February 15, 2013
A journey is a person in itself; no two are alike. And all plans, safeguards, policing, and coercion are fruitless. We find after years of struggle that we do not take a trip; a trip takes us. John Steinbeck
April 3, 2011
A week on and I am still being struck by the ironies – the worst toilet on a 5,500 mile journey was in the arrivals hall at Heathrow; I have consumed strange and exotic foods without incident but somehow manage […]
March 28, 2011
The vastness of Beijing airport makes Heathrow Terminal 5 look like a provincial bus station. Inside I watch the check-in crew line up for their formal morning briefing, standing to attention and holding their schedules in front of them while […]
March 27, 2011
“Can we take your picture please?” She is about seventeen and accompanied by three generations of her family. Standing in the queue for the cable car at the Great Wall they have been giving me sideways looks and giggling for […]
March 25, 2011
I am a little stunned to arrive in Beijing; it is quite the largest city I have been in since I left home. I am not sure what I was expecting but my initial reaction is that it seems like […]
March 25, 2011
My eighth and final train takes me from Ulan Bator to Beijing. It is by far the most modern and well equipped train I have been on so far – my cabin has a small armchair and an en-suite bathroom; […]
March 24, 2011
My last day in the camp and we are invited to visit the nomadic home of Bachka who lives nearby (at least he does at the moment). Bachka is the local horse master, I have seen him in action taking […]
March 23, 2011
22nd March There are not many guests in the camp; apart from our guides there is Kevin, a fuel technician who lives in Alaska and works in Antarctica and Mel, Leah and Carol from Canada. It feels like a snow […]
March 23, 2011
21st March In preparation for arrival at Ulan Bator I get up at 5.00am and do the Indiana Jones thing over the open tracks to get to the washroom in the next carriage. I am unprepared for the sheer intensity […]
March 20, 2011
The Trans-Manchurian line runs from Irkutsk to Ulan Bator and on to Beijing for the next leg of the journey. The rolling stock is considerably older and maintains a certain old-world charm such as a coal furnace on every carriage […]
March 19, 2011
I spend the day in Irkutsk before catching the train that takes me to Ulan Ude and then over the Mongolian border to Ulaan Baatur. Irkutsk is a mixture of styles – originally a fur trading post, then a gold […]
March 18, 2011
The dog sledging centre is based in the valley high above Listvyanka in the heart of the pine forest. The centre is run by Natasha and has around 30 dogs; large husky type things with blue eyes and foot-long tongues […]
March 17, 2011
I disembark from the train at 6:15am at Irkutsk. In the last 24 hours the cabin next to mine has been occupied by two police officers (the police seem to use the railways extensively) – they spend their time watching […]
March 16, 2011
Today is my last full day on board the #2 Moscow-Vladivostok train and there is a touch of cabin fever in the air. The carriage is comfortable and warm and, because it is low season, not particularly overcrowded. However, there […]
March 15, 2011
Sometime during the night we passed over the Ural mountains and through Ekaterinberg (famous for being the birthplace of Boris Yeltsin and where the Tsar and his family were murdered in a basement); we have therefore now, formally passed into […]
March 14, 2011
Train number six takes me from Moscow to Irkutsk and is the longest single leg of the journey. As I will spend four days on this train I find myself wishing for an interesting and personable companion to share my […]
March 12, 2011
It’s Saturday morning and I have roughly 24 hours to “do” Moscow. My guide is Lena, a Muscovite schoolteacher who works part time as a tour guide. She is articulate and funny and talks about Russia with dry humour. She […]
March 11, 2011
At 1am we cross the border into Belarus. The train attendants wake us up and the border guards come on board to check passports. There is a long wait while they make their way through the train during which time, […]
March 11, 2011
I have just learned that my friend and talented musician, Steve Dagleish is unwell and in hospital. Get well soon Steve, we have need of your music back!
March 10, 2011
I have decided I like trains. Not in a geeky sort of way; I am hopefully a long way from wanting to stand at the end of a cold platform and write down engine numbers as a substitute for having […]
March 9, 2011
My first day of solitary travelling and already I am on my fourth train; the Belgian countryside is rolling past the window; cars are driving on the right and I am starting to feel hungry. All of which means that […]
March 6, 2011
…and how often can you say that? When I broached the subject with my wife she was very understanding. “I want to go to Siberia,” I said. “I want to make the journey without going on an aircraft and to […]