September 29-30, 2001 – Aboard Trans Mongolian Railway to Irkutsk

Until the middle of this century, the rough track over the steppe-lands of northern Mongolia and the Gobi Desert in the south was the only route across this desolate country. It was an ancient route followed for centuries by tea-caravans between Peking and Moscow. The train arrived at Sukhbaatar, the Mongolian border town, and after completing formalities, the train continued across no-man’s land to a military outpost where Russian officials boarded the train. After further formalities were completed the carriages are shunted and joined the Russian locomotive, journeying on to Irkutsk.

Early in the morning we travelled through lush green countryside, dotted with small towns and Dachas (Summer houses). As the train approached Irkutsk, magnificent views of Lake Baikal could be seen from our window.