Travel experiences in the Trans-Siberian Express

Something we hear a lot, is that the Trans-Siberian train is a unique experience. To Moscow we’ve seen a lot of mileage on the railroad track, but the real Trans-Siberian Express begins only in Moscow.

In the afternoon, we pack up for a 30 hour journey to Ekaterinburg, the fourth largest city in Russia. Railway stations here check your baggage like you’re boarding an airplane, but there is no passenger needing to hand in his pocketknife. For show our backpacks go through the scans, while a grumpy looking man is keeping an eye on the camera, probably surprised about the ridiculous amount of noodles that we’ve packed.

At the station we immediately meet two Swedes who are taking the same train and end up two compartments next to ours. But that’s not all, once settled into our four-person compartment, we hear something familiar in the hallway ..  a Dutch couple who appears to share the same compartment with us. Nice!

Gradually we learn that Paul and Nelly are also from Gelderland and that one of their kids practically lives on the same street as we do in Amsterdam. What a small world! So we delve deeper into Russia, while sharing stories with instant coffee and stroopwafels (caramel laced waffles).

The Trans-Siberian train

Trans-Siberian trains form a separate group in the train population. The train compartment where you spend a total of about 10,000 kilometers, comes with a first, a second and a third class. If you do not want to share the compartment with 54 Russians but also did not win the lottery, you can do we do and go for second class. Here the compartment is shared by four, who sleep in little bunk beds on the left and right hand side. During the day you can use the bottom bunk as a bench. The average Dutch person can just manage stretch his legs on the 1.85m long beds.

A shower is not present in second class. However, there a toilet with sink where you can wash, brush your teeth, wash your dishes … actually all water activities take place in the sink. In the dining car you can find Russian meals and beers, even though they only have a small part of the menu and you only get to know if your dish is available some time after you order.

But we actually make little use of the dining car, with the exception of a Russian beer every now and then. For we have noodles in all flavors! This applies to around 95% of rail passengers, including the Russians themselves. We all live by self brought food. In the wagon you can find a hot-water tank with a tap from which we can tap boiled water. This is how you Prepare your meals, instant coffee and tea. An additional risk is that the strong-flavored noodle taste is almost impossible to wash away, so coffee and tea always taste a little bit like the teriyaki noodles from last night.

Bouncing ball effect

Our longest train ride is 37 hours and the shortest about 20 hours. All other rides are in between that. Usually we leave in the afternoon or evening, so we spend about one or two nights in the train, including the day in-between. A luxury, it seems, because most travelers we encounter make fewer stops from Moscow they spend five full days at once being on the train.

We are getting a schedule of all stations between from our starting point until our endpoint. Usually, the train stops for a few minutes. Sometimes longer, so you can stretch your legs. Each train is ‘owned’ by a provodnik, a train attendant who checks the tickets and keeps the hallways clean. She also determines when you can go to the toilet. This is locked when the train is stationary and only opens again when we are driving again. Overzealous provodniks already close the doors an hour before arrival, so they are on time. It takes a bit of begging in your best Russian to leave the door open if you really cannot wait for hours.

Incidentally, the toilet is an experience in itself, if you’re bouncing through a bend in the rail and under no circumstances want to sit (really under no circumstances) on the toilet. In those moments I’m glad I’ve learned how to take small curves on a snowboard, so it’s possible can maneuver in the right knee bent position without bouncing through the toilet cubicle like a ping pong ball.

There is no escape to bouncing around. Anyone who thinks that the Trans-Siberian train smoothly glides over the rail like our NS trains will find themselves to a rude awakening. It squeaks, it creaks, it bounces and judders. If you are in bed at night and manage to doze off, you are in a kind of twilight zone; a bouncing world in between sleeping and being awake in where you sometimes wonder where the thumping, the noise and the mad odors come from.

It is a different experience, traveling by Trans-Siberian train. It makes for the best encounters with locals and other travelers (more on that soon), but it is also really an adventure. One that we did not want to miss, but secretly we are pleased that we do not have to spend five consecutive days on the train …