Off the Rails My Trans Mongolian Railway adventures from the Great Wall in Beijing to St Petersberg

It's hard to believe it's only three days since we left Beijing - we seem to have crammed so much into such a short space of time! Our trans-mongolian journey began properly in the (very) early hours of Tuesday morning, as we made our way to Beijing's gorgeous South railway station. The waiting room where we waited for the train looked like something out of a 1930s movie - a very glamorous way to set off on a rough-and-ready adventure!

The train pulled out promptly at 7.40am, by which time we were all comfortably settled into our 4-berth sleeping compartments. We had our noses glued to the windows for the first couple of hours, which featured some spectacular views of the Great Wall snaking its way over mountains like some mythical Chinese serpent.

As the hours wore on, the scenery slowly began to change, from the lush green fields of the first few hours, to a landscape that is browner and flatter. The buildings change, too, sitting low and flat in the landscape, hunkered down against the winds that you can imagine sweeping down from the north. Although we see distantly-spaced settlements, we rarely see any people - it feels like one gigantic film set.

As the afternoon wears on and we head into Inner Mongolia, as the Chinese refer to the part of Mongolia they administer, we start to experience the desert landscape (in more ways than one - the ubiquitous dust finds its way through the smallest nooks and crannies!) We've all packed plenty of snacks (that great Chinese favourite, pot noodles, is a popular choice), for which we're all grateful given the lengthy border crossing. We reach the Chinese border around 9.30pm, and it's after 2am by the time we celebrate our first border crossing of the trip.
When we finally wake the next morning, it's in the knowledge that we're in Mongolia proper. The wide flat steppes are exactly as I'd imagined - it's with great excitement that we spot occasional horses, camels or even a yak.

We arrive in Ulaan Baatar in the afternoon, and head straight for a picturesque valley, where we are to experience firsthand traditional Mongolian lifestyle by sleeping in a ger, the felt tent used by nomadic tribes. The tents are larger than we expected - two single beds, a wood-fired oven, a small cabinet and a couple of stools fit in comfortably - and much more comfortable, too. Once we get the wood-fired stoves going, they're very cosy, and we all look forward to snuggling down for the night.

The only downside of woodfires, of course, is that unless you stay up all night stoking them, they will eventually go out. We're all cold when we wake up in the morning, and we soon discover why - it's started snowing! Building up the fire again takes considerably skill, since the wood has frozen during the night. Fortunately, one of our group, Lucie, learned considerable fire-starting skills during her Czech childhood, so we soon thaw out. the falling snow means the planned hike is off the program, so the more intrepid members of our group go for a short explore, while the rest of us soak up a bit more of the ger atmosphere.

Then it was back to Ulaan Baator, where we have crammed a lot into a short stay, including a traditional Mongolian music and dance performance (my highlights included the amazing throat singers, and some pre-pubescent contortionists who were astonishing - I've never seen anyone get their bum on their head before!), a visit to the country's central monastery, the Gandan Monastery (the Dalai Lama preached here two weeks ago), and of course some shopping. Most popular item - leather gloves, to keep off the chill (it's still snowing). Tonight we're getting back on the train. Awaiting us - another border crossing, then the delights of Lake Baikal, the world's biggest inland sea. Should be great (particularly if it stops snowing!)