The Diary
All we had time for in the morning was a measly, mildly interesting $5 intourist tour around the sights of Irkutsk. All we got of Lake Baikal, the world's deepest lake which contains 1/5 of the world's fresh water and is home to lots of rare flora & fauna, was a few hours view from the train the previous day. It looked pretty spectacular though.
 |
| Street traders |
 |
| Russian Chopper |
 |
| You still look American |
 |
| Irkutsk Church |
 |
| Irkutsk |
Train No 9 is the Irkutsk - Moscow express known as the Baikal. Dave & Amy, two Americans returning home after living in Tokyo, were going with us. The 2 couples got to share a compartment while I was put in a small 2-berth compartment, on my own, in the next carriage. Dave & Amy had the LP USSR & the Trans-Siberian handbook and Ken & Debbie the LP Russian phrasebook. No shortage of research material. We
checked out the restaurant car and as expected (predicted by the guidebooks) the menu was enormous but only a handful of items were available. Coupled with the bread, cabbage patties, cheese pancakes, potato "things", drinks and whatever else we managed to lay our hands on from the wrinkled old ladies selling on the station platforms we can get enough to survive.
Time flew by as we walked around at every stop, blatantly took photos at the stations, read and talked. The samovar at the end of each carriage bubbled with hot water to keep us in tea, coffee & pot noodles so we all went to bed contentedly.
 |
| The samovar |
2012
We still keep in touch with Dave, Amy and family - though increasingly intermittently. They've visited us in Sydney and we've visited them in New Hampshire.
The Diary
By now everyone had realised that we would be getting to Irkutsk very late despite all the confusion over the train running on Moscow time and having to put watches forward one hour for Mongolia. At stops the jacket buying continued, Russian shansh marnie men were everywhere and sneaky thieves wandered the platforms & tried to get on the trains. Again we weren't prevented from taking photos but Mr Liu had his camera whipped from him just as the train pulled out at Ulan Ude. He was very upset but I was relieved it wasn't me.
 |
| Ulan Ude |
 |
| Andrei, Ulan Ude |
My carriage emptied as all those going on to Moscow had to move so I read my book in peace for a while and then went to join Ken & Debbie's "party" carriage next door. I talked to Linda who'd last seen her boyfriend on 5 Jan & was due to meet him in Prague on 20 July. Sounds familiar.
We eventually arrived at Irkutsk and there was lots of address swapping, photos taken & tearful farewells as those of us getting off said we'd catch up with the Moscow travellers in McDonalds. We went to the Intourist hotel, admired its 60s decor, bought bread & cheese and Ken, Debbie & I went for a late night stroll. We got talking to some street sellers and I bought a Yeltsin doll from two who were in a rock band and hoping to make it in Holland. Their English was superb and they could quote the lyrics from some of my favourite songs. Shame about their dress sense.
Beijing - Ulan-Bator - Irkutsk actually took 60 1/2 hours. The timetable it didn't quite run to, due to the border stops is as follows:
GMT +8 A D
Beijing 7.40
Nankou 8.40 8.44
Qinglongqko 9.28 9.38
KhangZhuang 9.54 10.02
Zhangjiakou 11.37 11.47
Datong 14.12 14.25
Jiring 16.18 16.28
Erlian 20.45 23.25
ULAN-BATOR TIME GMT +9
Dzamynude 23.40 0.40
San-shanda 4.38 4.53
Choyr 8.40 8.55
Ulan-Bator 13.20 13.50
Zonhala 16.48 17.03
Darhan 18.56 19.00
Suhe-Bator 20.42 22.05
MOSCOW TIME GMT +4
Dozorne 17.28 17.43
Naushki 17.63 20.25
Grusintooz lake (?) 22.13 22.15
Ulan-Ude 1.15 1.30
Mysouaga 3.54 3.58
Slyudyanka 6.30 6.45
Irkutsh 8.59
Irkutsk is actually GMT+9. This train (train no 3) continues on to Moscow arriving 3 nights & 3 1/2 days later.
 |
| Ken and Debbie |
 |
| Lake Baikal at midnight |
2012
Before privatisation in 1992, Intourist was renowned as the official state travel agency of the Soviet Union. It was founded in 1929 by Joseph Stalin and was staffed by NKVD and later KGB officials. Intourist was responsible for managing the great majority of foreigners' access to, and travel within, the Soviet Union. It grew into one of the largest tourism organizations in the world—including a location in Canada—with a network embracing banks, hotels, and bureaux de change. And they followed us around everywhere and met us at every train stop. It made me feel like James Bond.
