29 September

After an unsettled night (perhaps because the trip will soon be over) I woke at not long after 0200 and got up at 0240 to wash and dress. After that it was a cup of tea and look forward to the day.
The sun had risen, there was glorious sunshine and the trees were showing a range of autumn colours. The landscape varied between flattish plains, valleys and undulating plains between ranges of different heights.
The train paused briefly at Arkhana and then headed out. It appeared we were nearly on time. Then it was through similar land again until we reached Obluche at 0550 (1250 local time). Here we were scheduled for a fifteen-minute stop so there was a chance to look over the goods on offer as well as look along the station. The local dogs were also out in force. The sunny weather and slight breeze made for a pleasant time. I chose a corn on the cob as the best of the available food for me (potato and cabbage aren’t quite to my taste, and I wasn’t sure what was in some of the homemade fare). I ran into the family whose child I am trying to teach “G’day Mate” to and gave the father the last of my koala pins. The child seemed unimpressed and more interested in playing with his toys. I got shadowed by one of the dogs which seemed to have a liking for corn and wouldn’t be tempted by anything else – until another person on the platform gave her some corn, then she took her custom to her.
Very soon after, while enjoying the sunshine, we were reminded by our provodnitsa to board the train and a few minutes later we were on our way. We had very soon emerged from a tunnel (apparently the first through permafrost) to see a new tunnel being constructed next to it – tracks already laid but no overhead power yet. The line is totally electric.
From here, in the Jewish Autonomous Region, the land looked … the same. So we all settled back to enjoy it.
The carriage now has six occupants. Sharon and I in Cabin II and one person each in cabins III, IIX, IX and X. The person in Cabin IX speaks to us occasionally, but those in VII and IIX are always in their cabins. The one in III snores loudly enough for me to hear him through the wall and didn’t rise until after we had left Obluche. He keeps forgetting which cabin he is in. Two others left the train then, as a lot hop on, spend the night and then leave sometime during the next day, often on business as they come on in casual clothes in leave in suits.
It was a quiet ride to Khararovsk, where we arrived at 1255 Moscow (1855 local) time. We weren’t allowed to wander too far from the train carriage as our provodnitsa wasn’t sure what time we were to leave. The station was fairly quiet, but we lost one man and picked up one girl (who got the bed in the compartment next door, and didn’t seem too happy at sharing it with a man. But she was still in there half an hour after we left at 1315.
I spent the next bit of time tidying up and packing things for a quick getaway tomorrow morning. I asked one of our provodnitsas if she would pose for a photo with the other and she giggled “no” – but I will try tomorrow morning anyway. The tea bags are packed away, as is the sugar, for my next train trip in just over a week’s time. I will be packing up the extension lead and power-board as the last thing before I go to bed and then it will be a quick wash in the morning, a final and brief packing of the suitcase (shoes, washer, toothbrush and track suit pants), the backpack (power items, drives and laptop) and jacket (mobile and test kit).
At the moment the plan is to walk to the hotel and leave the luggage, do the Funicular Railway, walk back down the main street, see a few things and get a breakfast/lunch at a burger joint, do a ferry ride at noon, go back to the hotel and do some washing, see a few museums and photograph Yul Brunner’s house, have a light tea and then go back to the hotel, see if there is Internet access and, if so, upload a few blogs and quite a few pictures. Then, sleep, before an early morning trip to the airport to arrive in Beijing in the late morning.