January 11 - 13

On our first full day we woke up about 11.30am, which was amazing. It took me a while to get used to the hard beds.

I already felt like a scubber and we had another four days to go, waearing the same clothes and yes the same smelly knickers.

I finally got the guts to go to the dinner cart, the lady ws a right nutter and screamed at us to get out of the cart. If hadn't bought food before hand we would have been b*****ed. We eventually persuaded the nutter to sell us beer.

The train was really hot and at first it was a blessing from heaven after the harsh cold extremites that we had to endure. The train stopped every now and then fpr twenty mintues and we were able to get off and buy noodles and crisps. The mash was getting a bit boring.

I whittled away the first day, chatting, sleeping, eating and listening to music. It was extremely relaxing. I did feel a bit trapped though.

Our second full day was even more relaxing. The art o relaxation is something I have been unable to master for several months, but I was feeling myself slwoly but surely let my worries slip away.

I spent the day napping and reading, I had a few beers and went to bed. The train was getting hotter and hotter by the hour. It became as hot as 35 degrees, which isn't nice with four sweaty bodies in confined space.

I think we became a bit of an annoyance to the people on board and we became a bit of a Russian tourist attraction. People on the train would go to bed at 8pm and then we would get shouted at in Russian for chatting. Most of them thought we were American.

A few Russians tried to talk to us, but the language barrier was so difficult and as we retreated further and further into Siberia this became more and more apparent.

WE almost had a run in with a pervy, drunk, Russian man. He tried to touch Nichola's face and get into her room, but the train attendants soon sorted him out and locked him in his room. He baging and screaming for ages to get out.

I got smellier and smellier. It became a real treat to get off the train in barely any clothes and face the cold and then be hit by a wall oif heat and the stench of unwashed bodies and smelly pants. I would have done anything for a shower. My hair was getting really greasy nd every night to be able to fall asleep I would have to pour cold water all over my head and pillow.

The last full day Adam was unwell, so I read my book and kept my eye on him in the cabin. The others had a full day of it, they met all sorts of crazy Russians. A 14 year that could speak better English than most of us and a drunk army interpreter who seemed to have problems speaking both Russian and English. At near one in the morning, two of them including one of the train attendants came into the room, next day with loads of sparklers wishing firstly happy birthday and then happy old new year. Technically it was the old new year for Russia coming in, but how odd and how dangerous. All those nylon curtains in that could of gone up in an instant!