My bunk mate is very sweet, but he’s a 50 year old guy who likes to sleep a lot. Whereas i am getting up and down all the time to chat and prone to making a bit of a mess in a small space. I don’t think we are the ideal bed mates. He also doesn’t speak a word of English, so isn’t interested in coming and playing any of the card games that we have been indulging in. We got by through him writing German and me translating back into English and only asking questions that involve numbers or places. He ha. He has 2 children, and one grandchild and is going to Mongolia to visit his parents.
We have all been getting off at most of the stops so we bump into the guys from 1st class and the 2 Aussie couples have a little enclave up there. We catch up every time we get off the train at the stops.
Ling & Fanny stretching their legs in a stop off on the Trans-Siberian adventure. Siberian chill makes those PJs a brave choice!
The stops come every 3-4 hours through the day and night, mainly for maintenance, refuelling and stocking up with water etc. It’s fascinating to watch. The stations are all pretty standard, a smallish building, a couple of small shops at the end of a trail into the back end of whatever small town we have just pulled into. Plus more often than not an old steam locomotive. They are getting colder and colder the further into Siberia we go, the first few stops we were all very baulshy in stepping out with Havianas etc on bare feet, but the socks are starting to come out and most of the girls look like Geishas with very fetching socks and Haviana combos! (Me included, i can’t be bothered to unpack any shoes for short 10-15 min stops) the train is absolutely boiling so i know i will heat up as soon as i get back on.
The Trans-Siberian card game, making it up as we went along!
The card games started today, a few of us sat down to play a game of cheat which was funny as the French girl that we were playing with couldn’t bring herself to call it out properly and was way too polite for the game. A few more people joined and we sat down to start playing Poker, however before we had even started the round it turned into a weird hybrid of poker, 300 and some new totally different game. We started our own Trans-Siberian card game! There is not a moment on this train to be bored.
It’s hard to know what time it is to have a chance to know what boredom might be as we are passing through time zones fairly frequently. The train keeps running to Moscow time though. Vladimir in the restaurant car seems to offer a meal based on how awake he thinks i look, i always get offered breakfast even when i got in after 13:00… what is he trying to say?!
Another late night on the Trans-Siberian train…
Ciao a tutti!
x x x x
