FIRST LEG - IPSWICH to VLADIVOSTOK

Please accept our apologies for the delay...but we are well and pleased to say we've completed the first leg of our journey - just having a few problems with technology.

WiFi (amongst other things) not always available as we travelled across Russia on the Trans-Siberian, and when it was, we were busy on tours, eating or sleeping! Then on Friday in Vladivostok, Paul spent hours writing a lovely piece only to lose it as we tried to add photos...very frustrating! This time we'll try adding blog then photos......

So, yes, very pleased to say we've done the Trans-Siberian....a great, once in a lifetime experience (with the emphasis on once!) ....9288 kms, plus the extra 3000 Kms from Ipswich to Moscow. I won't say I've loved every minute but have enjoyed the majority! Having a cold for a week didn't help!!

Highlights: Cruising the canal in Amsterdam; eating quail in Warsaw and Chicken Kiev in Kiev; Red Square, the Kremlin & Lenin's 'body' (weird) in Moscow; getting acquainted with the Romanovs in Yekatrinburg; a beautiful sunset at Lake Baikal; strolling Karl Marx St & the inevitable Lenin statue in Irkutsk and finally the first sight of the Sea of Japan, as the train rolled into Vladivostok (2 hours late but that was our only delay), after our longest stint on the train (approx. 80 hours).

Life on the train was ok once we got used to the routine and of course, the lack of space (glad we opted for '1st class'), smelly toilets & sauna like temperatures (even when windows could be opened the Russians closed them if you turned your back). Each carriage has a 'Provodnitsa' in charge....pretty scary ladies until you get to know them - I think made more difficult by our lack of Russian language skills - we got by in the end, though perhaps that was more down to the help of a new Polish friend who was part of our 'tour' group from Moscow to Irkutsk, as we missed that help on our final leg when they all went off to Beijing.

Apart from our Polish friend, our group included Canadians, one originally from South Africa, Americans and just 2 other English with one from Chipping Norton...it is a small world! There was also a Dutch man somewhere along the way & a lovely Swiss couple we met during the last leg to Vladivostok - we joined them for train 'dinner' of fried potatoes & onion to celebrate their 30th Wedding Anniversary.

Surprisingly, the life on the train wasn't boring....there always seemed something to do. Even if it was trying to work out where we were .....there are stops, sometimes for as long as 30mins but the stations do not always have name signs & if they do they are in Russian - really needed the guide book which we took to carrying with us all the time!! The longer stops were certainly interesting with people selling all sorts on the platforms....mostly food, smoked fish a favourite but also some very lovely fur hats! Think Paul was glad my rucksack is full to bursting & that we're headed for warmer climes.One downside to the station stops is that the toilets are locked for at least 15 mins before, during & after the stop ......forward planning is certainly required. Apart from that, worrying that Paul would be left behind at a stop (because it's always an opportunity for a smoke break) wasn't necessary - our Provodnitsa kept an watchful eye on everyone, not allowing you to move too far & ordering our return to the train well in advance of departure. The strangest stops were when they lifted the carriages up and changed the width of the wheels and being woken to go through customs at the Ukranian/Russian border at 2 pm. I can only imagine what it was like before the wall came down....scary even now.

Food varied from good to passable as cooking here in the main is for necessity not fun. I hope to get a little thinner but I must say that low carbs don't feature as the emphasis is on energy for work and the long winters. In Siberia, even now the ground is frozen a few inches under. Still there is always Borsch.....and the samovar (hot water boiler) in each carriage means tea is always available. In one surreal episode Paul assisted with stocking the coal bunkers in each carriage which provided the heating on the electric trains...

The people appear very dour but once contact is made even the Provodnitsa's cracked a smile and joined in the party. The only real frustration was not being able to converse properly with all the people we met. Even a few words is useful. Still, after the inevitable vodka's, common ground is always found. Some stories to be told there. Wine is generally expensive as imported but we were told that one of earliest growing areas was Georgia? Have to check that out. To some amazement there are many German style restaurant's....so beer is good.

The views from the train were always changing, large modern towns give way to hundreds of miles of pines and birch, hills and plains with small streams curving alongside the track and crossing large rivers, small villages of wooden one room houses with outside toilets and allotment size gardens to huge arable areas seeded by plane. It appears that apart from the major cities most of Russia could still be as it was two hundred years ago. How vast it is! And although all Russian so many cultures as you pass through. The Eastern influence is clear.

So 12000+ kms by train, not including the ferry, seven major cities in four countries and two continents...not for the faint hearted or those who enjoy fine cuisine (or over 6ft 2in due to the beds) but a definite experience. Both well and although tired, ready for the next instalment.....

As mentioned, we're in Japan now but more about that next time.

Hopefully photos will follow soon.