Business Unusual

Day 04 on the Trans-Mongolian…

OK- so we have no idea what time it really is… did I explain? The train has it’s own unique timetable - so as we cross time zones, losing about an hour daily - the train stays on Moscow time, as do the stations we pass through - all we can do is look outside to guess where in the day or night we might be according to the light and of course how hungry or tired we were feeling - Lake Baikal we should be approaching soon, we have to get up really early in the morning to see it, but when? Which time zone? “Wake me up if I fall asleep, I wanna take pictures…”

There were reports of a plot to run to the lake and back again in 15 mins whilst just a tad infused with vodka… hmmmm great plan, boys!

Dawn at the lake was rather spectacular - as was dusk at the stop before Mongolia - where we had oursleves a few hours of hilarious snow fighting outside the train… powdery snow and some deadly guerilla tactics employed by our Pyjama’d Chinese friends.. one of whom had demonstrated his superior strength in arm wrestling contests earlier in the day…

The rather spectacular Mongolian Dining car joined us too… welcome HOT Mongolian fare after the super chilly snowfight…

We finally managed to find out where exactly we were thanks to Amanda & Caroline’s super collection of maps and books accurately detailing all stop locations and stopping times (we were often told 10 mins when 14 - 20 were available - and every minute on a platform somewhere outside the train was precious… as fond of our cabin as we were… see Mark’s cabin gym!)

Scenerey more desolate, seeking more varied food on stops - we found the most excellent dumplings and home made Siberian fare. The cabin even got a hoover. Nothing more exciting than watching our friendly guard with a pink hoover… until come nightfall - the most extraordinary evening entertainment from our pyjama’d Chinese friends, as I’ve found out since performed a kind of call and response song usually sung between 2 men: captivating…. Mark and I both filmed… watch this space…

Ahhh yes - that was after a party in first class hosted by the delightful Amanda & Caroline, where we pooled our food and Mark bravely volunteered to dissected the kipper with his bare hands and wee penknife(?) in the corridor!!! YUM!

A little more Vodka each day, of course only to combat the COLD on our brief stops here and there…

I’d need to look at a map of the route to tell you exactly where - but you may find some clues in the pictures… so have a look at the ‘MUGshots’ (make sure you have a good thermal mug for countless comforting drinks courtesy of mum & the samovar!!) and the bartering stops as we haggled for food en route.

Oh yes - and we sang……

Again, these are in retrospect - as we’re now sitting in Bangkok - and Cliff’s legacy to Mark appears to be wearing off - PHEW!!! as the nurturing warm studio takes him into the hub… Thank you Manit, Varsha & co for having me here… I’m loving it!

Hmmmm… So, here’s Day 04 - as you’ll see from the pics - on the first full day of a 6 day train journey - we’re bonding with our fellow passengers, aided by a certain ‘Russian spirit’!!!

Check out the ‘facilities’ and the delights of the Russian Dining car here…

More pics coming soon…

Left Hanoi on a bus few days back and entered the twlight zone.. met a german chap called Cliff who had been subjected to some kind of magical trial in Vietnam. Everything had gone wrong - he’d been ripped off, knocked off, let down, screwed around and strung out at every turn. It sounded like a bad movie; and it wasn’t over..

Somewhere around 2am, a third of the way through our 24 hour journey the bus broke down. They’d put our little group of 4 westerners at the back (i guess because they wanted us close to the loudspeakers to fully soak up the excrutiatingly loud pop music torture game), so we and a half dozen others had to get out while they fixed the bus.

We stood on wet pavements for several hours, while they bravely took the engine apart - literally. They had not bought a replacement headgasket (not kidding) so we had to wait till morning. At least they let us back on to sleep for a couple of hours. Gasket secured, coffee and a few more fags, we set off again. We got to Laos and Cliff’s shoulders dropped, and a new clear air rose about him. Little did i know..

Laos - Bangkok. Disco bus 2, this time with sub-zero aircon torture to go along with ALL THREE pirates of the caribbean movies at full volume - in Thai. We arrived in Bangkok at 4am, zombied about at the target guest house lobby until they opened at 8, to find they hadn’t taken my booking.

c  l  i  f  f    what have you given me….?

Lonely planets, rough guides, tourist maps would not yeild me a room, Sara has an artist’s studio residency thing arranged for her here, so i went and camped at a nearby hotel after a promise that a room might come up after check-outs at 12. Hours drag like leaden boots heavy like my eyelids. until -

A ROOM! ok, a box on a 5th floor walk-up.
WiFi!  err, but not for macs.. I set a tape downloading and head out for food.

In the restaurant they poisoned me, taunted and teased me so i went out to find some fruit, dehydrated like a prune, but found myself on the set of bladerunner popluated by the cast of a middle aged Gap commercial, mingling in huge numbers along the pavement nick-nack stalls. Nothing but fried locusts and meat meat meat with chillies everywhere. I got lost in the neon, running from lady-boys and prostitutes, sex-tourists and hawkers… finally got back home and crashed with a bottle of ’spring’ water.

Morning. Check out. i love those words.

Hotel Atlanta had one final little gift for me. ‘No no’ she says at the tourist info counter ‘don’t take a taxi with your heavy bags, the traffic is ghastly, take the skytrain’.  

2 hours and many long streets later i arrive at A friend Inn. Lovely people. Windowless room just bigger than a bed with an airconditioner and an energy efficient bulb. Yummy. Sara invites me round for brunch. i arrive in her world which for the last 24 hours has consisted of home cooked meals, pedicures, a rambling Frank Lloyd-Right style pad with soft ceiling fans, gardens and puppies…

I’m laughing now. got back here last night battered; a wreck. stuffed wet toilet paper in my ears to block the aircon boom and prayed for sleep. sweated out a long feverish night and woke up.. feeling better…!

Cliff my mordeline friend; it ends here.
Thanks for the ride. 

In 4 days, the beach.

Sorry, there was a problem with the last gallery and it screwed the site up for a few days.

It’s now all back up and running - enjoy!

http://www.businessunusual.org.uk/

OK - well these are coming late from Beijing - so I’m cheating… rushing now again - to get to the station before heading onto Hanoi…

So here’s dealyed Day 03 pics on the train from Belarus to Moscow…

“We boarded the trans-mongolian last night and joined a huge group of hilarious Chinese guys that are like a rolling unintelligabe soap opera - half of the cast wearing all-in-one thermals and slippers. I’ve never seen so much instant-noodle in one place. Serving suggestion: with beer. Not at all rowdy though, we’re all happy to be at some kind of rest I think, and enjoying the mesmerising spectacle.

London to moscow was all very high lux, but too fast too furious. Felt like rushing between fairgroud rocket-rides - the Eurostar! The Talis! Stewards with gleaming smiles used to dealing with hot coffee and cold calamity at 187 miles per hour. i was tripping with fatigue, and ready to vomit by Koln, but the rolling stock changed at Minsk and the whole operation slowed down. Now the rumble of the tracks is like a gentle heartbeat and I’m sleepling like a baby. Snow gleams out my window, foreign tongues are in song, time has stopped.

Remind me of this feeling when none of us have had a shower for 6 days and I’ve run out of snacks!

Mxx

Ditto more or less , slightly overwhelming being an object of curiosity as one of the few females about. Needing strategies for clothes changing etc, but our carriage companions seem are gentle and respectful souls.
All in all doing ok and in awe of spectacularly beautiful vistas fleeting past!
X x s

Listen here