The Trans-Siberian Railway - Part 3 Ulaanbaatar to Beijing

After passing an exciting month in Mongolia I got back onto the train. A little more than 28 hours and one border separated me now from my next destination, Beijing. The breathing mask I bought gave me the feeling of being well prepared. (A small Reminder: The smog situation in Beijing in December was so bad that it was worldwide in the news. Yes, I know I'm pretty behind on my blog!) Before sunrise I made my way to the station through Ulaanbaatar's still dark and deserted streets. On my last morning I experienced the city from a different side, quiet without the heavy traffic and the constant honking. I strolled along the sleepy platform looking for my compartment. When I entered it I met my new travel mates, an US couple and a Scottish girl who were already getting comfortable. After stowing my big backpack in the bench and doing the same the train started moving with a sudden jerk. Suddenly I could feel all those butterflies in my stomach, my next adventure was about to begin...

Despite small differences (This time there was a working sink!) the Trans-Siberian trains are all basically the same, so I felt at home pretty quickly. The rocking movements of the carriage put me into a state of deep relaxation and I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer. After my nap I was overcome by hunger. I made my way to the dining car and the American couple came with me because they also wanted to eat Mongolian to spent the rest of their Tugrik. Entering the restaurant we got a strange look from the waiter. Before we could sit down he told us, that there was no space available for us every table was reserved. Though they were all still empty no one wanted even to prepare us something to take away. Somehow perplexed about the unfriendly treatment we asked what we could get. "Three beers to go" with these words the waiter handed us three cold cans of beer and ushered us out. I tried my luck again a little later this time I was sent away because of the soon coming border crossing and the exchange of the dining cars there this time with "Snickers to go". Whether I liked it or not I had to accept that I wouldn't get a hot meal on the train and keep my leftover Tugrik. (It's really impossible to exchange them abroad.) There was still the coal heated samovar so I could at least get a hot cup of tea.

Since border crossings in trains have become kind of a routine I cut myself short this time. First we stood forever on the Mongolian side of the border, then on the Chinese. Chinese trains unfortunately run on a different gauge (width of the tracks) than the Russian and Mongolian ones. As a consequence each carriage needs to change bogies (wheels). For this it is separated from the others, lifted up, put down onto the new bogies and connected again. That was a very noisy and bumpy process. It lasted for hours while we were desperately trying to sleep since it was already 11pm. We all wanted to be well rested for the next morning because the Lonely Planet promised spectacular views and a lot of tunnels before entering Beijing. But see for yourselves... 

After over 28 hours and 1357km we arrived in Beijing. We expected the worst (considering smog) when we got off the train and were surprised by a bright blue sky. The long awaited wind had cleared the smog away. In the hostel I had another surprise waiting for me...