May 22-27th Trans-Siberian...
Train station ugg! Nobody seems to have time to try and point you in the right direction. I had "Kakaja platforma" racked in my brain to ask, but seriously, people detoured around me. So I was on my own. Their was a big board with train numbers cities and platforms so I just kept an eye hoping that it was the only one. I had arrived to the station early so nothing on the board matched my ticket, about and hour before my train I see my train # ,Irkusks in cerrylic and 1:10 and a 4. All the info seems to match my ticket except the 4. It must be platform 4. I go find car 11 (again crossing my fingers). Show my ticket to the provodnista and she let me on!!! Found my seat # 17 and on my way!
I rode platzkartney and thought it was pretty sweet, it is kind of like 3rd class. But you get a thin matress for your seat ,2 sheets, a pillowcase, and a pillow, and all the boiling water you want. The whole car is generally open though divides into sections with six beds. Two bottom ones that face each other with a small tabe in between, these are topped by one above each. Then the aileway and on the other side going the length of the train 2 more stacked. The bottom one turns into a table for two.
I had one of the bottom ones and acrost from me was a woman and her preteen daughter. and then there was a young kid in the one that turned into a table. The kid, Sid, spoke a few words of english other then that nobody did. By the end of the trip I grew to really like these Russians, I am glad I had such a great expirence I have heard others where people were hostile twards them or so much drinking there was puke flowing down the isle. My train arrived in Irkusk and they got up and walked me to my cab and waved goodbye to me. They wanted to make sure I got a good Taxi guy. There were also two guys in the area next to us that were drinking though they never got outa control. I could tell when it started to hit them because they would walk by and say "hello American girl" or ask if I was alright. Sid names these guys( for my non- russian speaking benifit)smile Taxi,cause one dives a cab in Ulan Ude, and the other one was named with a gester like you were taking a drink.
Lots of reading and writing. Also we had a half an hour stop in Boris Yeltsons hometown, Yekathinburg which is right about where eurpean russia ends and siberia begins. When reading about the scenery before I left books said that it can get quite boring, I found it ever changeing and different. Never thought a field of dandilions could look so beautiful. I bet when they turn white its pretty cool too. The last 15 hours or so were threw the Taiga. An amazing forest. It was also a nice ride because if I was reading my pals would say "Erica" and point out a river or a church and tell me where we were on my map.
The following are things I wish I knew about the train before i got on:
There is a little fresh water station big enough to put your hands in, located in the front of the car between the provodistas area and the bathroom, it is great for washing fruit.
There is a lady on the train who comes down the isle about once and hour selling water,soda, chips, and the like.
There is an outlet by the provonista quarters that you can charge things on,though you have to stand there the whole time it is chargeing, and there is only one, so I would not monopolize it.
The fawsets in the bathrooms work by pushing a metale thing up into the spout, the knobs seemed to be there to play a joke on me.
When you get to your seat try to have everything you will need ie. food, handy wipes, books, cards, cup, silverware, flipflops ect. in easy reach. On the bottom seat you keep your stuff under your seat and when you digging around in there your booty is in your nieghbors area.
The garbage is in the back of the train acrost from the bathroom. It looks and acts like a bench but you can lift it up and tada theres the trash.
Right now I am In Irkusks and just mailed off a butt load of postcards!! Cooking up some frozen veg. and tomarrow off to Olkohn Island.
