A change in train timetable meant we left Mongolia late at night on the 22nd Dec. Not only are the weather gods looking after us, but also the train gods. We got the only Russian carriage on the train, while other passengers had to put up with lesser quality Mongolian carriages. We settled in for a good night's sleep and awakened at 7am to face the first stage of our border crossing. At 5 in the afternoon we finally were underway again. To quote Lonely Planet, i...

The first breath of air into our lungs as we alighted from the train in Ulaan Baatar informed us of just how cold the temperature was. We knew the day's forecast was for a high of minus 19 Celsius and a low of minus 33, so we had prepared by rugging up under several layers, but you still have to breathe. That first inhalation left us speechless and gasping. But the sky was blue and there was no wind, so we wrapped our heads in our scarves and counted our blessing...

This morning we boarded our train to begin the exciting journey to Mongolia. After an early start we settled into our 4 berth compartments and enjoyed the scenery roll by, very mountainous early on, then big flat expanses of land. The train compartments are small, but comfy. Boiling water is available in each carriage, along with a unisex toilet at each end of each carriage. There is a power point in the hallway but it is too low in voltage to charge anything. A...