| Our ride to the train station ended with a bump, our driver hit a drunk pedestrian. The drunkard seemed okay, so we caught a cab to the train station while our driver sorted everything out with the police. Our cab ride was only $1000 Tugrik (approximately $1), but our driver may have been forced into a fine or payoff to the drunk (probably $30). After that we caught our train to Ulan Ude, Russia, on the trans-Mongolian Railway. In Ulan Ude it joins the trans-Siberian Railway to Moscow. The train car has 4 berths (2 bunk beds) and is the size of a walk-in closet. Two Russian attendant live in each car (alternating shifts for 24-hour coverage), punch tickets, clean cabins, and provide small services to the passengers. Our roomies for this 25 hour trip to Ulan Ude are two Brits who have worked odd jobs in Australia and are traveling back to England. WIth our British roommates we discussed how much we enjoyed Mongolia's open spaces and nomad-born culture. |
