25 September

At 0800 Moscow time I woke, but we were moving slowly so I didn’t get up. Soon after we stopped, and after we were on the move again (ten minutes to be precise) I was able to go down, hand wash and dress.
After that it was have a cup (or two) of tea with a chocolate teddy bear (but not dunked, as the chocolate melts), some cakes (no bread yet, but I’ll get that at the next stop) and pose for photos with competition magazines from Australia. The scenery has changed to flat plains, some areas lightly wooded, a little cultivation but a lot of what appear to be grazing areas. The only animals seen were cows (too far from the track to come out in a photo) and a horse and cart (sulky – the cart, not the driver).
I tried the provodnitsa with a chocolate teddy bear and she seemed to like it very much. We have a system – thumbs up means OK and the number of fingers is how long we are at the station (but we have to be on board about five minutes before the train leaves). I have had the adaptor in the power socket in the corridor with my (Australian) extension lead along the wall and under the carpet and had no comments. When the corridor is being vacuumed, the cleaner just pulls the lead out and replaces it when finished. Although the compartment has a power outlet, the positioning of the TV (no, I haven’t watched any programs in Russian aand as I don’t have my iPod TV lead with me I can’t watch my movies on TV) prevents me putting the adaptor and lead in (insufficient room – memo to self: if I do it again, bring a right-angled Russian extension lead and use the adaptor in the compartment). Currently I have the computer, the battery charger, and the iPod charger plugged in, and also an adaptor so Sharon can charge her camera/iPod (so the number of sockets on the power board is just right!).
At 1115 Moscow time we called into Omsk. We stopped here for fifteen minutes and I managed to get a loaf of bread (not sliced though) from a kiosk. I had a look in the station (very nice) and a peek into the town from the station entrance, but then it was straight back onto the train. I missed out on seeing a locomotive at the end of the platform, but managed to get a photo as the train pulled out. The Beijing train was at the next platform to us, but not a shared platform, so we didn’t get to see the passengers from there again. We must be within a few minutes of each other all the way until they turn south.
We moved out very smoothly and soon we were cruising at about 115 km/hr. There must be welded track as the ride is smooth, but punctuated by very sharp jerks for no apparent reason (unless the movement over points is made more obvious because of the smoothness elsewhere). The track has compressed air lines next to it which are used for point actuation, and is electrified all the way. Near cities (Omsk is 1,3 million people) there are small platforms, presumably for the use of local trains (and there were plenty in the marshalling yards).
Armed with my bread, I went through my pack to get my plastic knife (still from a motel in the US), but I realise I should have brought my Wiltshire picnic knife/fork/spoon set in my suitcase to use along the way. I didn’t want to forget and pack in the backpack, though, and end up having it confiscated at an airline security check. Then, having sliced some bread and coated it with Vegemite, I was in my seventh heaven and enjoyed it so much I had another. I will now be set for the rest of the trip, but will get some cakes tomorrow as desserts (my just desserts or just my desserts?).
Aside:
1: what is the difference between a weasel and a stoat? A weasel is weasely recogniseable but a stoat is stoatally different.
2: what do you call a group of Australians in an empty paddock? A vacant lot.
3: did you know it takes an IQ of 25 to do up shoe-laces? That’s why Australians wear thongs (or flip-flops if you think a thing is a piece of underwear/swimming costume)
While I was going through the pack I came across my musical bear, but neither Sharon nor the provodnitsa seemed impressed by my musical ability. My first disappointment of the trip.
The countryside is still lightly wooded with open fields (meadows, leas, paddocks) but no visible fences. So far another group of cows are the only livestock seen. In some house yards, cabbages have still to be harvested, but the tilled areas visible make it obvious that other produce has been harvested already.
The countryside now is becoming more open, more like steppes, although there still is the occasional wood. At 1330 Moscow time (1630 local time) I saw my first fence – five stand galvanised wire (but not for long). We are about 100 km north of the “point” on the Kazakhstan border. As my guide predicted, we have passed more coal freight trains in this area.
At 1503 we pulled into Barabinsk. I prepared for the cold by putting the track-suit top on. Outside I was grateful for that. I took some photos of vendors and then walked along the platform towards where the locomotive had disconnected. Suddenly I found myself talking to a youngish Russian man and in a few seconds I had a bottle of beer in my hand. He introduced me to his brother and the children (I think the girl was his daughter and the boy was his nephew). I gave the girl my koala pin and then (of course) the boy wanted one. I went back to get it and got, “Thank you Grandfather Doug” from the boy. The fathers and myself continued a limited conversation (after I had taught the boy to say “G’day mate”) and we separated just before the warning was given to board the train.
Once back on the train I transferred the photos and was just about to process them when … our compartment was invaded by Alexis and Sergei, from the platform. The first order of business was vodka tasting, from the six (yes six) sample bottles Sergei brought with him. I showed them some pictures of Australia and then Alexis pulled his flash card out of his camera and we saw all the pictures of his friends and family. By the time we finished we were all firm friends even though we could barely understand one word of each other’s languages. I did find out that Alexis and Serei are in the army, Sergei is the higher-ranking officer and that all the families and their friends enjoy volleyball and fishing (and I found out Russian fishermen exaggerate the size of their catch just as much as fishermen everywhere do). (Memo to self: do NOT befriend Russians on platforms who have beer in their hands AND especially do not give pins to children of Russians if I want to finish the evening compis mente.)
Fortunately they had they had to return to their families and so the evening finished on a note of semiconsciousness. A few minutes after, at 1915 Moscow time (all trains run to Moscow time through all Russia) we pulled into Novosibirisk. After a brisk walk and stretch on the platform I got back into the train and waited for us to leave. A large number of people got on the train and, on schedule at 1935, we left the station.
After a short time, it was time for bed (local time is 2230) so I collapsed into bed.