SAPA
The train to Sapa was quite an experience, we shared out cabin with a couple from Singapore, the first time we had to share and it worked out OK. It laid one of my ghosts as I had been dreading sharing, it wasn't as bad as I thought it may be.
We arrived in Lao Cai at about 6am and got the bus up to Sapa which is about 20 miles. The beginning part of the journey was fine and the scenery was spectacular but as we progressed the cloud started to fall and we were then unable to see anything. It was also cold and damp which set the scene for all the time we were there. This was a real shame as the hotel we stayed in had wonderful views over a valley (or so we were told). Sapa was definately not our favourite place and I would advise anyone who thinks of going there to read up before hand. The only business in Sapa is tourism and mostly for people who want to trek. The whole of the small town is given over to hotels, restaurants and shops selling to the tourist trade. On top of this there is an army of women from ethnic tribes, all dressed in their national costume, who will not leave you alone and insist that you are going to buy some of their trinkets. They have a very small personal space and do not take 'no' for an answer. In the end I would have been quite rude had I known the local dialect for 'go away', or something similar.
We had a trip booked in the afternoon to the Silver Waterfall. Again this would have been spectacular in good weather, in the mist and rain it was a bit of trial. There are also hundreds of steps, at high altitude this is not for the faint hearted. Sadly the place was not being maintained and at one place where the steps had broken away there was a makeshift wooden bridge over the gap and the hand rail was missing, replaced by some twigs, a rather scarey experience. The guide insisted we walk over to the edge of the valley where we stood for about 5 minutes gazing at a water buffalo which was only a few feet away, the only thing we could see!
You may have gathered this was not a huge success. We had a trek to a local village planned for the following day. John and I had a pow-wow that evening and decided there was no way we were trekking through the mist just to be contronted by the local mafia selling us things. When the guide arrived we asked him to take us on a slow drive to Lao Cai lower down the mountain we could see the scenery, take some pictures and spend some time further down the mountain. I think he was quite relieved at this decision and I also think we may have done wonders for his opinion of the British as he now thinks we are not all mad, that some of us have a bit of common sense.
We rather liked Lao Cai, had a walk around, found a local market selling just about anything, including a leg of beef with the hoof still attached, rather disturbing, confirms vegetarianism.
Our train left Lao Cai at 8pm and was due to arrive in Hanoi at 4.30 in the morning. The timing was rather important as we had our first flight booked to leave the Airport at 6.30 with the check-in due to close 30 minutes before hand. We had been told that the drive to the airport took about 45 minute to an hour so we were concerned we may not make it. We had originally intended to take the train to Hue but there had been really bad floods and the line was washed away so for the first time we were taking a form of transport other than a train, amazing when you think you can go from Southbourne to Hanoi all by train.
In the end it was a tight squeeze, we arrived at the airport at 5.50, just in time to check in and jump on the plane to Hue.
At this point I have to say something about our agent in Hanoi. He arranged all our trips for us, at a much better price than anywhere else. he kept our luggace for us while we were in Halong Bay and Sapa, he met us at the station with our luggage at 4.30 in the morning and had a taxi waiting to take us to the airport. We would have no hesitation in recommending him to any of our friends. The company is called Viet Sail.

In Hanoi

Hanoi has got to be experienced. There are few words to describe the traffic in Hanoi but all of them would have the same meaning and that would be chaos!! I suppose if you start with the understanding that there are no rules that would be helpful. There are not a huge number of cars but there are squillions of motor bikes and scooters and they are on the go all the time. It would seem that a favourite sport is to drive around town on your scooter to meet your friends, have tea and then set off again to the next place. They go up the street on the side that has space, if there is no space you just use the pavement; that is, if there is space on the pavement because that is where you park your bike, eat your food, have a drink, and just about anything else. Walking is just not what you do on the pavement, walking is done on the road with all the other traffic. We were at a cross roads the other day and there was a display that the Metropolitan Police display team would have had to practice for months to achieve, this was achieved by kids on motor bikes just going about their daily routine. The amazing thing was we did not see one accident.
Our Hotel in Hanoi was functional, clean and comfortable, we had a wooden bath tub in the bathroom which was a bit of a novelty. The hotel was situated near Hoan Kiem Lake. On the first day, which was Saturday, we went for a walk around the lake and to the island in the centre which is a shrine to Buddha. On the bridge over to the shrine there were photogaphers taking pictures of couples in wedding attire. We thought that this was for a magazine or something and watched for a minute before moving on. Then we saw similar couples with photographers all around the lake. It would seem that a tradition is to go to the lake in all your finery to have pictures taken with the lake as a backdrop. There must have been 50 or so couples all doing the same thing. It was quite a sight.
Our hotel was near a water puppet theatre so that evening we decided to see the show. When we reached the box office all the tickets for that evening had been sold so we were trying to book for the following evening until there appeared to be a change of heart and we were sold tickets for that very evening. Having had a yummy meal we returned to the theatre and found we had the best seats in the front row. I can only assume they save some seats in case a VIP turns up and when it gets near to the start of the programme they sell these off if no VIPs are in evidence. What ever the reason we had the best seats in the house. The show was really magical, a 'must do' experience if you go to Hanoi.
The following day we went to the 'One Pillar Pagoda' and to the Literature Temple. The One Pillar Pagoda was exactly what is said it was and not that remarkable but the Literature Temple was really interesting. It dates from the 15th century and had been rebuilt after the war in 1946 but to a very authentic model. The Stelae were inscribed with the names of the academics who had studied in the temple and had on the whole been well preserved. There were artifacts which had been excavated from the 12th century and more modern treasures all on display. There was a performance of music played on traditional instruments, one in particular where the music was made by clapping hands together in front of hollow bamboo pipes, where the sound travelled up through and came out as a low pitch pan pipe sort of sound, it was fascinating.
We had booked a trip to Halong Bay and to SaPa with a local tour operator and were a bit apprehensive about the quality of the tours as they were significantly cheaper than the tours on offer in the hotel. The following morning was time for the first trip, that was to Halong Bay.

Halong Bay
The drive to Halong takes about 3.5 hours and is interesting as life is on the move, on the back of scooters, hanging off lorries and just at the roadside. When we arrived in Halong the place was heaving with people all queuing up to get on their Junks for the trip. I have to say at this point I was not feeling optomistic, it all felt really touristy, a bit run down and I did not have high hopes for our boat; perhaps, because it was called the Poseidon had something to do with this. We got into a small motor boat for the trip out to our Junk. As we approached it looked much like the other Junks so that was a bit of comfort. The greeting from the staff was warm and friendly, felt a couple of degrees better. We went into the dining room which looked really nice and like the pictures we had been shown, a couple of degrees better. Then we had a welcome drink of lime juice and were allocated our cabins, several degrees better. When we went to our cabin, again we were treated well as we had one of the two larger cabins on the middle deck with a double bed and small shower room which was really clean and tidy, many more degrees better. We then returned to the dining room for lunch had had the most delicious sea food meal. By now I was feeling really happy and amazed that we were having such an fantastic value experience. John too had been feeling somewhat apprehensive but was now feeling equally happy with our lot. We were only nine passengers on this first leg of the trip. It was a bit like the league of nations, there was a Spanish couple, a single American woman, four from Russia and us. We had booked for a two night trip, all the others had booked for a single night, we knew we were going to have to do the same trip twice and were now looking forward to this.
As soon as the boat set off we approached the Islands which cover the whole of the bay which is miles and miles long. I had imagined that there would be just a few of the Islands but the reality is that there are hundreds, it is just amazing. Into the afternoon we stopped and got into the motor boat which is towed behind and were taken to what is called the Amazing Cave. Apparently when it was discovered it was called the horrible cave as one of the rock formations looked like a horrible face. When it was made a world heritage site they were concerned that people wouldn't want to visit as the name would be so off-putting so it was renamed the Amazing cave. The name really fits. The cave is in several chambers each more dramatic than the last and is positively vast. In the largest chamber you could look across to the other side and see other visitors which looked to be the size of ants, truly something.
On leaving the cave, we were taken by boat to a floating fish farm which also hired out kayaks. John and I had a kayak for two. My ability to get from a floating fish farm into a kayak is not to be repeated, I heard all the rest of the party gasp as I lay flat on the bottom of the of the thing, it was like I had done a reverse belly flop on to the kayak. Sitting up was not easy as the life jacket fitted like a corset. I just had to keep thinking to myself that these people are never going to see me again so I can do what I want. John's entry was not much better but it did have a cetain elegance that mine lacked. It was all worth it as kayaking round the islands was such a treat. I was surprised how quickly we picked this up and flew through the water, well almost. Getting out of the boat is best left to your imagination but if you think of crawling you have just about got it!!
On returning to our boat we again set off around the Islands and it was just picture after picture. It was all so beautiful. Our evening meal was great, we sat up on deck for a while but we had a reasonably early night as it had been quite a tiring day. The following day we went to Cat Ba Island. We could have spent the day here if we had wanted, while the boat returned to pick up the next group but we were having such a wonderful time on the boat we decided to stay on board on the sun deck and relax on the sunbeds, difficult choice I know!
The next group who arrived were much livelier than the first ones and again an interesting mix of Nationalities. A group of five from Singapore, two Canadians, two Americans, a couple from France and a couple from Chile who now lived in Australia. This last couple had a little girl aged one and a half and the mother was 6 months pregnant.
We set off again and this time John and I decided to give the cave and kayaking a miss and to again just enjoy the sundeck. The difference this time came in the evening. I don't think the notion of an early night occured to this group. We all stayed in the dining rom after dinner and then the tour guide brought out the Karaoke. Both John and I looked at each other and said "no way". By the end of the evening we had sung 'Love is all around' 'Pretty Woman' and an Abba song I would rather forget. We also joined in the group singing of a few others. I can't believe I did this, John is denying it ever happened!!!
All I can say is that Halong Bay has a magic which has to be experienced, It is better than any picture you will ever see, we loved it, you must experience Halong Bay.

Train to Hanoi

The 'West' train station in Beijing was an experience in itself. It was packed. It felt like half of China was on the move and all with huge amounts of baggage. The station was divided into waiting areas for each platform. Each of these waiting areas was about half the size of a football pitch and full of seats but we struggled to find somewhere to sit. We also seemed to be the only Europeans waiting. I was a bit apprehensive about this journey which was two nights and, as there is not the facility to book a cabin for two, I knew we were going to have to share. I was looking nervously at my fellow passengers wondering who was going to be our cabin mate for the next two days and I dreaded it being the man who had tons of luggage, looked like he had been travelling for days already and I am sure he must snore. By the time our train was ready to be boarded I was beginnning to wish we had flown.
When we eventually got to the train our cabin was fine, a little grubby maybe but with those dreaded four bunks. The cabin attendant told us that indeed there would be one more person so I held my breath waiting for the chap with the luggage but nobody came. The train set off and the cabin attendant came to tell us we were going to be alone and I was mightly relieved. About an hour into the journey, however, a chap did come and hauled his luggage into the compartment. He indicated one of the spare bunks as his, proceeded to open his luggage, took out two beers, gave one to John and made himself comfortable. I had just began to think that this was not going to be so bad when along came the steward, saw the intruder and turfed him out. I think he took pity on these two poor old pensioners and wanted us to have some space to ourselves or perhaps he did not want to inflict us on his fellow countrymen. Which ever was the case, I was a bit relieved.
The scenery that evening was pretty dull, just suburbs of Beijing. Along the way we were astounded at the amount of building which is taking place, there are high level blocks going up everywhere and into the distance and that is just what we could see from the train. The night was comfortable, we were back on reconstituted food but also with a supply of fresh fruit from a trolley on the train.
The scenery the following day was wonderful. We passed south through China in almost a straight line. Going through Guilin was particularly wonderful, with huge great rocky outcrops dotted about the landscape, it had a rather ethereal feel as most of the time as there was a faint mist hanging in the air. We passed some of the biggest rivers I have seen, saw people toiling in the fields planting and harvesting all sorts of crops and all by hand or with water buffalo. It was an amazing experience and not to be missed.
We knew we were not going to get much, if any, sleep the second night as we were going to reach the border with Vietnam round about midnight and also would have to change trains. We stopped at Nanning at about 8pm where we had to get off the train while this was separated, it ended up as just a couple of carriages which were then pushed for three hours by a very noisy train, which hooted every few seconds, down to Ping Xiang where the Chinese border guards got on the train to look at passports and exit cards. We were held here for about an hour and a half before being shunted off again to Dong Dang and the Vietnam border at about 2.30, where we again had to get off the train, this time with luggage as we had to change trains. The passport control took quite a while as there were other passengers to process. It wasn't until we boarded the train at just before 5am that we realised that it was only one carriage which had ourselves, a couple of young Swiss women and a family of three. We were the only passengers for the rest of the journey.
If the last train was noisy, this one surpassed it in every way. It vibrated like mad, made the most horrendous noise from what pretended to be air conditioning and hooted and tooted its way to Hanoi. Despite all this, we briefly fell asleep, before crossing to the most amazing entry into Hanoi at about 9am. Buildings were right up against the line and if I say that I would have been able to put my arm out of the window and take dishes off the table by the window in some of the houses I would not be telling a lie. Clothes lines were draped along the walls of houses and I could have taken their washing in for them. Despite all the noise, lack of sleep and grubbiness I wouldn't have missed the journey for the world.

Beijing

The Hotel I had booked in Beijing was called the Double Happiness and what a prophesy that turned out to be. The place was just delightful. The reception staff were like little chirpy birds who could all speak wonderful English, one in particular, was self taught and keen to improve her vocabulary, she now refers to John as her 'Pedagog'. Our room was wonderfully chinese with a bed we had to climb into but with a lovely soft western mattress and snuggly duvets and pillows. The whole of the bed was draped in silk with tassels and tie backs, I felt a bit like a concubine lying there although John would have rather enlisted one of the reception girls for that role I think.
The hotel was a Courtyard hotel and situated in the middle of the Hutong so life just outside the door was really interesting. We spent our first afternoon just wandering around and taking in the atmosphere and in the evening went to a local restaurant. The menu was interesting to say the least. One could dine on donkey, pigs colon, chicken webs, snake and just about any other part of any animal you care to mention. We settled on fish and mushrooms. I have to say some of the fish was way outside any fish anatomy I have come across before and was rather a strange texture. We almost finished the bowl and thankfully our robust constitutions saved the day and we have remained fine.
Day two was spent exploring the Forbidden City. We had been there once before, about 10 years ago when we were with an organised tour. We both felt that we had only just skimmed the surface then and wanted to spend some more time looking around. Even spending the whole day there we just about explored half of it. To do the place some justice I think you need to spend at least four or five days looking at one section at a time. We do at least feel we have a much better idea about the use of the buildings and the history and intrigue behind those who lived there. Food was pretty ordinary on this day although we did make the dreadful mistake of paying sixteen pounds for pot of green tea!
The following day we went to the Lama Temple which was a reasonable walk from where we were staying. The Temple is Buddhist and we, along with hundreds of others, lit incense sticks to the Buddah. It was strangely moving and a rather spiritual experience so I offered some thoughts to Buddah which I hope will help one or two people who were very much in my thoughts at the time.
The afternoon was spent at the shops, mainly the Pearl Market...wonderful and irresistable. I now have added to my luggage some pearls but I don't mind the extra weight. The Pearl Market not only sells Pearls but also a whole range of things including electrical items, John lingered long by the Apple computer stall and had a rather wistful look as we left.
That evening we went to the night market, this is amazing and a must do if you go to Beijing. It is the most alive and vibrant place imaginable. The food stalls were selling the most amazing array of food, some of it rather sad like sea horses and some of it just yuckie like impaled scorpions on sticks which were waiting to be barbequed. Some of it was just totally delicious like steamed fish or meat dumplings, wonderful noodles and to finish off these banana doughnuts which were just to die for.
The market sold an incredible range of wonderful rubbish. If it was later in the trip I would have stocked up on so much but the thought of adding to our load was a real deterrent so we did resist.
The next day was our final morning in Beijing so guess where we went, back to the Pearl Market. John had brooded all evening about the lost opportunity at the 'Apple' stall. To cut a long story short we are now the owners of two iPhones, the latest model 4 for the princely sum of fifty pounds each. I wonder if they are the real thing???? Oh! forgot to mention John also has a Rolex watch for seven pounds, that just has to be genuine!
At 4pm we are at Beijing rail station for our train to Hanoi.
Just a few observations about Beijing. In 10 years the place has changed beyond all recognition. Replacing push bikes are electric bikes. There are of course still push bikes in evidence but the vast majority are now electric. Where there were dusty side walks there are now pavements everywhere. the Metro is so user friendly all the signage is in English as well as Chinese, it is also incredibly busy at all times of the day and night. We had one bus trip and that was in dual language too. People were unfailingly polite, helpful and smiley, a huge contrast to Moscow. Everyone we met wanted to practice their language skills and commonly people were competent if not fluent in English. They also brightened up when they knew we were English we were very well received. You have probably guessed, we loved Beijing.

Those of you who have been following this Blog may have thought that I had given up on it....that is not the case. My intention was to continue the Blog once we arrived in Beijing, unfortunately I was not thinking of the restrictions the Chinese Government put on access to the Internet, one of these restrictions is to block all Blogs. When in Beijing it is easy to forget that the population are still subject to restrictions on information, it all feels so Westernised, this is clearly not the case but more about that later. For now let me backtrack to Moscow and our final day there.

Our final day in Moscow dawned cold wet and grey. I came to the conclusion that it is this type of weather which dictates the mood of the population. I have to say it was difficult to get a smile out of anyone, they were all so glum. As the weather was inhospitable we decided to go to the Pushkin Museum, this was a good choice. It was just large enough to keep us occupied but not so large that you felt a couple more days may mean you could see it all. On leaving the Museum we saw people entering a nearby Cathedral, I am unsure of the name of this but we decided we too would go and have a look, it was magnificent. The walls were covered in wonderful frescos, the ceilings were painted in the most glorious colours and there were fabulous Icons everywhere, a real find.

After that we made our way to the old quarter known as Arbat which had a lively feel about it with people in the street trying to entice you into their shop to buy souvenirs or anything they could possibly persuade you that you couldn't leave Moscow without buying. We were very restrained and only had something to eat, a very poor meal in an 'Italian' self service restaurant where they had a complicated method of charging for the food which nobody explained, or even helped me to understand with the use of charades!

After our meal it was time to buy a few more provisions for our train trip and make our way to the station.

I was not sorry to leave Moscow, not my favourite place and I won't be holding my breath to return. One of the plus points for Russia against the UK is the absence of chewing gum in the streets which seems to be a plague at home. Also, everywhere was spotlessly clean if a little run down ... there, I have ended on a kind note about Moscow.

The Trans Siberian Railway
What an adventure. John and I had to keep pinching ourselves to believe it was actually us doing this trip. Our home for the six nights was a very smart cabin with bunks on one side and an armchair by the window on the other side. At the side of the armchair was a door leading to a very small wetroom which had a sink and shower. This was set up as a Jack and Jill arrangement where the wet room was shared with the next door cabin. All sounds great except that the shower only dribbled out lukewarm water, we certainly did not use it and I don't think anyone else did either. This room was really useful for washing and washing up so no complaints really. For the most of the trip we were a select group in our carriage. Two Swedish couples, a chap from Newcastle who was travelling by himself and us. We all got on well and had quite a good time together.
The scenery for the first few days was rather samey and I have to say on day 2 I was beginning to think that 6 days confined in a train with just birch trees to look at out of the window was going to get to me and the thought of flying to China had quite a few attractions. It was about this time that we all started to get on together and started to learn things about our fellow travellers, what they were doing, where they were going. It is also amazing how quickly we, as humans, adapt to a different routine and we were no exception to this. As soon as the train pulled into the station it was coats on, down the steps and see what the vendors on the platforms had to sell. We became rather fond of potato and cabbage cakes which were a bit like a large doughnut filled with savoury cabbage. If you could find them warm they were particularly nice. We did try the restaurant car once between Moscow and Mongolia, but the food was hopeless(cooked by Russians) and desperately overpriced. Everyone either brought their own provisions or shopped from the Station vendors. Hot water was available at the end of the carriage so you could reconstitute dried food, I have never eated so much stuff from a pot!
On the subject of the hot water. This was from a boiler which was fired by a tiny solid fuel furnace in the front. All the carriage heating was from a solid fuel stove in the corridor, the supply of coal would be replenished at each stop and the boiler would chugg away all the time. The coach Steward would cook his food on the boiler and given the chance I would have eaten in his cabin any day, the smells were just delicious.

It wasn't until Friday when we got to Lake Baikal, and a place called Ulan Ude beyond that, the scenery changed. I think if I did the trip again I would spend a few days at Lake Baikal as it was just stunning, it was at this point that some other people joined the train and talked about their time there, which did sound great. We at last left behind miles and miles of birch trees, (Russia must have millions of them) and had some varied and interesting scenery. Near Baikal, there were small snow capped mountains, and lots of houses which were more affluent looking than the rather poor ramshackle houses which lined the track through Russia. We saw wild horses, heards of cattle and for the first time sheep and goats. There were wide open rivers and small streams feeding into them, it was all picture perfect.

On the Saturday we went across the Border into Mongolia. The border guards made a thorough search of the carriage even taking down a roof panel to see if we were hiding someone up there. At Ulan Bator lots more passengers got on and our carriage was now full. One of the Swedish couples got off and they went to spend a few days in a yurt in the Gobi Desert, it was freezing at that point and I was pleased it wasn't me. It was only as we travelled out of Ulan Bator that I realised how common yurts were and that they had fires and in fact looked really snug, perhaps Thomas and his wife would be OK after all. The Gobi Desert reminded us both of Oman. Lots of rolling hills covered in a yellow/brown screed. You could see where water had run, on the rare occasions it rains, it was all rather barren but at the same time rather beautiful.

Sunday saw us cross the border into China. Lots of fun and games as they have to change the wheels on the train to accomodate the narrower track in China. We all stayed in the carriage as it was jacked up about 6 foot into the air and one set of bogies removed and the next set slid under. Health and safety in the UK would have had kittens, John was in his element! Border control went through the same procedure as before and were all thoroughly searched, our passports scrutenised and lots of rubber stamping.

China was different again and our trip through the countryside and into Beijing was particularly splendid. The train travelled alongside the most wonderful Gorge, it quite took your breath away in places. We were not expecting such beautiful scenery, it was a wonderful welcome into Beijing.
To be continued.

What a wonderful day we had on Sunday. The weather here in Moscow was wonderful, sunny and warm and it seemed that everyone had come out to enjoy the day. We went into the centre of the city and started in the Kremlin.

There was a long queue to buy the tickets to get in, when we got to the ticket office we could only buy the main entrance not a ticket for the Armoury which was the main thing we wanted to visit. Apparently we were too early we could only get the ticket 45 minutes later. Quite why this was the case we do not know so it meant we had to go back and queue again. I have to say we cheated the second time as we had spotted there was another door which few people were using so crept in there and avoided another long wait.

The Kremlin conplex feels like a complete place, a town of its own. Lots of Police around who blew whistles if you walked in the road even though I think only one vehicle went through. There is an enormous cannon cast in Bronze which was a clear attraction especiallly for the children. The buidings are magnificent with tons of Gold on the domes which are apparently modeled on the headgear of the women at the time.

The Armoury was indeed the high spot of the visit the artifacts housed in this building have to be seen, they defy description. The precious gems and metals and workmanship was astounding. It was incrdible how well preserved things were and it seems remarkable that they all survived the revolution. Highly recommended, a must see.

After the Kremlin we went to Red Square, very atmospheric. You could think back to the 60s and beyond where all the Communist leadership were overlooking the square and the show of pride in the armaments on parade, a bit chilling in a way. I was a bit surprised that the square wasn't larger, it always lookd vast on the TV. Lenin's tomb was not open but I doubt we would have queued even had it been so.

Again we were somewhat surprised at the size of Saint Basil's Cathedral. It is a real confection of colour and form. Because of the age and history it has to be appreciated but not really to my taste.

It was a wonderful and tiring day.

Monday

Monday and Tuesday are not the best days to be in Moscow as many of the Galleries and historic buildings are closed. We went on a guided bus tour of the city which was really interesting with an english speaking guide who did a good job of explaining not just the buildings but also the history and provenance of many of them. We made a stop at the Convent of the Novodevichiy, the gates of which have been designated a World Heritage site. The buildings were beautiful but clearly need to have some money spent to ensure they can be preserved for the future. There was an interesting exhibition where artifacts had been gathered together from religious buildings around Russia.

The weather was so cold today so after a few hours walking around we beat a hasty retreat back to the hotel.

Tomorrow is off to the Station for the Trans Siberian Railway. I don't think there is Internet on the train so there may be a while before I can catch up with the blog so watch this space.

Moscow day one

What a send off we had from Southbourne Station. Two of our children, Jo (with grandson Reuben) and Ben, came to wave us off along with Sue and Dave and Margaret and Alan. As much as we were looking forward to going it was all rather emotional, six months seems a long time. I have never been away from my family at Christmas before and I know that it is going to be a milestone.

The trip to London was uneventful and we embarked on the Eurostar to Brussels without a hitch, what a wonderful smooth ride that train is. The train from Brussels to Cologne was late, the one train I thought would be on time knowing German efficiency but I think we made this up. I am already feeling a bit nostalgic for Eurostar trains as the train from Cologne to Moscow was not quite so cushioned, it was however a truly interesting journey as we moved into Autumn which has only just commenced back home. The cabins on the train are small but perfectly adequate once you have decided where you are going to stow away your things. There is a water boiler at the end of each carriage so you can make hot drinks. I would advise anyone doing that journey to take along food, ready to eat or reconstitute with hot water, as the train food seemed expensive and not particularly nice. All the passengers in our carriage seemed to have their own provisions so it is common practice to take your own.

There are washing facilities in the carriages and there is a steward who keeps the loos clean and generally looks after things, so quite a pleasant environment all in all. One complaint is that he wouldn't let me put my bottle of wine in his fridge which I thought was a bit mean until I realised that he also sold cans of beer so was hoping for a sale of something cold.

The highlight of the trip for John was when we got to the Belarus border and the track changed to a larger gauge. The carriage had to be jacked up and the wheels removed and others put in place, there was a lot of shunting back and forth and we were there for ages. I got rather bored but John was in his element. When the Belarus border control came round it was serious stuff, they looked under seats, examined our passports, stamped them with enthusiasm, made us fill in forms and were clearly enjoying their job in a rather po-faced manner. Quite a contrast when we arrived in Moscow as nobody has even looked at our passports, I thought it would be the other way round.

On arrival in Moscow we decided we were not going to be weak and get a taxi to the hotel, we were going to start as we intended to continue and be intrepid travellers. A Russian woman on the train told us the Metro was easy and straight forward, we should not have believed her. It is not only indecipherable but there are stairs all over the place. Handy hints to travellers to Moscow, first download a Metro map from the internet and study this, once you have the hang of that, it is not so bad. Do remember though, most of the stations do not display their name so you have to count how many stops you need from where you got on to where you get off. We did the journey in almost total silence as we were worried about missing out a station. Second tip; take a light bag, those stairs are a killer!! You could always take a cab and not tell anyone - very tempting.

Our hotel is fine if a little bland, we are in what feels like the budget section (which it is). There is a posh section at a posh cost, we gaze as we go past. A major draw-back everywhere is that everybody smokes so the place reeks of cigarettes. We had to wait to check-in to get a non smoking room on a non smoking floor as nearly all the floors in all the hotels are smoking which is common everwhere in Moscow apparently.

After settling ourselves in and having some coffee we went out and found this amazing place, very Disneyesque, where nothing was as it seemed, including many of the Icons in the Flea Market we came across but the whole place had a real buzz and was fun. We met a lovely Japanese couple who were just at the beginning of a two year posting to the Japanese Embassy in Moscow. They helped us decide some of the 'must do' things in our few days here. Will let you know later how we get on with the tourist bit.

Second Entry

Today is Tuesday 5th and we leave on Thursday 7th. It is difficult to believe that the time has nearly come to set off.
It has been an eventful few months planning this trip, very time consuming, I think that travel agents really earn their money. There have been quite a few unexpected expenses, I would advise anyone planning such a trip to put aside £1000 just for visas, vaccinations and medication. As an example, malaria tablets are about £2.50 each tablet. The cost soon mounts but who is counting (John maybe).
Our itinerary has not altered much, we are no longer going to Borneo, just could not fit this in. We didn't want to feel that we were just ticking off countries or dashing from one place to another. Some good news though is that we being joined in New Zealand by at least one friend and maybe two if at all possible. More about that when we get to New Zealand.
So Thursday morning at 9.30 we will be at Southbourne Station for the train to London where we will catch the Eurostar to Brussels, from there a train to Cologne where we have a three hour wait for the train to Moscow. This journey takes two nights and one day so we arrive in Moscow on Saturday morning having travelled through much of Eastern Europe. We have booked a hotel in Moscow for three nights prior to boarding the Trans Mongolian Railway to Beijing. we are both looking forward to seeing a bit of Moscow but believe the temperature there is about six degrees so not so good.
I think the next entry will be from Moscow when I should have some real news about travelling al la Pointon!