Day 60 - 90: Trans Siberian / Trans Mongolian Express (Russia, Mongolia & China)

St Petersburg, Russia - A day at the Hermitage, the hydrofoil across to Peterof, an evening at the ballet watching Swan Lake, a climb up St Issac's and an afternoon at the Peter & Paul's fortress!


The first train trip: St Petersburg to Moscow (approx 9 hours overnight!)


Moscow, Russia - The Kremlin, Red Square (which was closed!), the Armoury (to see the Fabergé eggs!), Pushkin's Private gallery (more Monet, Picasso, Renoir, Cézanne and Van Gogh!), the Old Moscow Circus, the Revolutionary Museum (best museum on the whole trip!) and a couple of hours wandering around the famous Moscow metro system!



26 hours on the Trans Siberian from Moscow to Ekaterinburg!


Ekaterinburg, Russia (also known as Catherinburg after Catherine the Great). The boarder of Europe and Asia, the Romanov Memorial and a walk in the Urals!


55 hours on the Trans-Siberian from Ekaterinburg to Irkutsk (with no showers and a very average dining cart!)


Irkutsk & Lake Baikal, Russia - 3 day hike along the shores of the largest fresh water lake in Asia and a Russian Bayan!


8 hours overnight on the Trans Siberian from Irkutsk to Ulan-Uday, Russia, Atsagatsky Datsan, Ivolginsky Datsan, the biggest statue of Lenin's head and many old painted houses!


24 hours on the Trans-Siberian from Ulan-Uday to Ulaan Baatar! The boarder crossing took 7 hours (with no toilet!) and strange people coming and going from our carriage people leaving 5L bottles of beer. Out of the 4 weeks on the train, this was the worst 24 hours on an old and over crowded carriage!



Bayangobi, Mongolia! Staying with a Nomadic Mongolian family, sleeping in a Ger surrounded by 600 sheep, a sandstorm followed by a snow storm, having to walk 200 meters from the Ger in the middle of the night in sub zero temperature to use the hole in the ground, no showers for 3 nights and burning twigs + cow dung to keep warm (!) and finally to Karakorum in the Orkhon valley (site of Chinggis Khaan's capital!)




Elstei Ger (tourist lodge), Mongolia - running water and flushing toilets! Although not as "authentic", I still enjoyed the little luxuries!


Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia - Gandan Tibetan Monastery, statue of Chinggis Khaan in Sükhbaatar Square and our last mutton meal (for a looooong time!)


Trans-Mongolian Express - the last 30 hours on the train from Ulaanbaatar to Beijing!


Beijing, China (final stop!) - the Temple of Heaven, Ancient Architectural Museum, 798 Art District, Forbidden City, Peking Duck, Hot Pot, Great Wall hike from Jingshalin to Simatai, and wandering around the many hutongs around our hotel!