean and sociable, we met, 2 Polish, 4 German, 2 French and 2 Brazilian backpackers that night.

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