We've survived the Vodka Train! I never ever thought I'd drink so much vodka in my life, let alone in three weeks on this tour. Good times were had by all, and no one got alcohol poisoning (definite bonus). The Trans-Siberian journey was wonderful (despite the cranky "prodvonistas" who were taking care of us in the cabins, the crazy guy who looked like Jack Nicholson, the searing heat, and the unsmiling Russian authorities). The people in the t...

Trans-Siberian : Ulaan Batar to Beijing We somehow managed to not find our tour guide on the morning we were supposed to leave UB, so we headed to the train station on our own. Luckily, there was a driver to take us so it wasn’t a problem at all. We jumped on the train, ignored which beds our tickets said we were supposed to sleep in and arranged ourselves in the same groups we had been in on previous train trips (4 people to a berth). We settled in...

More about the Trans-Siberian… We tried to get stocked up on some food before we boarded the train in moscow. We had no idea how much food wewould need, as we heard that we’d be able to buy fresh-made stuff on the platforms. Sure enough, we had more than enough food (and Joel and I were the ones who had bought the least amount of stuff!). The babushkas (grandmothers) kept us well stocked along the way. I think the best thing that we brought with u...