Russia: The Trans Siberian Railway
By David Holt
It is called the Motherland by those who live there. A vast and boundless country that neither Hitler nor Napoleon could conquer. Russia, the biggest country in the world by landmass, is twice the size of Canada, and the home of bitter Siberian winters, Lenin and Trotsky, the tsars, Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy and Solzhenitsyn, the KGB, Yuri Gagarin and vodka. What better way to see it than by travelling on the great, epic journey, riding the rails of steel, and sitting back on the Trans-Siberian?
Donghae, Korea is the only ferry port that leads north and gives travelers their first glimpse of Russian people. Their gruff exterior, their hardened faces – it’s not easy to get any warm feelings from these children of the Iron Curtain. They keep to themselves as they board, shoving past one another to get to their cabins and crack open a bottle.
The ferry ride is 24 hours, more than enough time to meet some strangers. Sitting alone, you are quickly invited for a drink and, depending on your habits, it could be for just one or it could quickly be for the rest of the evening.
Vladivostok is the eastern city that, up until the late 1980s, not even Russian people were allowed to visit. My initial thoughts before arriving gave a picture of a Soviet bloc city with row upon row of brutish, unforgiving buildings – it was anything but. Along the streets stood European buildings full of color and style that could have been taken from any city in Rhône–Alpes or Prague.
You need only a day or so before you begin the first leg of your train journey, so do as most Russians do: eat a large bowl of potatoes and drink a bottle of vodka and crash out in a scary hotel with all the charm of Stalin – The Musical.
Tickets for the Trans-Siberian can be bought online, but you need to exchange the e-ticket for an authentic one before you board, and unfortunately this can be a hassle. Russian queues are not renowned for their pace and attendants have about as much passion as a dead race horse. Eventually you will get through, but be forewarned.
There are three classes you can travel: first– Spalny Vagon, second– Kupe, and third – Platskartny. Most westerners prefer second class, but the cheapest by a long shot is the Plaskartny, which houses over 50 beds in one carriage. This is usually packed with Russian soldiers and families who chat, sing, play cards and drink and are very welcoming to strangers.
If you are by yourself, then this is a great way to meet true Soviet characters like Vladimir, a stumpy rotund individual who looked like he enjoyed eating babies for breakfast and who proudly showed off his hammer and sickle tattoo to me every ten minutes.
Most travelers take off from Vladivostok to Lake Baikal, stopping in the city of Irkutsk, but there are a number of cities along the route that would be worth spending a day or two in. Khabarosk, Chita and Ulan-Ude – a city for those traveling down through Mongolia and onto Beijing. It is a three-day ride to Irkutsk covering 4,106 km (2,665 miles).
Upon arriving, a quick consultation of your guidebook will reveal numerous hostels and hotels that all offer comfortable beds and English speakers, luxuries currently unavailable in Vladivostok. Most travelers will spend a night and then head to the lake the following morning, but there are plenty of interesting places to see within the town.
Lake Baikal, or the ‘Pearl of Siberia’, is a sight to behold, especially during winter when you can see the mountains that surround it 80 km away. It is almost 30 million years old and the deepest lake in the world, holding 20 percent of all unfrozen fresh water as clear as the vodka sold nearby. In 1996 it was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
From Irkutsk you can venture to Novosibirsk or Omsk, or you can continue onwards to Yekaterinburg (two days, 3,375km (2,110miles)), one of the truly historic Russian cities. It was here on July 16, 1918 that Tsar Nicholas II and his family were slain by the Bolsheviks.
From Vladivostok to Yekaterinburg the transition from stereotypical Russia to a more westernized place is obvious. Life moves at a quicker pace; there is more English appearing randomly, and the hospitality of people has increased ten-fold. The final part of the train journey takes just a day, only 1,778km (1,110miles) to Moscow.
After almost six days in third class, I highly recommend spending one night in the Spalny Vagon –the first class carriage. If it is summer, you’ll appreciate the air-conditioning, and if it is winter, you’ll love the heaters. The food onboard is a little tastier; the beds are more comfortable. Unfortunately, other passengers seem a bit more distant.
Moscow is grand and impressive. The buildings are sublime and the city is steeped in history. The Kremlin is an awesome sight to behold, as well as the Red Square and St. Basil’s Cathedral. The occasional Moskvich can be slightly sour and disgruntled, but don’t let that throw you off. It’s still a city well worth discovering.
A few days spent in Moscow is imperative, as there is so much to see, but the real Russia lies on the trains and in the restaurants and cafés of all the other towns and cities, and therein lies its history. The Russians are strikingly nationalistic, flag-waving and tough; but deep down they like nothing more than sharing a drink.
An earlier version of this article
appeared in the Gwangju News, July 2011 print edition.
Additional information:
Trans-Siberian information
Trans-Siberian tickets
ferry information
David Holt writes at:
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