Feet, Kielbasa, and Sweat

I entered Russia on 19 August and began my trip eastward on 25 August. From Moscow I stopped in Vladimir, Nizhny Novgorod, Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk, Irkutsk, Ulan-Ude, and Belogorsk. Finally,

Schedule of Stops

after eighteen days moving across mountains, rivers, taiga, and forest, I arrived in Vladivostok. Here’s (nearly) the end of my tale. 

When I left Ulan-Ude on 8 September, my next stop would be almost two days later in the tiny city of Belogorsk, a stones-throw away from the Chinese border. There was no real reason why I chose to stop here other than that I didn’t want to be on the train for seventy-two hours straight. I think the most difficult leg of the Transsiberian for most passengers is the home stretch from Ulan-Ude to Vladivostok. Between these two points there are not many interesting stops, save for Khabarovsk which is the second largest city in the Russian Far East after Vladivostok. I believe

Lenin Welcomes All at Belogorsk

most riders choose to do the whole final leg uninterrupted and just get to the finish line. I was glad I took a day in Belogorsk, as I was starting to get jumpy by my second day on the train. While there was not much to see (besides a Lenin Statue or two), I was able to get my legs on solid ground and sleep on a non-moving bed. It was also a beautiful day, so I took the time to walk and take in life on a border city in the middle of nowhere. But, alas, all things must end and by the next morning Belogorsk was just another train station fast disappearing in the rearview mirror.

Not Far from the Chinese Border...A Summary of My Trip

I was excited about my final train ride as I was riding on the 1/2 train, the Rossiya. Other than the Golden Eagle, this is the best train on the Transsiberian railroad. As a point of fact, all trains are not created equal along the route. There is no single “Transsiberian” train as passengers can take any

A Lonely Factory

number of trains to reach their final destination. It happens that theRossiya is supposed to be the best train; cleaner, newer, with the best service. I thought I would be riding my last twenty-four hours on a golden chariot, into Russia on the Pacific. I was half-right. My train was, indeed, newer and cleaner than the rest I had ridden on since I departed from Moscow. The beds were more comfortable, the food car had better meals, and there were places to plug in people’s myriad of devices. But the luxury ended there. As I entered the train at 0730, I noticed the smell. By the time the train had reached Belogorsk, it had been on the road at least six days; that meant that many of the passengers had been on the train for six days. Although there are bathrooms (fairly clean), there are no showers. Many passengers will clean themselves up every morning with a sponge bath; many passengers will not. I happened to be in the “will not” car that morning. The accumulated smell of men, women, and children in an enclosed train car was quite overwhelming. Try as I might NOT to do so, I began to identify the smells as I walked towards my coupe. I think the ones that stood out most of all were feet and sweat (or, just sweaty feet). I could, of course, smell a bit of toilet thrown in for good measure. But I think

A Beer and a Snack

the odor that made my stomach turn just a bit was the addition of kielbasa. Someone in that car had been eating a very pungent pepperoni-type sausage. This in itself is a smell I do love. On any other occasion, I would go in search of this aroma. But, when mixed in with sweat, feet, and toilet, it was far from appetizing. These were the smells that predominated the last day of my travels. I would get used to it, then step out to go to the dining car, only to be hit full on upon my return. One big reason for the smells is the lack of ventilation. Much like Ukrainians, Russians are deeply afraid of breezes. They believe air, especially cooler air, will immediately give you a cold or make your joints stiff. Therefore, even when there are windows available to open or a ventilation system primed for use, Russians will opt to sit in a closed space. This modern train had these ‘open’ options but no one, even the conductor in the car, wanted to use them. For a non-Russian, this logic is maddening. As the heat began to rise both inside and outside the car, I finally had enough and cracked the window in my coupe. Fortunately, my roommates did not argue and I was able to breathe for the remainder of the trip.

A Patriotic Statue in the Night

Khabarovsk Train Station

                                        

The last twenty-four hours of my journey across Russia slipped by without incident. The train continued to skirt the Chinese border which was why we traveled at night. Looking out the window was useless as there were very few lights and not much to see. Earlier in the day, the train had passed through small mountains and along some beautiful rivers. Now that we were off the taiga, the landscape was a bit more populated with “stuff”. I saw peaceful little villages far off the beaten track. The sun was warm but, despite the heat, the trees were well in the midst of changing colors. It definitely had a “New England in autumn” feel. I as imagining how beautiful (and how cold) it would be during the winter. I spent much of the time in the dining car, reading a book and developing pictures. The day eventually faded as we passed the last significant cities before Vladivostok: the capital of the Jewish Autonomous Republic, Birobidzhan (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birobidzhan. Thanks, Stalin!) and Khabarovsk. During the night a stiff rain drummed against the roof of the train, providing for a suitable sleep. But how could I sleep when I would soon be in Vladivostok? And, sure enough, the provodnitsya came to wake us up at

0530 to prepare for arrival. After rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I stripped the bed and had a cup of coffee. Then, we pulled into the station. There, to greet me, was an old locomotive from days gone by and a monument showing that I had come 9,288 km (5771.3 miles). It seems to have gone by in a flash, yet I had seen so much. And there was more to come, so stay tuned.  

Loco for this Locomotive

End of the Line! 

                              

I Think I’ll Just Skip Over Novosibirsk and Get Right to Irkutsk

The World is Your Pelmeni in Novosibirsk 

There is much to see in the very Soviet city of Novosibirsk (my guidebook even says so) but a twenty-four-hour stopover and a bit of travel fatigue made me miss much of it. Or, an alternative theory, there is very little to see and do in Novosibirsk no matter how hard I look for fun. Either way, my stay in Novosibirsk was short and semi-sweet. I arrived early in the morning at a very impressive looking train station. I thought I’d find my usual McDonalds near the train station and collet my thoughts over a cup of coffee. The only problem was, there was no McDonalds near the train station and Icould find nowhere that was open at the moment to get Internet directions. So, I did my usual walking around, endlessly, until I finally settled on a place. Once I had  breakfast in me, I made my way to the hotel for some rest. Finally, it was time to see the city…I should have stayed in bed. 

Nice way to enter Novosibirsk

From what I could gather reforms are reaching Novosibirsk even more slowly than Yekaterinburg. The place had an undeniable Soviet feel at least from an architectural point of view. There was the inevitable ‘modernized’ Intourist hotel near the train station, the square, steel buildings that
approximated some sort of style, and the same squat apartment complexes so reminiscent of the Khrushchev/Brezhnev eras. I think the highlight for me was the enormous Lenin statue surrounded by dynamic representations of the modern Soviet man and woman. I guess in some sort of irony, the statues are mainly used as a meeting place for teenagers as well as a skateboarders’/bikers’ haven. That Soviet realist art style really has some sharp angles, good for a variety of complicated skateboarding maneuvers. I was also impressed by the audacity, or the laziness, of the main park to have an announcements board that literally pays tribute to prominent Soviet citizens. Okay.

The Old and the New(er)

Beyond the bygone Soviet architecture, Novosibirsk was the first time I felt let down on this trip. I had expected a bit more from the ‘capital of Siberia’. Perhaps, if I spent another night or two I might have found some good restaurants and bars to patronize. I also could have checked out the local museums and learned a bit more about the area. I also think Novosibirsk would be an interesting place for excursions outside of the city; there is lots of nature and adventure beyond the city bounds. But the only real regret I had was not going to a restaurant that served bear. For some reason, I totally missed this opportunity to nibble on a Winnie the Pooh steak. Perhaps next time. After a restful sleep at a nice hotel, it was up early for the trip to Irkutsk and Lake Baikal.

Beautiful Soviet Design

Irkutsk has been described as a transit point to Lake Baikal and the wilds beyond. I totally agree with this description. I arrived late in the evening so I didn’t really have time to hang out and see what was happening. Once again, McDonalds has not made it this far, so I found a faux Irish pub, grabbed a beer and ordered a taxi. When I got to my hotel, I found that it was hidden in a back alley, not always a good thing. While it was clean, it had a bit of a funky, moldy odor to it. I could already tell that I made a wise choice to spend only one night. When I was shown my room, the handle broke off and the woman was unable to fix it. But, she said, there was another room down the hall for a bit more money. The old ‘bait and switch’? Probably, but the room was better and I needed sleep. After a dinner and drinks around the corner, it was off to sleep and to get ready for the next day at Lake Baikal.

Lenin and Friends

One Man Against the World!

Back on the Train, Gang

Depending on one's temperament and tolerance, riding the rails in Ukraine can be an amazing experience. It's at once mystical and modern(ish) all at once; that is if you get a nice train. If you get an ancient, smelly train then you are out of luck! For me, trains have always had a sense of adventure. Not only are you on the ground, watching the world go by, but you have the time to stretch your legs and meet fellow travelers over food and drink. After five months in Ukraine, I was finally taking on overnight train ride. It all seemed the same as before....but not quite.

The first thing we had to do was get from Zhytomyr to Berdychiv, a short 44km trip. My friends and I arrived at the marshrutka (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshrutka) stop at 18:30 so as to arrive in Berdychiv in plenty of time for the 21:15 train. The marshrutka arrived at 18:40 but looked a bit crowded so our Ukrainian friends suggested we wait for the next one. Something inside told me we had better hop on this one and get on our way but I was dissuaded. Time ticked away and many marshrutkas passed by, none heading to Berdychiv. An hour later and ten degrees colder, we had not seen any marshrutkas and it was approaching 20:00. So we called a taxi (just as the marshrutka arrived), piled on, and arrived in Berdychiv in twenty-five minutes with plenty of time still to spare. Still, always take the first marshrutka! That is an adage I will never forget.

When the train arrives, the train attendants scan your tickets and you trundle on to your car. Unlike American trains there is no AC in the summer and the heat blasts in the winter. If you get stuck on a train on a warm spring or fall day, you could be roasting away in your carriage. And to make matters worse the windows either don't open or another passenger will yell at you since most Ukrainians still believe any sort of stiff breeze will make one deathly ill. Fortunately, our car was at a moderate temperature so we were neither freezing nor burning up.

The rest of the journey played out like a typical railroad trip. You go into your compartment and change into your train clothes. You can either go: third class which is an open car with bunks but no doors or wall separating the compartments; second class which has separate compartments with four bunks in each; or first class with two beds and nicer amenities. We were in second class and all stayed in one compartment. Once we were rolling, we all dug into our bags and proceeded to eat and drink. This is an important part of the journey because it allows you to unwind and connect with old friends and new. Every throws some food on to the little table and busts out the booze. What is interesting is that it is now illegal to drink on the trains. This was never a problem in the past as we had some pretty boozy train parties in days of Peace Corps past. But no one seems to say anything if you close the door and keep it on the DL.

After eating and drinking our fill, we unrolled our bedding, arranged our sheets, and turned out the lights. For me, I enjoy sleeping on trains; it gives me a comforting feeling. This time the car was a bit hot with four of us tucked away inside. There was also some snoring going on although I believe I may have been guilty of that myself a bit later. But overall, the journey was pleasant until the 330 wake up call. Before we arrived in Lviv, the attendant needed to collect the bedding and we needed to rub the sleep from our eyes. Then, before we knew it, we were pulling into the main Lviv train station. It was 400 and minus one on the thermometer but it was good to be back in the spiritual home of Ukraine. Can't wait until my next train trip!

We're Rolling - Let the fun begin

Tea time - Early AM

Full Feast

Chomp, Chomp, Chomp; Nam, Nam, Nam

What a Bunch!

Morning Tea in the famous cup holder

Oily, Oily!

Cold, Cold!