From Siberia to Mongolia

I was dreading the border crossing from Russia to Mongolia. I was told that it could take around 11 hours, or about a third of the total train trip of 34 hours. I had also heard and read all the horror stories of overzealous customs officials and scammers on both sides. So I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was. Yeah, it took hours, but the officials on both sides barely gave our paperwork or bags a second glance. I should have bought that icon in Moscow!

I expected the Russian border station in Naushki to be busy. I figured there would be police, customs officials, vendors, tourists, etc. But the platform was completely empty, which scared me even more. Notice anything else missing? Oh, yeah -- the train.



It was a little disconcerting when they pulled it away, especially since they had taken all our passports and tickets.

I also made a new friend. Look familiar?



So far the hardest part of this trip is that I miss my dog!

For about two hours nothing happened. Nothing. Then we figured out why. They were waiting to get the dead body off the train.

No, really.



Russian policemen are pushing a cart with a dead man on it. His feet are towards camera and a cloth is covering his body. I took this as surreptitously as possible -- this was the Russian border after all! And we certainly didn't ask any questions! So we had no idea what happened.

I only had one other person in my compartment, a Finnish girl named Heidi. She was polite and friendly and courteous, the very opposite of the Fun Couple. Here I am properly enjoying my very own cabin, with Heidi, and a fun British couple, Paul and Rachel. We're drinking vodka as we celebrate our arrival into Mongolia.



We arrived in Ulaanbaatar a little after 6 a.m. This is the main road, Peace Ave. Notice all the signs in English. To the right, just off camera, is a cosmetic surgery center.



And to the left, a five-minute walk up a hill leads to a Buddhist temple. Mongolia is the first Buddhist country I've visited.



Mongolia was also the world's second Communist country, after Russia. At the other end of town is Sukhbataar Square. Here, in 1921, the communist general after which the square is named declared Mongolia's independence from China. It has a decidely Stalinesque look and scale to it.

That's a statue of Sukhbataar on horseback in the center. In the center of the building is a statue of Chinggis Khaan, more commonly known in the west by the mistranslated version of his name, Genghis Khan.



More on him in a future post. He deserves his own.