Beijing reached, we sleep in a prison cell!

In the early afternoon we reached Beijing. On the way to the hostel we bought SIM cards for our smartphones. This went quite well at the supplier China Unicom and the employee was able to speak English. Now we have 20 GB and 300 min to make calls for 100 Yang 4 weeks of Internet. We were also able to pull cash comfortably at the vending machine.

PLoft Hostel is a former prison and comes across quite authentically. But the beds are certainly more comfortable than those of the prisoners!

We sleep in cell 17.

Silke

Last stage Trans-Mongolian Railway Ulaanbaatar -Beijing

Back on the train "K4" from Ulaanbaatar to Beijing! 7:30 a.m. – 2:35 p.m. + 1 day about 1500 km!

In the Mongolian train restaurant, the freshly prepared scrambled eggs with onions tasted very good! I was allowed to look into the kitchen and all the dishes are freshly cooked. There is an extra area for dishwashing – I haven't discovered a dishwasher!

The route leads through the Gobi desert for hours through uninhabited territory! You can see a few houses and yurts, a herd of horses, cows or camels from time to time!

At the border with China 21:00 we have to get off with all our luggage, wait through the border control and 5 hours in the station hall for the conversion for the Chinese track width!

Silke

Terelj National Park, Genghis-Khan, Turtle Rock, Nomad family Yurt/Ger, Yak

Through our hostel we booked a great trip for the 28.9./29.9. and got to know a piece of real Mongolia.

We rented a car with driver for one day. The very nice driver drove us over the winter palace of Bogd Kahn and the Dsaisan memorial (on a hill in the south of the city), to the National Park Terelj. From UB (Ulan Bator) to the huge Genghis Khan statue about 54 km away. The equestrian statue, which is about 30 m high on a pedestal, is 10 years old and arguably the tallest equestrian statue in the world. We reached the head of the horse by an elevator and a few stairs, from where you have a magnificent view of the Mongolian steppe.

Then we went to Turtle Rock, which honors its name! The stairs to the Ariyabal Meditation Temple have also paid off. The temple is built on a steep slope and has the shape of an elephant head. The 108 steps simbolize the trunk.

After that, the adventure started! A young man picked us up at a meeting point where we were to take the bus back to UB the next day. The riverbed had to be crossed on foot over bridges and balancing over tree trunks. In an all-terrain vehicle we sat in front three and drove through deep streams, cross-country through the mountains to the yurts (Mongolian "Ger") of the nomadic family. Reiner and I got a yurt for us, with a coal oven in the middle (which our family had cheered on us well, but which was cold in the morning), a table, a washbasin and four beds in it. No running water, electricity for light is generated with solar cells on car batteries. To the toilet one had to walk behind a wooden shed about 25 m away. In the second Ger, the young family slept with the young child.

Everyone was very friendly! We were the only visitors there and there were still the grandma and the grandpa, aunt and uncle for dinner. The young woman spoke a few words of English and otherwise we took "hands and feet" and actually took the picture dictionary to talk to grandma and toddler. We got traditional milk tea and delicious pastries (like radar cakes) with homemade butter and it was probably cooked a vegetarian noodle soup with vegetables especially because of me! I was also allowed to take a snab. After a cool night, but thanks to padded jackets, sleeping bag and provided blankets, we slept quite warm again, there was tea water and the pastry in our yurt.

The family members then built on another yurt and installed, among other things, an antenna for a phone! Reiner and I couldn't help much and climbed on a small hike to the next mountain – insane view! Then the uncle and the young man drove the horses in and saddled one for Reiner! Reiner also ventured for a while! The uncle took us back to the bus stop. Horses, cows and yak graze on the pastures all around! There are no fences or linen!

The bus arrived on time at 2 o'clock PM and was actually already full! But the driver has strapped our backpacks onto the roof and everyone should come together a bit! The first 30 km we drove with 25 people in a large taxi (I at Reiner on the lap) towards Ulan Bator. The last 30 km we changed to a bigger bus and landed at the hotel again at about 18:00.

Mongolia could definitely have been a few days longer!

Silke

Ulan-Bator, Gandan Monastery, Vegan Dinner

After checking in at the hostel and after a nice welcome breakfast we did some tasks (such as swapping .B rubles in Tugrik, …), we went to the nearby Gandan Monastery at noon. It is a temple complex where Buddhist sciences are taught. Janraisig College is home to the 26.5-metre-high statue of the goddess Janraisig. Today was probably a good day to get married. In front of the temple, the newlyweds and wedding parties queued up to take pictures!

Many guests had traditional clothes on! The children were also very sweetly cleaned out!

In the evening we were still eating vegan in the restaurant "Luna Blanca". Reiner had fried shiitake mushrooms on broccoli with rice and I cooked and fried vegan dumplings with chilli and horseradish sauce. I was absolutely surprised by Mongolia!

Silke

306bl Ulan-Ude 26.9.- Ulan-Bator 27.9.

We were able to store our luggage in the hostel and walked through Ulan-Ude again during the day.

The train arrived in Ulan-Ude 30 minutes late. The passengers who were already on the train were no longer allowed to get out onto the platform.By Ulan-Bator we had caught up with the delay.We didn't get much sleep because there was intensive border control twice. With face check, customs declaration, opening backpacks and compartment search. We stood one hour from about 20:45 at the Russian border for departure in Naushki, and about 75 minutes from 23:00 in Sukhe-Bator to enter Mongolia.

Besides, the locomotive (we were right behind it) whistled loudly every few minutes and it smelled quite like qualm. 

The wagon 2.Class was a bit older and the mattresses a little harder but otherwise the same as the Russian ones. There was a pillowcase, a small one. Towel and two sheets. The coal stove at the entrance was particularly interesting.

Silke

Ulan-Ude, Tarbagatay

In glorious sunshine we made a trip to Tarbagatay today. This is a pretty old village about 50 km from Ulan-Ude. There still live many "old believers" . This is a small Russian ethnic group that split from the Russian Orthodox Church in the 17th century and was sent to Siberia by the Tsar. We have discovered a small church (which was unfortunately closed), a cemetery above the settlement and many colorful wooden houses with ornate shutters! If you wish, you could book a cultural show for tourists there to get to know the customs of the "Old-Believers".

We are just a little streaked through the streets. The bus ride by regular taxi alone (approx. every 30 min from the bus station for 110 rubles per person/trip) was already worthwhile because of the beautiful landscape.

Also for Ulan-Ude we had a little time to explore it afterwards. The Lenin head is already very impressive!

Silke

4th.Stage Ikutsk – Ulan Ude, 3.Class

We had places in the 3rd place today. Class reserved because we were only on the road during the day for about 8 hours.That was totally OK for this trip.

The compartments are not closed with a sliding door. On the opposite side of the aisle there are also bunk beds, where you can turn the lower bench into two seats with a table during the day. The headroom is slightly lower than in the 2. Class.

A service employee came by the place with a tray and sold us Piroschki with apple and potato filling.

The route along Lake Baikal offers a wonderful view of the lake!

Silke

Irkutsk city walk

We explored Irkutsk on foot. Very nice was the walking route "Green Line", which can be comfortably run in 2-4 hours. The green line is marked not only in the city map, but also on the sidewalks. In front of the numbered sights there is an information board with Russian/English/Chinese descriptions. We found the 130th district particularly beautiful, a pedestrian area with pretty historic buildings and many restaurants. Right at the front we received "Babr" the Siberian tiger beaver with a sled in the mouth, the heraldic animal of the city.

Silke