Chapter Two: Life on the train

Day of departure. I slept quite well, don't expect an Hästens in the hotel, but comfortabele enough. Dimitri, my guide who is bringing me to the station, is very friendly but also fashinated by the European view on Russia. Why are europeans so negative regarding Russia? I must admit, I can't really say. My view has been determined by the media. The 'normal' Rus is actually extremely friendly and Moscow is way more beautiful than I imagined. From what I heard, Sint Petersburg is even more beautiful than Moscow. I can recommanded Moscow definitely for a long weekend.

We are heading to the trains, an old station, hidden by many flats. I see a combination of several kind of people. Most of them are Russian, but also some mongools and backpackers. I share my coupe with 3 other Russians, and all very friendly but english is a challenge. Old school communication with hands and feet and a 'point it' book brings some clarity. A good way to break the ice is sharing food. Living on the train is camping on the train, surprising funny, after some stops we are welcomed by local people who sell fruit, like apples and berries. I buy for 150 roebel (2 euro's), 2 kilo's plums. After that, I'm surrounded by other locals, everybody wants to sell me something. Unfortunately I have to dissapoint them, 2 kilo's is more than enough.
In the train I am sharing food with everybody, easy way to make friends. I also met 2 dutch people on the train, both living in Amsterdam oost, what a small world. In no time I have met several people, mainly backpackers, from Spain, Sweden, Taiwan and of course Russians. Everybody has their own story to tell, fascinating.

Life in the train is layback, sharing experiences with other fellow travellers, simply gazing through the windows and watch how the landscape unfolds, getting  acquaintance with the provodnitsa, the female train attendant. She guards her coach if it is her little kingdom, she can be a real Helga/Olga, if she doesn't like you beter can stay out of her way...now and then a blink with my eyes and sharing some fresh fruit did the trick. Here English is a challenge as well.

Waking up in the train, a somewhat weird experience. The Russians are already awake. First coffee, than the morning chitchat. The landscape is the first 2 days constant the same, forest, forest and more forest. I can see very small villages which seems to be occupied, I wonder who lives there, now it is summer, but when the temperatures drops it must be a harsh life. We pass several industry cities, now I realise that this land is rich of oil, timber, gas coal, that's the reason why people move to this place, I hardly see agri culture or lifestock. Of course people live close to the railway, but Noël, my fellow passenger, explained that this is also the traditional siberian life, survive in the wilderness and live from what the forest has to offer.

Every 3 to 5 Hours there is a stop of 20-30 minutes at a station, don't get romantic, most of it is the same. More street Sellers are showing up, and finally I see some of things as I imagined, some poverty, but not so bad as I expected, and the communist architecture, also not so bad as I expected. Still the biggest and most buildings I saw in Moscow. In hindsight Moscow has 16 million citizens, they have to live somewhere. You can order a meal in the train, but it is way more fun to score your food at the stations, expecially the cookies are delicious, but the fruit as well. Combined with noodles and soup, you can eat quite well for 2 a 3 euro's per day.

Wake up at 0400 Moscow time and already the sun is shining. It's 07.00 local time, weird these time differences, first coffee I am not awake. After sharing breakfast, the life settles in the train, everybody is reading, writing or sleeping. The landscape is different, swamps, rivers and forests with scars of big fires and floodings. So now and then also some agriculture, a pleasant sight, I can see the horizon. Still more impressed by this railway, but it fits perfectly in big Russia, where everything is big. This is the fourth day in the train, the desire to take a shower increases by the minute. 
I sleep in a 4 persoon cabine, there are also carriages with 8 persons, but actually they share to whole carriage with other people. Sigur from sweden wants to travel low costs, he prefers this. I don't know, when we are going to sleep, the temperature rises in my cabine when we close the door and with it the smell. Of course  I can wash myself in the little wc/bathroom, but not so thoroughly as I want. Fortunately the temperature drops during the night. But in the 8 persons carriages, life is a bit different, drunken russians etc.
On the last day I met a Spaniaard who travels 4th class, where people just lay on the floor. But he is couchsurfing, on the internet he looks up people where he can sleep on the couch, that's low cost travelling. But he admits that you can be lucky, but also extremely unlucky. Nevertheless he tells me fascinating stories.

During the trip 2 russians left and 2 Dutchies entering my cabine, a pleasant distraction to speak Dutch again. They made a stop in Yekaterinburg.
In hindsight, 85 hours in the train is a bit too long, I preferred an extra stop in Yekaterinburg as well. After Arrival we are going to the bus station for an 7 hour trip to lake baikal, a massive lake with a lengte of 640 km. 
Will I miss the train, nope, not after 85 hours and with the prospect of a shower!! A shower, I can't wait when the first drops will fall on my skin. Washing handicapt in a small stinky, but clean bathroom demands for improvement!! 
In a small van we are heading to olkhon island, our driver looks like a mongol, yep I'm arrived in the eurasia area. The landscape is full of large grass planes, cows and horses come and go, and after every hill and mountain I wonder what surprise it will show me.
After a short trip with the ferry, I see olkhon island. No asphalt roads here, only sand roads and wooden houses. Typical for siberia. Lake baikal is stunning, photo's describe beter this islands than words.