27 September

Awoke at 0103 Moscow time or 0503 local time in Irkutsk – but still in bed. Our Swedish neighbours left the train and were last seen heading off in the dark and the cold. I think Sergei and Alexi left also, but I can’t check until our next stop.
I got up about 0300 Moscow (0800 local) time, washed and dressed and then looked at the scenery. I got the first glimpses of Lake Baikal and soon after it became the predominant feature on the skyline. We passed through a few tunnels and then the lake became the view to the north.
The train stopped two minutes at Slyudyanka and each open door was assailed by a collection of fish-sellers. They didn’t have too much success at Carriage 7 with only one customer (dried split fish is not the most appetising thing early in the morning) and within the allotted time span we were off.
The lake and its shore villages, and the odd fisherman and fishing boat next to the lake, were to be the views to the north for the next few hours. To the south were views of forest and, in the distance, snow-covered mountain peaks. The line meandered between immediately next to the lake to a few hundred metres inland. Waves on the lake appeared to be over the metre mark.
After around two hours of lakeside views the track swung inland. Not too long after, at 0840 (1340 local time) we pulled up at Ulan-Ude for half an hour.
A businessman who had got on in Irkutsk left the train and we said goodbye – despite only exchanging about half a dozen words in the time we had seen each other in the corridor. I went out onto the platform to see what was available and say Sergei, Alexi and their families leaving the train here. I said goodbye to the parents and got a high five from the children and they departed. Along the platform I couldn’t find soft drink or sliced bread (but I did find an ice cream) so I walked across to the station and found some coke – but only as cans or a small bottle, so I got one of each. On the platform on the way back I ran into a jovial gent whom I’ve greeted at each stop so again we shook hands – but this time he said I should be drinking beer and not soft drink, so I tried to indicate why I was drinking the soft drink.
After a little exercise moving quickly up and down the platform near the carriage and being amused by a little one who was running away from his father (but not too far) and was so rugged up I am sure that there was only a skinny child inside, we were reminded to board. On time, 0920, we pulled out of the station.
As we headed out of the city there were all the people doing usual Saturday things. There was supposed to be a locomotive “graveyard” nearly half an hour out, which proved to be on the northern side (it wasn’t mentioned which side in the guide books). From there on the scenery became more rolling plains in a valley with hills to mountains on each side. After three hours we had a scheduled stop, but only of a minute or so, and we got another passenger. After this there was two hours to the next stop, Khilok. To break the tedium of the travel, Sharon and I decided to splurge and have dinner (at 1300 or 1900 respectively) in the Restaurant Car. This was an interesting experience, with Sharon having shashlik and me having pork escalope. We dined at the next table to the third member of our visitors from two nights ago ((Sergei and Alexi’s mate). The view from the car was good but the dirty windows precluded any really good photos. If the Russian Railways are looking for suggestions, I would say a lounge/observation car with the windows cleaned at each stop would go down well, especially if placed just behind the restaurant car.
We stopped at Khilok on schedule, so the first thing I did was to look for sliced bread (unsuccessful), then coke (successful for one litre). Along the platform I found the train is about four hundred metres long, that the older provodnitsas are all photo-shy but the young provodnitsas aren’t. I also met my beer-drinking mate who, when I told him I wasn’t drinking beer because of the weight it puts on, proudly patted his beer gut and shook hands again enthusiastically. One youngish boy gave me a high five so I gave him a “G’day Mate” so I’ll see if he can learn that by the time we get to Vladivostok or when he gets off the train (if before then).
Back on the train I took my suitcase out to find my map of Australia (successful) and pack away the dirty clothes (successful). At this rate I will have three sets of clothing to wash out in Vladivostok (but only one night) after I have my first shower for eight days. In Beijing I will try to have my trousers and jacket laundered.
It’s now 1923 local time (1423 Moscow or train time) so it won’t be too long before it will be time for bed (we gain another hour overnight). Sunset will be in another hour and already the light is too low to take photos.
It was off to bed and then sleep at around 2200 local time.