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After spending 5 days in Irkutsk and Lake Baikal, today I will be taking a Mongolian train (2nd class 3,325 rub-Euro$81) from Irkutsk to Ulaan Baatar, Mongolia. My Russian visa is due to expire on 12 June so the timing is just right for me to take this train to Mongolia. If you have the time, I suggest you stay a night in Ulan Ude, a border town in Russia very close to the Mongolian border. From there, you could take a bus to Ulaan Baatar which may take a full day to arrive. The only concern is the Russian & Mongolian border immigration check points which can be bureaucratic and may cause delay. We faced a similar experience when our train arrived at Zamyn-Uud , the Mongolian border town and we wasted almost 5-6 hours for both sides to complete their protocol checks (health, customs & passport) .
As our train approached towards the Mongolian side, the landscape began to change into endless steppe, large area of land with grass but few trees; green brown earth , blue sky making the scenery very pleasing to look at from the train windows. The sunset scene over the steppe and rivers made good pictures to admire.
I supposed to stay for three nights in Ulaan Baatar but due to a train delay, I only had a full day in UB. However, I put up a day stay in UB Guest House (US$6 dorm) so as to make use of the kitchen and toilet facilities and also using the hostel to buy a train ticket (US$36 + US$5 service fee) for my trip from Ulaan Bataar to Erlian, a border town in Inner Mongolia under the China's rule. So my stay in Mongolia was short but satisfying after seeing the major tourist sites in the city.
Due to the outbreak of influenza A (H1N1) , all passengers were subject to strict health checks ( using the thermal thermometer to detect fever) at all the Russian, Mongolian and Chinese border exit points. I had bad cough in Irkutsk but no fever, so I was lucky otherwise I could have to be quarantined in one of these countries !
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1) Train ride from Irkutsk, Russia to Ulaan Bataar, Mongolia - 3 days 2 nights without showers !
2) Mongolian train 2nd class - no 3rd class berths for the Mongolia trains so you have to spend more on the train ticket for this segment of route to enter China.
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3) Russian & Mongolian country side - Endless steppes, blue sky, winding rivers, green and brown shrubs, traditional Mongolian ger (tent) made the landscape very picturesque.
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4) Sunset over the Russian & Mongolian country side
5) Sukhbaatar Square - the Government house, the Palace of Culture, the Mongolian National Art Gallery, the National Museum of Mongolian History, the statutes of Genghis Khan & Sukhbataar, a national war hero in 1920's - take your time to visit all these places in the Square.
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6) Gandan Khiid Monastery - Built in 1838, largest and most important monastery in Mongolia. Over 150 monks live here.
7) Mongolian temples & monasteries in UB
8) Statues
9) Ulaan Bataar town center - a mix of modern and old traditional buildings; experienced traffic jams in certain busy streets.
Something to ponder in Ulaan Bataar: Russians and Mongolians are great drinkers of Vodka. Day or night , this Vodka drink to them is just like drinking our coffee and tea at homes. I was offered Vodka a few times by both Russians and Mongolians but I politely turned down the offers for fear that I may end up walking like an Australian mud crab losing my common sense and sense of directions in foreign lands !
" The Trans-Mongolian was an ancient tea caravans route between Beijing and Moscow in the 18th & 19th centuries. In the old days, travelers and traders took 40 days to complete this 7,865km journey. The train journey now's take less than a week by express or normal trains.
The Secret of Life - Everyday you live is a special occasion "
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