Places I've stayed

Apple Hostel, St Petersburg (http://www.hostelworld.com/hosteldetails.php/45374)
Godzilla hostel, Moscow
Briz chalet, Listvyanka
Sant Asar hotel, Ulaanbaatar
Guru Travel ger camp
Xihua Jade Hotel, Beijing
365 Inn, Beijing (http://www.hostelworld.com/hosteldetails.php/16667)
Shua Yaun hostel, Xi'an (http://www.hostelworld.com/hosteldetails.php/5599)
Fenghe Xi'an IYH, Xi'an
Jinjiang Inn, Chengdu
Cloudland, Kunming (http://www.hostelworld.com/hosteldetails.php/12661)
Urban Age, Bangkok
@Hualomphong, Bangkok (http://www.hostelworld.com/hosteldetails.php/40577)
Rosy Guesthouse, Siem Reap (http://rosyguesthouse.com/)

[those with links are ones I'd definitely recommend]

Day 23 - UB-Beijing train

Sharing a carriage with Brigitte, Dom and Nicci. It's 9am, and they're still asleep. We had a late night thanks to the border crossing. Started at 7pm on the Mongolian side, finish at 1am Chinese side.

When we hit the Chinese side, the entire train was pulled into a huge warehouse. There, each carriage is raised, like a car at a mechanic's, and the bogeys (undercarriage) exchanged for new ones. This is because the Chinese rail has a narrower gauge. It was a long process, but at least one can look into the other carriages while it happens, to distract from the fact that there's no access to the toilet.

We had a little bonding conversation about first and worst dates. Smart bars, the zoo, a nice walk - were suggested ideal first dates. I shared the story of my date with Niamh Q, and Dom that his hot work colleague who stood him up. Managed to catch Hollie out with the ghost story about the dog who died the day I was born. hehe! She screamed and pummelled me with her lady fists!

***

The Chinese trains offer a far nicer experience than the Russian ones. The attendants are much friendlier - male on this train. They often wander the corridor with their ties off and shirts hanging out, and then they are immaculate at the border crossing in their spick and span uniforms.

In both Russia and Mongolia (and I'm expecting the same in China), the military are far more prevalent. Just wandering around the street. I could count on hand the amount of people I've seen in Ireland in fatigues over the last year, but it was not uncommon to pass ten soldiers walking with their sweethearts over the course of a day in St Petersburg or Moscow.

***

Speeding through the countryside of China now, very agricultural, lots of dry-looking crops, and the occasional motorway. Plenty of trees too.

The people are friendly and wave while taking a break to watch the train go by. Lots of corn, some sunflowers. Every now and then we pass an industrial complex, spewing forth smoke and fumes, evidence of China's economic power.

***

Travelling by train has been fun, though this journey has possibly been tougher than the Trans-Siberian. The border crossings make for unpleasant waits, particularly with regard to using the toilet. The timing of the Mongolia-China crossing ruled out any drinking games, so we had no entertainment in that regard. Instead we had a return to old-fashioned conversation, which was nice.

The train lets you glimpse a cross-section of the country, winding through wasteland and farms, snaking into the cities and out again. It's quite exhilarating to stick one's head out the windows and feel the wind batter the face and whip the hair. I wonder what I'll feel about train transport in Ireland when I get back.

***

Solar panels all over the place here - lots of houses have their own panel mounted on the roof.

***

http://domcheeseman.blogspot.ie/2011/10/day-113-train-from-ub-to-china.html

Train stops

Moscow - Irkutsk
Day 1: Yaroslavl
  Daavilov

Day 2: Sharya
  Panazyrevo
  Kirov
  Balezino
  Perm
  Ekaterinburg*
  Bahenovo

Day 3: Tyumen
  Karasulsk
  Ishim
  Omsk
  Barabinsk
  Novosibirsk*

Day 4: Taiga
  Mariinsk
  Krasnoyarsk*
  Ilanskaya
  Taishet
  Nizhnendinsk

Day 5: Zima
  Irkutsk freight
  Irkutsk

Irkutsk - Ulaanbaatar
Day 1: Siyudyanka
  Baikulsk
  Vydrino
  Ulan-Ude
  Naushki
----
  Sukhe-Bator (Mongolia)

Day 2: Dzun-Khava
  Ulaanbaatar

Ulaanbaatar - Beijing
Day 1: Choir
  Sainshand
  Zamyn-Uud
----
  Erlian (China)

Day 2: Juning
  Datung
  Zhanzhiukon
  Beijing

Day 22 - UB-Beijing train

On the train again, leaving UB, headed for Beijing. Border crossing and bogey change due tonight.

Last full day in the ger camp, we visited a local nomad farmer. He had two yurts, a curious mix of old and new - a satellite dish and fridge, powered by solar energy, while dairy produce dried out on the roof, covered in flies. They seemed roomy enough, but his existence probably isn't easy. There were some leftover presents in the bag in the corner, with a 'True Blue Aussie' flag protruding from the top.

In the afternoon we tried some Mongolian archery and learned how to play a game with sheep knuckles. Each side of the bone represents an animal - sheep, goat, horse and camel.

WINNARS!

***

In a fascinating and baffling move, there are some Japanese landscapers installing a waterfall feature here. Very friendly fellow in charge, enjoying his job.

***

We returned to UB the following morning, and half the city was obscured by smog. The traffic was pretty heavy, and we witness some crazy overtaking manoeuvres. Nothing compared to our taxi ride later that evening - our drive invented extra lanes at any opportunity. At one point, on a regular two way road, which already had two lanes of traffic going our way (not moving), he decided to drive the wrong way down the opposite side of the road. That's when we got out.

I thought Russian driving was bad, but the Mongolians are far worse. Crossing the street is a game of life and death and willpower. The cars do seem to stop when necessary, but the pedestrian cannot show a moment's hesitation. I think it might be part of the UB experience, to lead a road crossing.

***

Went on a walk with Lukas on our last morning in the ger camp. Underestimated it a bit, but got back in time for breakfast.

***

Went for lunch yesterday in Café Amsterdam. Dawa chose it, but it was an obvious Lonely Planet destination, full of English-speaking travellers. It was a glimpse into the future for me. There is a 'look' to everyone - a kind of semi-cool aloofness. I think I'll try avoid LP-recommended places where possible.

***

After that was a trip to the National History Museum. Everything was in English, which was superb, and it filled in lots of gaps in my knowledge of the history of Mongolia. It got a bit propaganda-ish toward the end. The communist takeover of 1921 is still called the Great Democratic Revolution.

Tar éis sin, half the group went shopping, and the other half of us went to see a monument atop a hill on the outskirts of the city. Celebrating the Mongolian-Russian relationship, the views of the city were excellent.

One could really see that UB is on the cusp of an economic boom. One modern glass building has been completed, and several apartment blocks are nearly so. There was even plans for a hotel right underneath the monument. Progress, I guess.

***

Step count at the war memorial:
Dom - 644
Kim - 607
Me - 615

***

Werewolves and Farmers, as played by Lukas, Regine and Brigitte
Cards are dealt - 4 Kings for 4 werewolves, 1 Queen for the witch, 1 Jack for the hunter, and clubs for farmers.

First night: all close eyes, werewolves open to find each other. Gamesmaster takes note of them, and witch, and hunter.

First day: all vote to kill one person, hopefully a werewolf. If tied, all vote again just for tied people.

Second night: all close eyes. Werewolves open eyes, and agree on a target to kill.

Repeat day and night until all werewolves are killed, or the werewolves have a majority.

Each night, after werewolves have selected their target, the witch may use her good or bad essence. Good will save the werewolves' target, bad will kill one person of the witch's choice.

If the hunter is killed, they will shoot another person, so both die.

***

Mongolian countryside is really flat scrubland, beige and brown. The sky is inevitably clear and blue. All in all, beautiful.

***

Passing through the Gobi. Just stopped in Sainshand, and walked the length of the train. Don't seem to be any Chinese people on the train bar the attendants. Might even have another Irish guy.

Long shadows in the Gobi

***

http://domcheeseman.blogspot.ie/2011/09/sidenote_21.html
http://domcheeseman.blogspot.ie/2011/10/day-112-ulaanbaatar.html

Day 21 - Ger Camp

47° 52' 50" N, 107° 25' 44" E - co-ordinates of GuruTravel Ger Camp

Our camp

Ger in progress

With satellite dish

Wild eagle

***

http://domcheeseman.blogspot.ie/2011/09/day-111-ger-camp.html

Day 20 - Ger Camp

[Taken on the way to the ger camp]

Ali and eagle

Dawa, our guide, with our driver

Sharing a ger with Jake and Dom

Horse riding yesterday was amazing fun. A peaceful walk to a wild gallop, I don't think I had much control over what speed my horse was going. I named her Sam, for the Sam Maguire. Dom had Gary for Gary Neville, Seb had Bruce, Nicci had Penny (white), Kim had Colin, Kelly had Buddy. Lukas showed his competitive side, spurring Bastard on to a wild pace. Hollie had Queenie, and Andy had Chewbacca.

To make the horse go faster, one shouts 'chu'. We rode out to Turtle Rock, and returned. Myself, Dom, Hollie, Kim and Jake climbed the nearby ridge to watch sunset. I did a bit of rock climbing but lost a lens cap in the process. Fortune smiled though, and I found it after a quick search. Jake captured a nice time lapse of shadows chasing across the valley, and did it manually - good effort!

Face-off with the horses

Turtle Rock!

The lads

Horse cam!

Wild West shot

Still one of my favourite photos of the whole trip - Hollie was
completely unaware what was happening right underneath her

Climbing to sunset

The sun sets on Hollie

Dinner of dumplings, and then we all bundled into the yurt for some cards. The hear from the the fire was intense, and everyone was in shorts and tshirts. Team Swiss taught us a new game - "Farmers and Werewolves", a psychological battle of divide and conquer. We managed three games, the first two I was a werewolf. We won the first game, and I was the last survivor of the second, though we lost. I was killed off early on in the third game, but found it difficult to stay mute, making an eejit of myself again.

Our cruel gamesmasters

J'accuse!

***

Woke up at 5.30 this morning to watch the sunrise. Dom, Lukas, Kelly, Seb & Nicci, Brigitte, Andy, Hollie & Kim came too. The sunrise itself wasn't anything spectacular, but the light changing across the next valley was beautiful. The whole experience was amazing. On Andy's suggestion, I ran down to the camp which was still in darkness, and watched the sunrise a second time.

Andy's Lion King moment

Now I'm waiting on breakfast, sitting in the sun, listening to Dom's description of his cold shower on all fours.

Jake, Seb and Dom

Ali, Brigitte, Jake, Seb, Dom, Lukas, Hollie
Andy, me, Scott

***

http://domcheeseman.blogspot.ie/2011/09/day-110-ger-camp.html