Day 3: Making Friends

Distance today: 1324km
Total distance by rail: 2756km
Distance to Moscow: 6533km

Another day on the train and another 1300km deeper into Siberia.  The terrain is mostly the same – some hills, lots of trees, and the occasional rural village with wood houses and corrugated metal roofs. 

Many of the travelers on the Trans-Siberian Railroad aren’t taking the entire route from Vladivostok to Moscow.  For example, when we boarded the train the berth next to us was empty, and when we woke up the next morning it had a family in it.  They were returning to Kazan (a city east of Moscow around the Ural Mountains) after visiting relatives in the Vladivostok area.  The mother, Vika, was traveling with her fifteen year-old daughter Nastya, her six-year old son Suliman, and her almost two-year old son Adam (pronounced “Ah-tom”).  Jasper, Adam, and Suliman became friends and played and shared toys together and we were able to talk with them in broken Russian.  It’s fascinating how kids from completely different backgrounds and without being able to speak the same language can still get along and play together (well, for the most part – when it comes to two-year olds there is always the occasional dispute that crops up and disappears almost as quickly).

I’m definitely glad for the year of Russian I took in college and the refreshers I did before his trip and the last one.  Even though Suliman at age six can speak Russian better than me, I know enough to catch the gist of things and between that and pictures we were able to engage in basic conversation. 

Clockwise from the left: Liz, Lance, Vika, Nastya, Adam, Suliman, and Jasper.

When eating in the dining car, my Dad and I met an Australian woman named Miora (phonetic spelling) who is teaching English in China because she wants to get out and see the world.  She had an earlier career in IT (Information Technology) – and yes, she has seen “The IT Crowd” (a British comedy show making fun of both tech support personnel and the people that need their help).  Much like the elderly hippie lady I met on my last trip to Russia, she didn’t know any Russian but had a desire to get out there and wouldn’t let those reservations get in the way.

Hearing her talk about China was fascinating.  For the past year she has been teaching in rural China (I forget exactly what part) but overall did not like that initial experience.  She said that the Chinese food in China is worse than it is in the rest of the world (not the first time I’ve heard that), the work hours are very long and she wasn’t able to get any time off to travel in China or elsewhere.  Schooling is a very high priority in many Asian cultures (I know for sure that Chinese, Japanese, and Korean students in particular who are under extreme pressure from their parents and society to do well in school as that largely decides what their career opportunities and lifestyle will be).  Next year she’ll be teaching at a university in one of the large cities so she’s optimistic that things will get better.

Miora and me in the dining room car.

Our day on the train generally consists of sleeping in until about 0900, spending the day alternating between reading, looking out the window at scenery, standing up in the hallway looking out the window, and disembarking at the train stations to stretch our legs and buy any local produce.  Due to changing time zones and lack of a set schedule, it’s easy to lose track of time (and to make things more difficult, all the train schedules are given in Moscow Time throughout the vast expanse of Russia.  Having a watch that can keep track of two time zones eases things considerably).

Jasper out stretching his legs during a 15-minute stop at Mogocha station (6906km from Moscow)	Me after purchasing food for the next few days (shortbread cookies/crackers, pirozhis, and bread) at Chernyshevsk-Zabaikalsk station (6593km from Moscow)

The vendors at each stop come in different forms, depending on the size of the town and the length of the stay.  In most cases, there is some sort of kiosk stand offering the standard variety of goods ranging from chocolate, cigarettes, and beer to staples like bread and water.  At larger stations there are more specialized stores (such as a produce store, dedicated souvenir stores, or drugstores).  In most cases, the goods are kept behind the counter or behind glass and you have to tell the storekeeper what you want and he or she will get it for you.  Besides the more established places that have actual kiosks or stores, there are the venders that go from car to car offering everything from a plastic cup with raspberries in it to fresh fish.

One of the kiosks at Chernyshevsk-Zabaikalsk station, named “Elena” probably after its owner.  All transactions and exchanging of goods and money take place in the small rectangular window.	A number of train stations have these double rails on stairways, I presume to make them handicap accessible?  That would be quite a ride going down all those stairs…

Siberia in the summer.	One of the larger towns we passed through, about an hour east of Chernyshevsk-Zabaikalsk.