Second Time on the Trans Siberian Train

After traveling in Irkutsk for nearly a month, it was time to head to Moscow for a second time traveling on the Trans Siberian train. This time I’d be traveling with my friend so I think the nearly 5 day trip covering 5 time zones across Siberia will be more fun this time around. Strangely enough, all the trains travel on Moscow time so if you’re unaware of this, it can make things very confusing when you get to the train station.

The Irkutsk Train Station – About to embark on the 5 day journey

Luckily on this second Trans Siberian train trip, not only did I have company but we came prepared with about a week’s worth of food! All in all, we had more bags of food than we did luggage. Thankfully, we had reserved the bottom bunk benches on the train which made storage a heck of a lot better.

So my Russian had improved by this time but train time tables were still as confusing as ever…

However, my friend decided to save money and book the ‘open carriage’ train instead of the ones that have 4 beds with a closed-door. I didn’t think I would mind it too much however I knew my Russian language skills would be put to the test since you’re constantly surrounded by up to 12 people around you when you have the open bench seating. If you do end up in this circumstance, try to book the seats/beds on the bottom so you end up with more room for your things as well as having more control over your sleep schedule. If your bed is on the top, you’ll have to wait for people under you to wake up before you can use the bottom for a seat and use the extremely small table that divides the bottom beds. Another thing to consider is your proximity to the bathrooms and hot water dispenser. The closer the better but it’s not always best to be backed up, closest to it if noise is a concern of yours (or a likely dirty bathroom smell on an unkempt train by the staff!)

The last bit of freedom before boarding the train bound for Moscow

The Start of the Trans Siberian Train Journey

So getting back to this second Trans Siberian train experience, we arrived at the Irkutsk train station right before sundown. After saying goodbyes we were on our way. Boarding the train, if even for my second time on the Trans Siberian, is a little disheartening when you know that you’ll stuck in a train car for the next 5 days…. I was still excited for the trip though. With the cost of a flight to Moscow being nearly twice what we were paying for these train tickets, I was more than content to take the journey. And there’s just something about traveling by train that makes things so much better and exciting than by bus or plane. You’re much more apt to meet locals and its truly the best way to see the countryside wherever you’re traveling through.

A couple of photos of the Siberian countryside

So just how the hell did we entertain ourselves for nearly 5 days on this Siberian train journey? Well, things kicked off by playing 500 Rumi.

Just some of the 30 lbs. worth of food we brought on the train. I like to call it ‘Russian Cole Slaw’ – It is delicious. Unfortunately, it smelled up the entire train car every time I ate it.

For those not familiar, the game has many variations but it’s fairly popular in America as well as Europe. With two people playing, it takes about 4-5 hours to amass 500 points and determine a winner. Well…. after realizing we hadn’t brought much else besides food, a couple of books and a deck of cards, we opted to break the Guinness Book of World Records by playing to 5000! We hit it on the 4th day. I really don’t know if this was a record but I can tell you it felt like one. And don’t worry, we played ‘War’ and ‘Uno’ in between, just no Poker unfortunately.

A five-minute recess from the train about 3 days into the journey. We’ll call this the stock up and exercise run. And yes, that’s my Russian track suit… worn 5 days in a row:)

We also did our fair share of drinking. The Trans Siberian train usually stops about every hour or two but there’s not always enough time to jump off the train for drinks and food.

A few of these to pass the time… and yes, that’s a twist off cap.

The few times in the day that it did, we’d stock up on beer as well as get some good ‘walk time’ in on the train platform. Trust me, you’ll both need and want the little bit of exercise.  We also met a lot of locals on this journey. After spending almost a month here, my Russian had definitely gotten better and I was able to converse enough with locals to be understood which made things interesting. However, we also had a couple of run ins with drunks on the train and this is ‘usually’ never fun. One group was sitting right next to us and one in particular didn’t appreciate my story of being from Holland though his English was far worse than my Russian so I pulled it off.

My smiling face shortly after the drunk got kicked out of the restaurant car

Another one was in the train restaurant car. It was basically us, the drunk and a couple of restaurant staff. It took nearly 30 minutes to get the guy out and finally the staff had to lock the door to the restaurant. Always an adventure…. What was even funnier was the restaurant menu on the train. Below is only a sampling of its awesomeness. Unfortunately a lot of my pictures didn’t come out due to how shaky the train was when trying to snap a good photo. I was laughing so hard though that the waiter wanted to know what’s up so we translated… he was amused thankfully.

So after finally arriving to Moscow on the Trans Siberian train, what would I recommend to others preparing this epic journey? Well, a deck of playing cards is essential.

“Egg under Mayonnaise with Cool” – Exactly what I was in the mood for. It just doesn’t get any better than that on a Siberian Railway Journey…

Playing cards and plenty of Pine nuts… Locals would come on the train at stops to sell them.

Even if you don’t like playing all that much, it’s a great way to socialize with others on the train. As is having enough beer and food to go around. Many will offer some to you and it’s a great way to meet others. Bringing along movies to watch on your computer is another great way to break up the monotony. And of course, books… if you’re into reading like me. I knocked off 3 books while on this second Trans Siberian trip. The only thing you won’t have is internet so you can forget about it. Knowing that, it’s always best to try to book your hostel or hotel in advance before boarding the train. Oh, and try to change your clothes at least once during the train journey… the folks you come across at your final destination will appreciate it!