Trans Mongolian Railway (Read after Surprise Visit) :) 6-30

Hi all,
Well I'm way behind in my blogs on the trip only because of one reason
censorship. My blogsite has fallen prey to the Chinese communist censorship Iguess. That is the ONLY element of communism I have witnessed here. It's booming! Busy streets, cities can't handle the traffic. Tourism is in full swing and everything is bargain basement low. China is incredible.

So I may be sending this to some of you via email, back to the old system. I'm trying a couple of tricks to try to get it uploaded on blogspot, but so far it's not working.

The last report that didn't upload to the site covered the end to my trip in Russia.I boarded the trans Mongolian railway, early on June 19. My way cool homestay owner got up at 5AM to make sure that the taxi got there on time, great guy. The train was a bit old, but adequate. I paid for second class, that gets me acabin for 4 people.
I opened the door, and was greeted with a big smile from Nadzeera. She is anative of Irkutsk, where every winter is 40 below. Nadzeera could not speak aword of English, not one word. For the next 12 hours we had the mostfascinating conversation by using a Russian/English dictionary!! The time flew.We learned about each others background painfully slowly, something that wouldhave probably taken one hour! But it taught me something about language.Usually you have a 5 minute encounter using a dictionary. But with this long atime, with expressions, shrugs, laughs, non-verbal communication comes through remarkedly well. She wouldn't let me buy food, she shared all her pre-made Russian food, bread, salad. I found out she had lost her house in a fire, was leaving her 20 year old son and 13 year old daughter to get a new job in UlanBaator, Mongolia. New job, new city, new people in a city in the middle ofMongolia. Now there is guts. Quite a lady. Later at a small city, the otherpassengers, all Chinese, joined us to fill up the cabin.

The Mongolian countryside is amazing. This is the Gobi desert, but not sand.It's a grassland much like I saw in Patagonia last year. Hump grasses, shadesof greens, then browns, fantastic skys. Passed many native houses called Yertsor Gurs. These are white, round with one door. Around them are usually a herdof horses. Out the top is the vent of a wooden stove. Also I saw many camelsroaming wild in this land. I traveled for hours over this Steppe land. Actually3 and 1/2 days!! Over the ancient trading route between Russia and China.

The customs procedure can only be described as downright harassment! Of the 3 days, over 14 hours were spent waiting full stop, waiting for customs orimmigration to process papers and stamp your passport!! And all this was donein the middle of the night, right when you are trying to get some sleep. Also,Russia has a different rail width for their cars. So when we crossed the borderto China, we moved the train into the bogie house, and all the wheels underour cars were rolled out from under us while we were in the cars, and changedout with ones that were 3 1/2 inches wider!! That was a 4 hour process.
Fascinating.

I wish I had more time. The thing to do§ here is to stop at Ulan Baator, andtake a one week, 4_wheel drive trip out in the Mongolian plain. You visit andeat in Yerts with Mongolian families. A great experience. The dining car was discovered!!! Great food, read in the guide books they usually are bad..WRONG. Beer, food, wow I?m in heaven, and watching the vastness of this land roll by.

Well I arrived in Beijing. After nice, solemn, quiet 3 days, I'm suddenly(with my New Zealand friends I met on board) thrown out into the hot, busytrainstation with full pack on to be introduced to this new city. I'm inChina. And we are called fresh tourist meat, ready to be preyed upon! First the ATM, to get Chinese Yuan. After money, then a cab to my Hostel, then groceries for lunch for tour of the Great Wall tomorrow.

Back with you for Beijing experience.