The long awaited trip starts today.Beijing to Ulaanbaatar only 404km. This is my highlight of the year. coming home via Mongolia, & Russia. Having had to wait around for visa's for 10 days, Beijing was beginning to get a little tiring. Although we still managed to fill up every day just the noise & pollution was enough to keep us indoors. We spent our last night with Adam.

Early train for 07:00. Usual chineese start to the day. The taxi driver doesn't understand where we want to go.. After a few cross words from the receptionist. We are on our way.. We meet up with another 6 westerners who are on the same journey. We share our Cabin with 2 of them Kirsty from Bournemouth and Kyle from Minneapolis U.S.A. We pass away the hours chatting about our travels. We arrive at Mongolian-Chineese border around 21:00hrs here they change the bogeys for another wider set. Best stay on the train for best views as the train rolls into a workshop. Brilliant for an engineer to watch. Each carriage is jacked up old bogey's roll away and new ones replaced. Everyone gets involved from the driver to the cabin girls..

We are now fitted with new bogeys and we are off to the Mongolian Border.. Its now around 23:00hrs although tired and ready for our first night sleep we have to wait for customs. They are quite swift in their duties, still takes another 3hrs to complete the whole length of the train 15 carriages..Finally completed we are now allowed to switch off the lights and bury our heads for a few hours.. Kirsty and I are awake early so as not to miss the spectacular sunrise and the passing desert.. Arriving at Ulaanbaatar after 30hrs travel time of our first leg home.

We are met by our guide lovely Mongolian girl Saraa. First stop before the tour of the city. Was a well needed Japaneese Bath. refreshed and feeling human again we are off to do the city.

Mhh didnt take too long not really a city, However people here are very much friendlier than our chineese friends.. we have a look around the Gadan Monastary The Local parliment buildings We climb Zaisan Hill at the top we have spectacular views over Ulaanbaatar and far into the desert

Our next stop... Elstei Ger Camp..