The East End

We have a couple of days' recovery time in Khabarovsk, a chance to explore this rather attractive city, only ruined by the enormous oil refinery which someone thought it sensible to plonk close to the town centre. Highlights include the river side orthodox cathedral and the wide tree-lined boulevard which forms the main street. A few of the obligatory tram journeys provide the opportunity to get out into the suburbs, and observe the enormous scale of the place (which apparently holds the distinction of being the coldest city in the world with a population over 500k). And it's certainly cold, with breathtaking windchill blowing in from the north.

The final leg of the trans-siberian railway is on an overnight train to Vladivostok. We have attempted to experience the full range of train service provision during the course of the excursion, and this last train is, in fact, a slow service from Sovetskaya Gavan to Vladivostok, stopping at no less than 33 stations, and resulting in a somewhat disturbed night's sleep.

The huge naval and commercial port of Vladivostok feels quite western and touristy in comparison with other cities on our visit. It is built on hills, islands and peninsulas, connected with modern bridges (and featuring an ancient funicular to the top of town). On Wednesday morning we walk down to the western coastline to watch the locals walking out onto the frozen sea and drilling holes in the ice to access the hidden fish stocks.

Our brief visit to Vladivostok marks the end of the main part of the trip, but we have the added bonus of a visit to Korea coming up, and our two and a half weeks in Russia ends on the express train to Vladivostok airport. Final traveller's hint: don't be tempted to pay someone to wrap your luggage beautifully in protective clingfilm - you will only have to take it off again...

Triple Overnighter

We treat the next train journey with trepidation. Leaving Ulan Ude Thursday 27th February early afternoon, we are due to arrive in Khabarovsk late evening on Saturday. That's nearly three days and two nights on the train. Of course it's nothing to the train journey enjoyed by those who do the whole Trans Siberian in one go on trains 1 and 2, but as restless types, we like to get out and explore rather than sitting on the train for too long. Anyway, we soon settle into the routine of our temporary lodgings, the restaurant car with ample staff (but limited stock and fictional menu) and enjoy the fantastic views of the surprisingly diverse eastern Siberian landscapes.

The routine is subjected to an unscheduled interruption a few hours before our arrival in Khabarovsk as our train comes to a halt some miles behind a derailed freight train (at least that's what we speculate has happened). The sheer volume of freight on the route means that if anything goes wrong, there is major disruption. After every previous train on our trip being bang on time (to the minute, if not the second), we are now have the prospect of a serious delay.

On occasions like this, my rusty command of the Russian language comes in handy as we are eventually evicted from the train with our luggage in the dark across icy rails, and are led to one of the waiting buses which have been rustled up to take the trainload of passengers to another train beyond the incident which has blocked the railway. We cram into the last standing room on the bus (far too polite) and are then driven under police escort across icy roads to the next train. After a major bureaucratic process to allocate us to compartments on our replacement train (a Vladivostok to Moscow service which was turning back) we settle into our bunk beds for an unscheduled third consecutive night, and are on the move at 0315, nine hours late.

We check into our hotel in Khabarovsk rather later than planned at 0730am, much to the surprise of the receptionist, and retire to our rooms for a much-needed "deep clean". Although we are sometimes at risk of a sense of humour failure, the incident does not seriously impact on our itinerary, and will provide plenty of anecdote fodder to bore people with when we get home.

Buryat

A relatively short daytime journey takes us from Irkutsk, around the south of Baikal and past spectacular lake and mountain views. In fact the majority of the seven hour journey is lakeside in the sunlight, certainly one of the most scenic railway journeys I have experienced, and rivalling some of the Alpine routes.

Our destination is Ulan Ude, the Buryat capital, close to the border with Mongolia. After checking in to the crumbling Soviet-style hotel we take a walk around the city centre, pleasantly surprised at its attractive features and friendly residents. Although mostly Russian in style, the oriental influence is now evident, and many of the people we see are of Buryat or Mongolian ethnicity.

After seeking out the largest statue of Lenin's head anywhere in the world, which is currently surrounded by beautiful ice sculptures, we head down to the Sky Bar,  on the tenth floor of an office block and providing great views of the city.

The following morning it's bitterly cold again, sub - 20°c, but we manage a stroll down to the river via the Cathedral (currently under refurbishment) and a tram trip to explore the suburbs and have a closer look at the local industrial landscape.

By the afternoon (it's now Thursday), we have bought our provisions and mentally prepared ourselves for the forthcoming longest train journey of the trip, 53 hours to Khabarovsk. Read the next post to find our whether we are still talking to each other at the end of the "double overnighter".

Irkutsk and Listvyanka

The journey from Novosibirsk is a lengthy 30 hours or so, departing lunchtime on Sunday, arriving late Monday. Traveller's hint - don't be charmed into buying drinks for the restaurant staff, regardless of their excellent service and friendliness. It gets expensive! At Irkutsk we suffer from the not uncommon problem of travelling by taxi to the hotel in the hands of a driver who hasn't the faintest idea of where to go. After a tour of the city centre and negotiating the fare down by two thirds, we are checked in to the comfortable hotel, and enjoying a late snack and beer in the pleasant bar.

Tuesday morning and it's a tram to the bus station for a day trip to Listvyanka on Lake Baikal. The bus takes just over an hour, and deposits us at a small resort which is geared up for summer visitors, with lakeside beach huts and outdoor cafés. Today, however, the temperature is somewhere south of -10°c, so outdoor tourism has to be undertaken in small doses. The lake itself is spectacular, totally frozen to the extent that the only river traffic consists of four wheel drive road vehicles and a small hovercraft. A barbecue lunch gives a chance to regain body heat before a lakeside stroll, including an investigation of the abandoned ships which are embedded into the ice.

Back in Irkutsk, we enjoy Mongolian cuisine in the evening, by far the best meal of the trip so far. As for Irkutsk itself, it has an appealing city centre, tempered by more of a wild west feel as one goes out of town.

The Siberian Capital

The day train from Omsk to Novosibirsk (Siberia's largest city and Russia's third largest) is one of excited anticipation for me. My first experiences of Russia in the 1980s had been a pair of one month study visits to the city, and I am eager to see what has changed (and what has remained the same) since the economic reforms of the 1990s.

We are back in the hotel in which I had stayed on my previous visit, although the spartan facilities have now been embellished with refurbished rooms (minus cockroaches) numerous bars and restaurants and a "gentlemen's club". We take an evening walk down to Lenin Square, where the designer brands and sushi bars have replaced the state-run providers of essentials. No kvas sellers to be seen on street corners nowadays.

The following day requires a visit to the West Siberian railway museum, a 50 minute journey away by local train. Highlights of this snow-covered outdoor museum include one of the former high speed trains, in which excited enthusiasts can sit in the cab and pretend to be the driver. More exploration of the city by public transport, and we round off the day in a pleasant beer house in the student quarter, although declining the opportunity to participate in the karaoke singalong to Russian translations of Elvis songs.

By the next day we have a free morning before joining the next train, however the temperature has dropped to -25 (plus windchill), and strolling round the city is a less than comfortable experience. Although well wrapped up, the nose and face still feel the effects of the cold, and frozen internal snot is a strange sensation. Still, we manage a visit round the city squares where the residents are enjoying their Sunday morning distractions.

Overall, Novosibirsk very much feels like the city it was 25 years ago, and I get the impression that the economic changes, although marked, have only a superficial effect on the day to day lives of the majority.

Om and Irtysh

The two rivers which converge in Omsk appear to play an important part in the city's economy, judging by the hundreds of container cranes and industry nearby. When we arrive on Thursday morning, the temperature has dropped, and the rivers are barely distinguishable from the snow-covered parks which are an attractive part of the city centre.

Our group has not quite got the hang of a good night's sleep on the train, with complaints variously of excessive heat, "pneumatic drill" snoring, and the usual problem of negotiating one's way to the toilet during the night after a beer too many in the restaurant car.

Despite feeling slightly fragile on our morning arrival, we quickly find the trolleybus for the 6km trip to the city centre, quick coffee and breakfast and bags dumped in hotel.

Then a walking tour of the city centre, and off to experience the suburbs by tram. For some of us it's an opportunity to look out of the window and see what goes on, for others an opportunity to experience the ancient, rattling Soviet-built vehicles on worn rails and observe the operational arrangements.

Returning via a war memorial flanked by scary portraits of local heroes, we walk the 2km or so along the bank of the Irtysh back to the centre, and settle into an "Irish"  pub which turns out to be rubbish (and Andrew is not impressed at having inadvertantly ordered a non-alcoholic lager). We escape to a nice restaurant with a barely-legible menu handwritten in Russian, but we end up well fed and watered.

Early night to try and recover some sleep, and wake up to -18 degrees plus windchill as we return to the station for the next stage of our journey into Siberia. Nice coincidence to see the same conductress on the trolleybus who had sold us our tickets 24 hours earlier (and who suggested that it was quite a novelty for her to see foreigners on public transport). Omsk has a bit of character and individuality , and things are now feeling more Siberian than Russian.

...but not for long

The 1830 train leaves Nizhny Novgorod bang on time, en route from somewhere in South West Russia to Severobaltaisk at the north end of Lake Baikal. Our journey is relatively short, twenty hours or so to Yekaterinburg (known for a while as Sverdlovsk, and now Russia's fifth biggest city). On the way, we pass kilometre post 1777, where an obelisk marks the entry into Asia.

In a way, this is the first time that the real frustrations and pleasures of travelling around Russia reveal themselves. The train is unbearably hot (35 degrees considered an acceptable daytime temperature). The coping strategy is to go and stand in the gaps between the coaches with the snow and ice to cool down every so often.

Arriving in Yekaterinburg in the Tuesday evening rush hour, we take the Metro and tram to find our hotel. Receptionist is clearly not happy in her work, but processes us efficiently into our adequate accommodation. Now noticeably colder, the snow ploughs are out, road traffic skidding and it is occasionally treacherous underfoot. That said, the substantial manpower and resources put into clearing the snow means that the city is kept moving. Indeed we understand that this is a warm spell, with temperatures due to drop to a more seasonal minus 29 later in the week. The brewery restaurant which we had heard so much about is shut, so we revert to a very pleasant Czech restaurant.

The following morning, we cross the substantial lake in the city centre on foot (very frozen) to find the memorial to the last Tsar, who met his downfall here. In contrast, a world leader who started his political career in Yekaterinburg was one Boris Yeltsin. I guess that it's difficult to design a Yeltsin statue that doesn't look humorous, but I think that this memorial does the former president justice.

The rest of the day involves exploring the city on the extensive tram network (all working fine despite worsening weather conditions). Finally a visit to the railway museum (closed) and to the supermarket to buy beers for the train.

Definitely feels like Russia now - despite its preparations for the world expo in 2020 and plenty of evidence of modernisation, Yekaterinburg appears to be resisting westernisation for the time being.