Category Archives: Trains

The great Trans-Sib experience

SIBERIA-RUSSIA, JUNE 2002 - Four days non-stop on a train, from the far east in Siberia , near the Mongolian border, to the the high north of St-Petersburg. It is truly the experience of a lifetime.  A fellow traveller on the … Continue reading

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Three nights on a Siberian train

IRKUTSK – MOSCOW , JUNE 2002 - ’So where did you say you go on Holiday ? Siberia…? ‘, a remark often heard when I was talking about my travel plans…. ‘And for how long are going to sit on the … Continue reading

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Lake Baikal Mysteries

LAKE BAIKAL, JUNE 2002 - It’s early in the morning when our train arrives in Irkutsk station, the first city of importance in East-Siberia we approach after two nights.  But before we visit this beautiful city we go straight onto the … Continue reading

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Impressions of Ulan Bator

ULAN BATOR, JUNE 2002 - I had absolutely no idea what to expect from the capital of Mongolia.  I had read some things about it, seen a couple of pictures, but that was it.  And I was very excited to arrive … Continue reading

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Fun in the bogey shack !

ERLYAN – DZAMYN UUD, JUNE 2002 - We are in the Chinese train on our way from Beijing to Ulan-Bator in Mongolia, and approaching the border.  The sunset in the Gobi desert is fantastic, and we hurry to take a couple … Continue reading

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Living like a nomad…

TERELJ N.P., JUNE 2002 - We arrived in the early afternoon in Ulan Bator (UB) with a Mongolian train, coming from Beijing.  We had travelled for a full day and night, with an almost endless stop on the Mongolian border in … Continue reading

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The bullet train

JAPAN, JULY 1998 - On my travel through Japan, I’ve used the shinkansen (or ‘bullet train’) for large distance travel.  This is an expensive way of travel, but there are many advantages : it’s very fast (it runs 300 km/h to 450 … Continue reading

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The Great Wall of China

MUTIANYU, SEPTEMBER 1999 – SIMATAI, JUNE 2002 - One of the biggest ‘tourist traps’ of China, maybe of the world.  But still , it is just awesome to see it with your own eyes, and on my second visit to the … Continue reading

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On the night train

BEIJING, SEPTEMBER 1999 - Traveling by train is always interesting. In China it is a real experience.  Not only the buying of the ticket is a challenge (I had the tour company doing this for me),  finding out how train travel  ‘works’ is as … Continue reading

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