We checked into our hotel in Irkutsk early on Sunday morning (17th Oct) and enjoyed a blissful, long overdue shower! I'd convinced Charlie that we needed to treat ourselves after the long train ride, but a more expensive hotel means more expensive laundry fees, so it was pants and socks into the washbasin with the travel detergent... Don't let anyone say that i'm not doing this backpacking lark properly! Despite being formerly known as the "Paris of Siberia...

We just completed the first leg of our trans-siberian journey (Moscow-Irkutsk) and, even after four days cooped up in a train carriage, I wasn't in a hurry to get off...(ok, I'm blatantly lying, living with no shower for four days is more than this girl can take...) Seriously though, if you can get over the lack of bathroom facilities and discover the wonders of wet wipes (I'm still working on that one), it is such a relaxing way to travel and the time just flie...

So it's been a few days... We arrived safely in the Russian capital on Sun 10th after another good night's sleep on the train and, luckily, no further dealings with border guards. Moscow is such a great city. We had originally only thought of it as the departure point for our trans-Siberian journey, but it was a highlight in itself and really surprised us both. Not only did it feel much safer than we'd expected, there's also a great buzz to the place which see...

Just experienced our first border control with both the Polish and Belarussian guards taking it in turn to board the train and check us out. The fact that we speak neither language isn't helpful, but they seemed pretty disinterested anyway. The friendly carriage hostess has taken pity on us and is now acting as our interpreter and bringing us tea! We've also spent nearly an hour in a shed having our bogies changed - an interesting experience which i'm sure Char...

Woke up in Poland after a cosy night in bunk beds on the train... Very excited to have our own compartment and pleasantly surprised by the level of comfort - although charlie assures me they won't all be this nice! The temperature has dropped at least 10 degrees but the sun is shining and it's a gorgeous day here in Warsaw. Have also resorted to buying a set of wheels for the rucksack to give my back a fighting chance of surviving the trip! We also managed a f...