Days 26-28(29) Trans-Siberian-Express
On Monday we got to the railway station to find out how to get the bikes to the train. I have to admit it was unbelievably easy. Even though the lady at the transport office didn't understand any English we managed to sort things out. With an enormous help of Joseph (Eddie's friend who translated our needs in the phone). We ripped of everything we could from the bikes and put the stuff in a huge sack. I even had pour out about 2 liters of fuel. Like it makes any difference but that way we got the lady satisfied. There might still be 5-6 liters of fuel in the tank. Actually - I don't care...
The square in front of the railway station on Ulan-Ude
Here are the "naked" bikes
The transport office should have made crates around the bikes. Or according to the photos they are more like "art without hands" as a friend of mine said. It seems they want to be able to lift the bikes with a forklift.
We got the necessary stuff in our back bags and of we went to buy tickets for ourselves. Joseph helped us again and we got the cheapest tickets available. About 2800 RUB each. And the train should leave in 2 hours. In that time we had to find something to eat and a supermarket to get some food with us in the train. Bread, cheese, sausage, water. Those should do it.
The train itself was (how can I say it)... Wild experience. In the third (cheapest) class there are only beds. No doors, no curtains, no privacy. Everyone is in the same wagon. And the beds are short. I mean really short. Like 180 cm. I had a little difficulties to fit there to sleep. We all had top beds as they apparently were a bit cheaper. And in the whole wagon there were only three sockets for 220 V electricity. Of course those sockets were reserved most of the time.
The trip from Ulan-Ude to Vladivostok took about 64 hours. You can only imagine how bad the smell was in the wagon. Not many visited the shower for 150 RUB. Mostly people slept, read or watched something from their on their phones. As lunch and dinner people mostly ate instant noodles. We talked with a couple of Russians in the train. Some were going to constructions in the northern Siberia, some were getting to Vladivostok to buy a Japan imported car and drive it back to Ulan-Ude or Irkutsk or even Novosibirsk. Three to four days in an train. Then about a week back with a car. After selling the car back to the train.
When looking from the window one can clearly see the winter is coming fast.
On Tuesday evening we went to the restaurant with a couple of Russians and met two great dudes from Australia. I changed details with Sam and we'll meet again in Sydney. He promised to show me the best places there. We played poker most of the night (actually I acted only as a banker because I'm not so keen in gambling). After I went to bed at around 2 A.M. Eddie and Mirco continued to the Aussie's first class cabin and had some (a lot of) vodka. Mirco had to carry Eddie back to our wagon. I have to admit we got a great laugh on that next day.
On Wednesday I went to the restaurant to have dinner with Mirco and we met an interesting Russian guy who is working in a company which calculates the affects of new buildings and constructions to permafrost (the always frozen ground in the north). He showed us some graphs and calculations on his computer. Really fascinating field of expertise. In the evening we also had an interesting discussion with a Korean girl about Korea and cultural differences.
Finally on Thursday morning we arrived in Vladivostok. The bikes should arrive on Saturday or Sunday. We still have to figure out where we will find them and how we are getting them back to our possession.
The square in front of the railway station on Ulan-Ude
Here are the "naked" bikes
The transport office should have made crates around the bikes. Or according to the photos they are more like "art without hands" as a friend of mine said. It seems they want to be able to lift the bikes with a forklift.
We got the necessary stuff in our back bags and of we went to buy tickets for ourselves. Joseph helped us again and we got the cheapest tickets available. About 2800 RUB each. And the train should leave in 2 hours. In that time we had to find something to eat and a supermarket to get some food with us in the train. Bread, cheese, sausage, water. Those should do it.
The train itself was (how can I say it)... Wild experience. In the third (cheapest) class there are only beds. No doors, no curtains, no privacy. Everyone is in the same wagon. And the beds are short. I mean really short. Like 180 cm. I had a little difficulties to fit there to sleep. We all had top beds as they apparently were a bit cheaper. And in the whole wagon there were only three sockets for 220 V electricity. Of course those sockets were reserved most of the time.
The trip from Ulan-Ude to Vladivostok took about 64 hours. You can only imagine how bad the smell was in the wagon. Not many visited the shower for 150 RUB. Mostly people slept, read or watched something from their on their phones. As lunch and dinner people mostly ate instant noodles. We talked with a couple of Russians in the train. Some were going to constructions in the northern Siberia, some were getting to Vladivostok to buy a Japan imported car and drive it back to Ulan-Ude or Irkutsk or even Novosibirsk. Three to four days in an train. Then about a week back with a car. After selling the car back to the train.
When looking from the window one can clearly see the winter is coming fast.
On Tuesday evening we went to the restaurant with a couple of Russians and met two great dudes from Australia. I changed details with Sam and we'll meet again in Sydney. He promised to show me the best places there. We played poker most of the night (actually I acted only as a banker because I'm not so keen in gambling). After I went to bed at around 2 A.M. Eddie and Mirco continued to the Aussie's first class cabin and had some (a lot of) vodka. Mirco had to carry Eddie back to our wagon. I have to admit we got a great laugh on that next day.
On Wednesday I went to the restaurant to have dinner with Mirco and we met an interesting Russian guy who is working in a company which calculates the affects of new buildings and constructions to permafrost (the always frozen ground in the north). He showed us some graphs and calculations on his computer. Really fascinating field of expertise. In the evening we also had an interesting discussion with a Korean girl about Korea and cultural differences.
Finally on Thursday morning we arrived in Vladivostok. The bikes should arrive on Saturday or Sunday. We still have to figure out where we will find them and how we are getting them back to our possession.
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