Trans-Siberian Express Route
16th December 2004 - Feb 2005


For place names where I've stopped on route and a brief description, move your mouse over the red markers.

Stayed in St Petersburg for one night and then picked up the Trans-Siberian Express the following evening. Stayed in Moscow for 2 nights. This is where it all started to go wrong, I met a crazy Russian called Vladimir, and he introduced me to some wonderfull people and vodka. Stayed with Elena at her appartment as arranged by the agent. Went ice fishing in the Ural mountains ,Siberia. Stayed by lake Baikal, in a traditional Izba with Zoga a Buryat. One of the indiginous peoples of siberia. Later spent two nights in Irkutsk city. Stayed in a Ger camp in the steppes of Mongolia. Galloped on horseback over the snow covered mountains with 2 crazy Mongolians, as the sun set in the distance, desperately trying to see through frozen eyelashes in temperatures around -30c. Spent time with the nomads, several new year toasts with home made yogurt vodka before riding back to camp. I stayed 2 nights in Hohhot, the capital of Inner Mongolia, China. In 3 days I never saw another westener, I was the 1st visitor to the country this year. Beijing 3 days. Visit to the great wall of China, simply the most impressive construction I have ever seen. The ancient city of Xi'an, once the capital of China and the oldest city dating back 5000 years with reams of history including the site of the Terracotta Warriors. As technically this was the end of my Trans-Sib route I decided to stay on a while before heading elsewhere. India, once again seems to have been postponed, I stayed to study Wu Shu (Chinese Kung Fu) and enrolled at University to learn Chinese. Things evolved, I am still here - Dec '05. Flew in from the UK, for the start of the second leg of my journey. Last known sighting - Xi'an, China.

The various trans-siberian routes are shown. My route shown in black as per previous maps.