the trans-siberian railway

again, a few comments on the trans-siberian railway by an adventure travel site:

The Trans-Siberian Railway
This week long, non-stop 10,000km [6,000mls] or so ride travels from Moscow to either:
- Vladivostok on Russia's Pacific coast.
- via Mongolia to Beijing.
- via Manchuria and Harbin to Beijing.
This is reputedly one of the world's great train journeys but does not necessarily deliver a comfortable or fascinating experience for everyone.

TS train downside:
- there are no showers, except for a few lucky 1st class travelers.
- conditions will be cramped.
- dining car food will be abysmal.
- the scenery is mainly dull, tending towards endless forests and grassy plains, interspersed with the occasional log cabin, log village or vast lake. The train stops for 10 minutes a few times a day, leaving no time to explore, just time to aquire emergency supplies from the platform.
- As a consequence, life on the train is paramount, and this depends on various factors coming together. Is your car attendant cordial? Are your fellow passengers interesting? Does anyone snore? Do you mind living off fairly basic food for six days? Can you happily stare out of a dirty window looking at birch trees for hours on end? Is TV an integral part of your life? Do you have a good selection of books with you? Do you like vodka? And so on...

TS train upside:
- you can arrange to take a stop over at key points en route, for example attractive Irkutsk and nearby huge, mountain-hemmed Lake Baikal. Siberian timber buildings are often charming, colourfully decorated and carved.
- due to the fame of the train and the number of serious travellers on it there will almost always be someone interesting you can find to chat to for days, though a good companion and a monster picnic hamper [loaded with - you've guessed - vodka] would be a useful starting point.
- if you are actually going east/west for a purpose - such as for work in Japan or China - you will be saving the air fare.

Train Survival hints:
- don't drink the tap water. A samovar [hot water pot] in each carriage supplies sterile water.
- clean your window to improve views and photos.
- stand well clear when flushing the toilet, it can backfire if the train travels at speed.
- learn a few key Russian phrases to charm your surly attendants.
- take lots of vodka with you. You can buy some snacks, fruit, cigarettes etc during 15 minute stops at stations, but no alcohol, and you will be doing a lot of socialising!