For my Trans-Siberian Railway Adventure, I have already written on Part 1 which covers Bejing to Ulaan Batar] and Part 2 covering Ulaan Batar to Irkutsk. For this post, I will share my journey from Irkutsk to Moscow.

The main reason for including Irkutsk as part of my itinerary is that it is the base for my wife and me to visit Lake Baikal, the world's largest, deepest and oldest freshwater lake in the world. The magnificence of Lake Baikal certainly did not disappoint.

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Part 3: From Irkutsk To Moscow

This is the most interesting and arduous part of the train journey. Simply because this journey took 5 nights and my wife and I traveled more than 4200km by rail to reach Moscow. I had never spent 5 nights at a stretch in a train compartment. But it is also during this part of the journey that I get to know the local Russians and passengers better and made some connections. The only problem was that the Russians could not speak English and we can't speak Russian. So communication was mainly through our smiles, body language and hand gestures. It was also quite interesting because on the 5-night journey we shared the compartment with 4 different passengers since they got off at different stops. For our compartment, Roselind and I were the only passengers getting off at Moscow.

We also got to know the train staff a little better. In the first instance, they looked quite cold and unapproachable but I observed that they were very hardworking and performed their tasks diligently. After a few conversations, they become quite friendly.

Our Russian "roommates" for a few nights. The guy on the left is actually a policeman. He was going to Yekaterinburg to attend a course but since the Police Department could not afford to send him by plane, he had to take the train instead. The guy on the right is a coach, I am not sure which sport but I am guessing it is football.

I also made friends with two Russian brothers who were traveling with their parents. When I asked them to pose for a picture, they instantly flashed the peace sign.

Pat is from Australia. Her husband and she had just sold off their farm and they are on the Trans-Siberia Railway as part of their world tour. This is my dream as well.

These friendly guys who stayed at the adjacent compartment are from Spain.

Our train journey to Moscow passed by two cities namely Novosibirsk, Yakaterinburg and Kazan with stops at numerous small stations. This time the landscape was a mix of both urban and rural settings.

The train at the city of Novosibirsk.

Passengers queuing up to buy food from vendor stalls.

Food at the dining cart is much more expensive

At every stop, this lady would take the opportunity to walk her dogs.

A solidatry ice cream seller at the train station.

Wild flowers blooming besides the train's tracks.

This small station is already closed when the train stop, passengers would get down get down to get some fresh air and stretch their legs.

After 5 nights onboard the train, we were overjoyed to finally arrive in Moscow. We celebrated our arrival with a nice local lunch at the train station.

Footnote

The duration of 5 nights is a very long time to spend on board a train. We stayed at second class compartment and as such we had no access to shower rooms. We had to resort to taking sponge bath at the toilet with just a damp piece of cloth. As I am used to taking daily showers, this is very inconvenient and I really longed for a nice warm shower.

For those who are considering this trip, I would suggest that you break this journey and make at stop at Yekaterinburg. In this way, you can rest for one or two days before resuming the train journey. Alternatively, if budget permits, you can actually take a flight from Yekaterinburg to Moscow.

Don't forget to join me when I shared on the last and final part of my journey which is from Moscow to St Petersburg.

Follow me and stay positive.

Do check out my previous posts.

My Unforgettable Trip To Bario Highlands, The Eden Of Borneo

Daring To Dream At Age 60 Part 2

My Trans-Siberian Railway Adventure Part 1: Views From A Train’s Window

My Trans-Siberian Railway Adventure Part 2: Views From A Train’s Window

BOW:That One Childhood Memory That Lives With Me

Spreading positivity one post at a time.
Charles