Moscow to Irkutsk

Part two-Moscow to Irkutsk
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The train  to Irkutsk with our 'provodnitsa

                                 

The train left Moscow Yaroslav  station at 23.45 on the 6.10.2018 I bought a 2nd class ticket in a Kupe with 3 other people.
As I mentioned before there are 3 categories you can choose from: platskartny -the cheapest or 3rd class. It is open plan carriage where you share with about 50 other people. There are bunk beds on one side and beds along the alley which means you'll have people passing by all the time. The 3 Russians I was with in the 2nd class said the 3rd class is very uncomfortable but I reckon it would be ok for a short trip. The train to Pekin had only 2nd and 1st class(2beds only in a cabin). I picked up an upper bed and it happened to be a good choice. The people in my compartment were Jurii with his wife- from Ulan Ude, they were in their 30s and an elderly lady. All of them were really nice people so I was quite lucky to travel with them.


Before I boarded the train I had a quick chat with the Provodnik -that's the carriage attendant who checked my ticket and my passport and showed me my bed. Keep in mind that they take your ticket right after you board and return it back to you just before you leave the train at your final destination. You also need your passport to buy the ticket. As it was very late when I boarded we all went to bed that night and get to know each other on the next morning. The Russians, in general, are quite inquisitive. They'll ask you all kind of questions. They'll also share all the food they have with you. Bring board games and playing cards if you can.

I managed to take some photos at the end of the train

All I could see through the window on the next day were pine and birch trees. The distances in Russia are enormous and when you travel for 7-8 hours and look at your GPS and realize you've moved an inch on the map. It's crazy. On the first day, we couldn't even reach Ural mountains. The train doesn't go extremely fast but is always on time and there's a timetable in each carriage. The average speed is maybe 60-70km/h
We passed a lot of small villages and towns. The train stops every few hours, so you've got some time to jump out and stretch your legs. You can check on the timetable in your wagon how many minutes you have or ask the Provodnitsa.On each station, there are stalls which sell all kind of refreshments. I advise you to buy a lot of instant coffee, tea bags, soup, noodles and generally food that you can prepare with hot water as there's a 'samovar;' in each carriage where you can prepare your own drinks and food. Ask the provodnik to borrow you one the cool RZD glasses they've got! I was in the last train car or N10 and the N9 was the restaurant. I tried it only once and the food was quite nice although a bit pricey. Just as an example a portion of beef stroganoff will cost you about 750 roubles /8,50 pounds and beer is about 150roubles/2 pounds.
It was after the second night when I woke up and I looked through the window and I knew we were in Siberia. All I could see were endless trees. Soon we reached Tumen.

'Babushki' selling food on the platform

We got to know better with the other 3 people in my Kupe. We shared food, told stories and they taught me a game of cards I've never played before.I must say that for me even being able to read Cyrillic the communication was very difficult and could understand only 10-15 % of what they say. Very few people speak English so many time I had to guess what they say. When I read, however, I find it much easier.

After  four days of non-stop traveling on the 10.10.2018 we finally arrived in Irkutsk

To Irkuts we travelled 5185km and arrived early in the morning. I saw a few other foreign backpackers who were waiting to board the international train to Mongolia .

The train to Mongolia

I was really tired and  needed a shower so I headed to the hostel suggested by Dmitry.
I spent  2 days in Irkutsk exploring the city and visiting Lake Baikal.