You think about it - Moscow is a LONG way away from here (about 5800km) and is about as relevant to the lives of these people as Glasgow is. They look as though they live simply, farming mainly, with little interference or interest from Moscow. I'm sure for most of them, their lives didn't change one single little bit when the Soviet Union broke up.
For the first time in the journey I felt a little travel sick, and it was good to get off the train for half an hour at lunchtime at Ulan Ude, the last Russian city on the route. There was nothing there other than the usual stalls, so I just picked up more water and coca-cola and just milled around on the platform, enjoying being able to walk in a random direction, and enjoying fresh air that doesn't have a stench of people living in a confined space for days and days on end.
The stop lifted my spirits, it has to be said, along with a couple of episodes of Still Game on my iPad (how can you not laugh out loud at some of that). I read some more War and Peace (5 chapters gone, only 357 to go - who am I trying to kid) and listened to a few more podcasts, all the while grateful that I will be off this train in just under two days from now.
Interested to see what the border crossings are going to be like - by all accounts the Russian/Mongolian one coming up is a bit of a nightmare, as it can take anything from six to eleven HOURS to get through the border. All the while the train is stationary, which means the toilets are locked shut (as they just dump their waste onto the track), so that rules out just drinking your way through it.
48 hours from now I'll be off this train and in a comfy hotel room in Beijing, able to have a bath, able to lie of a soft bed, able to go out and get a McDonalds to eat (oh yes, that is the first thing I am doing when I arrive in Beijing!)
Getting there ...
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