Dirty Harry moment

It is with great reluctance that I am changing my Russia itinerary. I had hoped to take the train through Siberia and make a couple stops along the way. But I've decided to stay in Moscow for a few more days, since I haven't seen much of it, and then take a non-stop train to Irkutsk, which is the jumping-off point for Lake Baikal.

It is, in a way, a more authentic Trans-Siberian trip, since rather than making a few "short" trips (by Russian standards) of 20 or 30 hours, I'll be on the train for about three days. I'll "only" be traveling about 3200 miles, for 76 hours and 42 minutes. And it will be exactly that. If there's one thing the Russians know it's trains. By my watch my train from St Petersburg to Moscow left 23 seconds early.

The Trans-Siberian runs from Moscow to Vladivostock on the Pacific Coast, a distance of 5771 miles. The whole trip takes seven to eight days, depending on the train. The Trans-Manchurian route makes a turn south in Chita, just past Lake Baikal, and heads onto Beijing. The Trans-Mongolian makes a turn south at Ulan Ude, just before Chita, and heads through Ulaan Bataar, the capital of Mongolia, and onto Beijing. This is the route I will travel.

I was hoping to change my itinerary to be in Novosibirsk, smack-dab in the center of Siberia, on August 1. There's a total eclipse of the sun that day, and Novosibirsk will be the best place in the world to see it. But there are simply no train tickets available to get there. People from all over the world are traveling there to see it so for probably the first and only time in history Novosibirsk will be the tourist capital of the world for a day.

"A man’s got to know his limitations," as Clint Eastwood memorably said at the end of "Magnum Force." I also decided to modify my itinerary because I have discovered my limitations. I can do okay getting around Russia. I didn't expect people here to speak English.

But buying train tickets in Russia is like going to the proctologist, only not as fun. Without knowing the language it's difficult, time-consuming and stressful. The women who work the counters (they're all women) don't speak a word of English and have absolutely no patience, even for Russians! I have heard them chew out quite a few of their countrymen. I was wasting too much time and making myself too miserable trying to work out the logistics, and not spending enough time sightseeing.

I finally broke down and paid a travel agent to book my last ticket. I had to pay a small fee, but it was worth every penny. I sat with a pleasant young woman who was anxious to practice her English and patiently worked with me as I requested times and prices for different routes. So here's a tip from your Uncle Jeff: If you ever decide to do the Trans-Siberian, book your tickets in advance and/or use a travel agent. It's worth the extra money. This is not the best country in which to "wing it," especially for a traveler as inexperienced as I am.

So I'll be in Moscow for a few more days and then hop on the train for Siberia on the 28th. My Trans-Sib guide book was the first one I bought when I first started pondering this trip about three years ago, and though I considered many possible routes the train ride was always the centerpiece.

I'm really, really excited.