First...The Idea

As I mentioned on the previous page (see link the source), the initial goal was Mongolia. If possible in combination with the Trans-Siberian trains, something I'd thought about for a while. But how to plan it? Initially I'd hoped to do some volunteer work (WHO, UN) in Mongolia, but since my degree didn't hurry up I was running out of time to stay away. And I didn't have much luck finding work, anyway.

The idea then became to do the Trans-Siberian (actually: Trans-Mongolian) train route, with multiple stops underway. Various companies offer trips like this (e.g. The Russia Experience, StudyRussian.com and Russian Gateway) and places like STA gave me more fliers.
Although these are all great trips undoubtedly, they didn't seem cheap (at the time!!) and only offered a few stops, usually Yekaterinburg and Ulanbaatar. And I wanted more! Hence I decided to follow the route but stop at places that seemed interesting to me.
As a birthday present I had been given a recent edition of the Transsiberian Handbook which proved extremely useful. I had also bought a Lonely Planet Mongolia guide which contained valuable information too. Finally, the logical end (or beginning) of this trip is Beijing in China.

Second...The Route

Initially I had hoped to include some of the Central Asia States too (Uzbekistan in particular) but this seemed to make things complicated. Not just in terms of travel, but also in terms of visa! After much reading and browsing and consulting maps I decided on the route I wanted to take. Start in St. Petersburg, then Moscow, Volgograd, Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk, Irkutsk, Ulan-Ude, Ulanbaatar and Beijing. Click here for a map. I've now also decided on what I want to see and do in each. This varies from the Hermitage in St. Petersburg to a dip in Lake Baikal, and trying a bit of dog (if I find it) in Beijing and fermented mare's milk in Mongolia.
What I should have done as soon as I knew the route, but couldn't again because my degree wasn't moving, was book a ticket to fly in and out. Via STA I knew there are cheap tickets into St. Petersburg or Moscow and out of Beijing. In May 2002 these should have cost around £300. By the time I had fixed the dates when I was flying, it was too late for those (as there are only a handful of them on each plane anyway) and I couldn't do things in this order anymore. The easiest was to do the trip the other way round: start in Beijing and then travel to Russia. Which is what I decided to do. My ticket was more expensive than the above too: with travel insurance it came to some £550. Ouch.
A word on Mongolia. The country is huge and pretty much empty, with little by means of organised regular public transport. I had some idea of things I wanted to see (bumming around in Ulanbaatar and possibly Kharakorum), but because it seemed tricky to organise trips once there, I did book to join a trip organised by Off the Map Tours. They organise many tours, for different sizes of groups. There happened to be a 6-day horseriding treck going to a national park when I planned to be there. The organisation contacted the people whose trip this was and they kindly let me join them.
With hindsight that was unnecessary. In Ulanbaatar there are many hostels and they all organise tours for people staying there. Either you come with your own wishes and organise it, or you join a group there. People are always looking for other people, so check the hostels. And the notice board at "Chez Bernard", a popular bakery-cum-cafe with backpackers on the main street. These trips can last in principle any period of time and cover any distance, staying at different types of accommodation. The cost, however, makes it too expensive to do on your own: driver alone is $35 a day, then add petrol, food, accommodation etc. Join a group! Or bring one! Or be rich!

This process of coming up with the route took quite a while. I browsed a lot, consulted some Lonely Planet and other guides and figured out what I wanted to see in various places. I cannot give you any detailed information on which sites I used: an Internet search on any of the above cities gives lots of hits, some useful, some not. The Lonely Planet guides are also very good, with lots of information on things to see and, perhaps more importantly, places to stay, where to eat etc. The Trans-Siberian trailblazer guide was, perhaps, the best source of information on cities along the Trans-Siberian route. And budget information, too! Other websites that proved inspirational are My Trip to Russia, The Transsib Encyclopedia, The Beetroot Bus, TransSiberia.com, a german transsiberian webpage, a general site with information on Russia and for Exchange Rates.

The rest of the organisation of this trip I've split up into various sections to make it slightly more useful. Needless to say, when I set about with this (and when you do!) it didn't go as smoothly as this. The main thing is to start with plenty of time, things go slowly!

Third...The Train

Was this all possible by train? What are the connections like? How long does it take to get from X to Y? The whole idea of this trip was to not organise everything ahead but to leave a lot open to whenever I got there. Basically, I wanted to buy tickets as I went along, thus being able to change the route if I wanted, or to stay longer or leave earlier if I didn't like somewhere.
But I needed some idea of how things worked: just over 10,500 km by train is not to be taken lightly! Two good sites for looking up train timetables are the German rail website (sehr grόndlich, no surprise there :) ). It used to find connections between any two cities anywhere! They've since changed the setup slightly so it's a bit more complicated. One further complication is spelling: how do you translate Russian cyrillic into German? Patience, basically. The other website is a Russian one, poezda (russian for train). It takes a few tries but is very good. Oh and if the timetable says a train "passes" on a certain date that means you can take it, ie. it actually stops at the station - rather than just pass through without stopping.
Once I knew the route I wanted to take was possible, I decided not to buy tickets in advance. It is possible to buy tickets as you go along, there are enough trains to make it possible to find one that's not full. If you buy a day or two in advance, the choice is almost limitless. Except in summertime between Moscow and St. Petersburg, that does get busy as it is much more touristy! Buying tickets in Russia can be a pain if you don't speak Russian. And no, don't expect any English outside of Moscow/St. Petersburg! Usually there are windows for foreigners or international tickets where people are more patient. Also business or service centres are good (although they charge a surcharge of around $2-3). It is worthwhile to write down what you want, the Trailblazer guide has a great note in its book that you can just copy. Plus they immediately know you are foreign and thus are more patient. Always carry your passport as the ticket is personal to you, you cannot sell it on or buy someone else's. At least not if you don't speak fluent Russian to get things changed.
There are several other things you need to be aware of when buying tickets. All trains run on Moscow time, for example, so make sure you know how far ahead you are. The differences between the various classes. Having to buy sheets for your berth (or not if you have a sleeping bag) etc. etc. Read the Trailblazer guide, it's all in there and I can't explain it any better than they can.
As I'll outline in some more detail in a later section, the train is cheap. My total trip, the 10,500 km or 200 hours, cost me no more than $300, travelling second class. If you buy tickets through an agency (e.g. Intourist in Russia or any foreign one) it will always be more (to very much more) expensive.

Fourth...Visa

Oh boy. They're a pain. Mongolia and China are easy: you can obtain the necessary form from the embassy and there is no trouble getting a 30-day visa. They are valid from the day you enter the country, helpful too. Both will do visa on the spot if you pay extra. And if you're a non-Brit, it's actually cheaper to get a Chinese visa than for a Brit, in contrast to the russian Embassy! Make sure, by the way, that the Mongolian visa is an entry- and exit-visa! Otherwise you end up paying when leaving the country. It is also reasonably (depending on opening hours) to get them while you are travelling in Beijing or Ulanbaatar. At the border? No idea.
Russia, on the other hand, is a major pain. There are two types, basically: tourist and business. Tourist is easiest to get but you need to supply evidence of hotel bookings everywhere you are staying. Business is less specific but you need a letter of support/invitation from a government approved agency. It is possible to buy these things online, but different websites give me different information on what can and cannot be done. A good one seems Visa to Russia. I recommend to approach an organisation and ask them to sort it out, e.g. Russian Gateway. Or some hotels can also help out, e.g. the youth hostel in St. Petersburg St. Petersburg. Another good start would be to ring the embassy, the address can be found online. One last bit of information: business visa, which I got, aren't cheap. You're looking at a basic fee of £140 through Russian Gateway. Because I'm not English, there's an additional fee (fine?!) to be paid too.
Having been in Russia and met some people travelling in the same or opposite direction, I've noticed the visa-situation is an absolute mess. Ask 5 people and you get 6 different answers. Some travelled anywhere on a tourist visa without supplying the destination beforehand, others said that wasn't possible. Ask your local embassy or go through an agency. Even the Russian border officials seem to not really know how things work! Thus I was told it was vital to keep one copy of the money declaration form you fill in at the border; but people without it have managed to get out of the country to. No idea.
Similarly registration: a Russian visa needs to be registered within 3 days. Or 3 working days. Or only if you stay for more than 3 days in one city. No-one knows, and even asking at the OVIR (the foreigners police-ish) did not help! If you spend your first night(s) in a good hotel, you can get them to register it and be done with it. Just in case.
The basic impression is that if the border crossing is big (e.g. airports in Moscow or St. Petersburg) they are likely to be more flexible. At smaller ones (e.g. train into Mongolia), they are strict. But either way, don't count on Russian prisons being very comfortable.

While we're on the topic of official preparation things: contact your GP for any vaccinations you might need! Since I plan to go to Venezuela sometime in the not-too-distant future all my shots were covered by that, but it's worth remembering.

Fifth...Accommodation

A bit like the train-thing: because I was not 100% sure when I'll be where, I didn't book most things ahead, although I did book a youth hostel in St. Petersburg and Moscow as those are likely to be busy. Good idea it was too: they were packed! But there is a lot of accommodation in both places too, so if you have a bit of cash you shouldn't get stuck. The other cities I just found a place when I arrived. The Lonely Planet and Trailblazer guides have lots of addresses of places, from cheap (a few dollars per night) to stupidly expensive. And they are reasonably accurate, it pays to ask around or check various places before paying.
I did not see any hostels/youth hostels in Russia, except in Moscow and St. Petersburg. This means I had to stay at hotels - and they are overpriced. You are looking at $12-20 a night for something that really isn't worth the money. Yes you have a television (black and white sometimes, but always old) and a bathroom on the whole, but the state everything is in... Not pretty! Sometimes hotels say they are full or only have the most expensive room. Don't believe them, just make a lot of noise as you leave and they'll suddenly find something. And even then, hold out for something cheaper. You are usually offered your own bathroom, which I almost always took, but without it the prices go down.
Finally, in one hotel the rooms went per 24 hours. Because I had checked in at 7am, that meant I also had to leave at 7am... or pay an hourly rate (the day-rate divided by 24) for any hours I stayed later. As that came to all of $2.50 I did pay for a bit longer.

Sixth...Money

First of all: in all these countries you pay in local currency! Some places may take some dollars (notably hostels) but don't count on it! Obtaining local yuan, togrog or rubles is a lot easier than the guidebooks will have you believe! In Beijing and in all the places I stayed in in Russia there are cashpoints (ATMs) that will take foreign cards. There are usually plenty of them and they are often signposted. In Mongolia there is at least one in the capital, anywhere outside I would not bet on it (read: bloody unlikely they'll even have a bank). So cash is needed.
If you are taking cash hard currency, the mighty dollar is accepted everywhere, but so is the equally mighty euro. Pound sterling can also be used in some places. And no, blue-jeans, cigarettes and various types of cattle are not common currency.
I've not tried exchanging money on the black market, although in front of most exchange places in Russia people will offer you to change money at slightly better rates than the official one (apparently). For Russia I was told that when you leave the country you fill in another currency declaration form. Any decrease in amounts (which is to be expected) when compared to the one you filled in upon entering the country can be questioned so you need receipts of changing the money. You don't get those from the black market, I'd guess. On the other hand, since no-one knows what the rules are, you may not get asked for these when leaving the country. Basically, not sure what to suggest.
The budget for my trip, while on the trip, was to spend about $35 a day all-in. This I managed in Beijing, easily managed in Mongolia and just about managed in Russia. In China one big expense is museums: they all charge a few dollars entrance which does add up quickly. And although food is cheap, you are charged tourist prices. Also the heat means you drink lots of bottled water and drinks, which adds up. Finally, take in a concert and a trip to the Wall, couple of trip on the bus and underground, boatride in the Summer Palace... it all adds up much faster than you'd think.
Mongolia is very cheap. Although the trips may seem expensive, if you share a jeep with several people, the cost is fairly easy to keep down. Although watch out in Ulanbaatar: the non-Mongolian restaurants are much more expensive (although still not bad).
Russia is a tricky one. There are no hostels and the hotels are, on the whole, grossly overpriced: you're usually looking at $10-25! And no, you don't get your money's worth: old beds, peeling paint, aweful (or worse) bathrooms, whether shared or not. Restaurants, apart from being difficult to find, can be quite pricey even to western standards. Eating in bistro-like places is a good choice: cheap, you can point to what you want, and it's "genuine". Bottled waters are cheap, if you get Russian ones (often undrinkably salty though). Beer is cheap at about $1 a pint, depending on which one (foreign ones more expensive). Museums etc. are cheap outside of Moscow/St. Petersburg. I went to ballet and opera in Moscow and St. Petersburg and you should expect to pay about $10-15 for the next-one-up-from-the-cheapest tickets, a bit less for the cheapest ones.
A lot of travellers I met also bought their own food on markets, rather than going to restaurants. Although this may well keep cost down, it seems a bit odd to be eating a ham-and-cheese sandwich for dinner if you could have khushur in Mongolia, dumplings in China or borshch in Russia.
Obviously, make sure you have (access to) more money in case of emergencies! There are, by the way, Western Union outlets in at least Russia, if you really get stuck I guess.
Transport, i.e. the trains. Very cheap: my 10,500 km cost me $300! Trains in Russia, where I travelled most, vary depending on time of day and class you are travelling. For overnighters, second class is ample and cheap. Third class is acceptible to some and somewhat cheaper. Daytime trains, for shorter stretches, are cheapest. Then there are special express-services which are more expensive etc. A tricky one, since I wasn't in a position to ask for more details, either. The average price I paid in Russia, excluding Moscow-St. Petersburg (more expensive part), was $2.41 per 100 km. The traintrip Beijing - UlanBator came in at about $75, UlanBator - Ulan Ude was about $20.

Seventh...Luggage

Since this trip involved lots of travel I wanted to travel as light as possible. So I limited myself to my small (25 liter) backpack. Considering I needed to carry my camera and lenses (see the photography-part of my site) and I took 30-odd rolls of film, and a sleeping bag, there wasn't much left. So it carried one book, a notebook, guidebooks, and a minimum of T-shirts, socks, undies and one extra pair of trousers. And yes, I did lots of washing. But being more mobile weighed up against carrying more things. One disadvantage was that because my backpack was full, whenever I bought food for on the train, that came in plastic bags. A bit more space would have been handy. And when leaving from St. Petersburg I did buy another bag for the presents I had bought. And for those in the know: I did take my trusty pengiun Bus with me too!
Don't go too mental on bringing books to read either. On the trains in Russia you'll invariably end up trying to speak to fellow passengers so not much time to read. As a suggestion, I took Darwin's "On the origin of species". It was hard enough to not go through it in an hour or two, but not so hard as to be painful to read. Quite aside from that, it was a jolly good read too - but that's another story.

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Mark Krebs, England, 2002