This was my longest nonstop train ride so far – over 3300km and passing three time zones. You must know, that all long distance trains run according to Moscow time. That’s mostly not the time zone you are in, so you have to stay alert and do your own maths to keep up to time!
The train stops every few hours for 20-30 minutes to change the locomotive. That’s your time frame when you can catch some fresh air and buy some food – the locals stock up on beer. This was more than necessary as the restaurant car was lousy on this train. Everything I pointed out in the menu they said NYET (no). On big stations you find food kiosks, on smaller ones babushkas are selling snacks on the platform.
Honestly, the scenery was quite boring throughout Siberia. I saw birch forests after birch forests and once a while the train crossed one of the many rivers. There were many villages along the track before and after the bigger cities datcha compounds (weekend houses) could be spotted.
Even so the scenery reminded me of the Swiss Jura, it was not boring at all, as my cabin mates changed about every 6 hours. They were always Russians with zero English knowledge (my Russian is not much better…), but they tried hard to get thto know the foreigner better. One guy even called up his friend on the handphone, who was then the translator for 30 minutes.
On any long distance Russian train you will soon learn who is in charge; the Provodnitsa (carrage attendant). Apart from checking your passport and train ticket before boarding the train, handing out linen and shaking you awake in the middle of the night when your train arrives, the provodnitsa’s job is to keep her carriage tidy. They also can provide coffee, tea and snacks for a small price.
The south of the track marked every kilometer with a km sign showing the distance to Moscow. Thanks to my travel book, I knew what to look out for at different km. With lesser Lada cars (more Japanese cars) I spottedout of the train window told me that I was leaving Siberia behind..
The landscape became more hilly as the train entered the Ural region. After 50 hours, I got off the train at Ekaterinburg, the economic and cultural capital of the Ural.
