Bangkok to Butterworth

As usual I arrive fart to early for the train. 

Bangkok's Hua Lamphong Station

Heading south

The only way to get to platform four at the station is to cross the tracks

I had booked a 'hard sleeper' as I was told that this was all that was available, it was actually really comfortable.

There were five sweet Vietnamese women sharing my cabin and the only laughed a little at my clumsy assent to the third bunk. Once there I wasn't moving as there was no guarantee that I would be able to climb up again.

We arrived in Dong Hoi at 4.30am and headed straight to the Farmstay at Phong Nha

Trans Siberian Railway - Part Four

Ulaanbaatar to Beijing

30 hours 15 minutes

One border, one bogie change

Trans Siberian Part Three - Irkutsk to Ulaanbaatar

One time zone change (strangely back an hour)

34 hours 29 minutes (including 8 hours at the Russian - Mongolian border)

The trains seem to be getting worse the further east we go.

The Trans Siberian Railway - Part Two

Yekaterinburg to Irkutsk

Three nights - 56 hours 20 minutes - two time zones

Waiting for the platform to be announced at Yekaterinburg Station

Train number 80

At every stop a man went along hitting the wheels with a long hammer

We left at 10.20pm local time. It was still light an hour later.

This train was not quite as modern as the first one. When you flushed the toilet you could see right onto the tracks.

In no danger of dehydrating while looking out go the window.

Some of the views from the train. Mainly birch tree forests

Dinner on the Trans Sib

Stops at Omsk and Barabinsk

Dried fish for sale on the platform at Barabinsk

We were in second class so had a four bed cabin. Luckily for most go the trip we were on our own. Third and fourth class consisted of open carriages with 50 or 70 beds.

The Americans on our tour decided they needed clean windows at the stop at Omsk

The Trans Siberian Railway - Part One

Moscow to Yekaterinburg

One night - 25 hours 19 minutes - two time zones

Train number 16

Waiting to board

Our very messy cabin. We were on a brand new train, it was not what I wasexpecting at all. We even had a TV in out room.

We shared a four bed cabin with a lovely Russian woman and her 5 year old son Artem. They were going to Yekaterinburg for the summer holidays to visit the grandparents. She thought we were crazy being on this train as part of a holiday and couldn't believe we were going all the way to Beijing.

We stopped here for 25 mins so we stretched out legs down the platform

I don't read Russian but I am fairly sure this sign is telling me not to climb out of the window.

The train schedule and the length of the stops

Our train is on the right

Yekaterinburg Station

Minsk to Moscow

It would have been nice to be able to say that I was traveling all the way from London to Hong Kong overland, but I am cheating between Minsk and Moscow, and flying.

I just needed to workout how to get to Minsk airport first.

A taxi to the airport is 40€ and the bus is 2€ - So bus it is.

We asked the girl in the hostel to write us a note which said something along the lines of "please can we have two tickets to the airport on the 8.25 bus, on 30th June". We had walked through the bus station numerous times on the way into the city so thought we were set.

We got to the bus station and checked all the bus stops but couldn't see where the 300E stopped. We also couldn't see the ticket office which we thought was a bit strange.

We went to see the woman at this counter. We gave her out bit of paper. She read it twice. Looked confused, shook her head and gave it back.

Warsaw to Minsk - My first sleeper train

My first sleeper train and the first country on this trip that requires a visa. Could be interesting....

Ok... Good start, I have a ticket. Well I hope it is a ticket as I can't read a word on it and it cost me 250 zloty

The train is on the board and I see I have to go to platform 2.