I thought twice about showcasing today’s video montage. It features the world famous railway route, the Trans-Mongolian. Many people don’t realise, but the Trans-Siberian Railway is actually made up of a few different lines, of which the Trans-Mongolian is one.
Other options include the Trans-Manchurian line, which slopes off to Beijing and the Trans-Mongolian line, which hooks down to — you guessed it — Mongolia.
The Trans-Mongolian Railway
The reason I thought twice about posting it, was because the slideshow doesn’t exactly enthuse me. I’ve watched it around ten times, and each time I’ve been distracted by a passing sparrow or the steam rising off my coffee.
However, before I explain my doubting, watch the video.
It’s only around three minutes long, and by the end of it you’ll feel good about your own photography skills…
The Truth About the Trans-Mongolian
Now, the real reason I decided to post it, was that despite it being a little melancholy and rather pointlessly dragging your gaze over the tracks, it’s actually a fairly good representation of the Trans-Mongolian railway.
The Trans-Mongolian railway is boring.
There, I said it.
I’m often asked by readers of TrailofAnts.com — and by my mate’s mothers — what the Trans-Mongolian was like. The question usually goes: “Oh wow! You’ve been on the Trans-Siberian railway, I’ve always wanted to do that, how was it?”
I stare into their wide eyes, and watch their slithery tonsils swing in the dark void of their throat.
“It was good,” I lie. Because it’s the most famous railway route in the world, it should be good. People should want to travel along it.
Review of the Trans-Mongolian Railway
The truth is, I was travelling alone and couldn’t leave the confines of the train for five days straight. It’s so easy to write that: Five days straight. Five days straight.
Five.
Days.
Straight.
What were you doing five days ago? Four days ago? Three? Two? Yesterday? If you’re reading this while pulling up to Ulaanbaator, you’ve probably been on a train.
The same train. With the same people. With the same little toilet. With the same miserable restaurant car. With the same pine forest landscapes. With the same thrum of the engine. With the same narrow aisle. With the same dim bed light.
I made the mistake of leaving myself no choice but to undertake the journey in one foul swoop. My final days in England were spent at the Glastonbury Festival in southern England, and I was eager to get to the Naadam Games in Mongolia.
I genuinely love travelling by train, it’s second only to motorbike for my preferred mode of transport. But this was too much.
Tips for the Trans-Mongolian Railway
If you’re thinking of travelling along any of the routes of the Trans-Siberian Railway then I recommend the following:
- Take a friend. It’s natural that you will get to know your cabin-mates, but pleasantries are no substitute for a solid friend, or lover.
- Stop en route. Don’t do what I did. Stop along the way at any number of interesting points. Perhaps you can recommend one in the comments?
- Take a variety of distractions. Laptop and DVDs. Books. Cards and candy. Magazines and mints. iPad, iPods (other MP3 players are available).
Don’t get me wrong. The Trans-Mongolian was one of the most relaxing journeys of my entire life. There was no TV. No internet. No front door. No cooking (or washing up). No chores. Nothing. Nada. Zip.
Just me, and a row of dirty windows.
We stopped occasionally at nondescript stations. I alighted, grabbed an armful of fruits, vegetables, fish and vodka, then clambered back into the Iron Rooster and played swapsies with my cabin-mates.
I accept that the length the Trans-Mongolian is epic by today’s standards.
I can look at a map, and like Ewan and Charley, I can say “I crossed that”. For them, it was one of the most difficult and rewarding journeys of their lives. For me, it was painfully easy.
{ 47 comments… read them below or add one }
I like the slide show despite the, admittedly, boring landscape you describe. Train is also my favorite way to travel but 5 days ensconsed on one with no one to talk to would be a bit much. However, experience is experience and adventure is sometimes boring! Cheers!
Cheers, Gillian! I should add, there were people to talk to, in fact plenty of them, they’re just not the kind of people you might choose to be closed up with. Kind of like Big Brother on the rails.
The s-l-o-w slide change did also enhance your conveying the time passing s-l-o-w-l-y LOL
I crossed the Nullarbor by train where the scenery is null arbores (tree-less) and the change of view out the window over days is imperceptible until you suddenly notice the shrubs are maybe a tad more bushy (or more sparse) -
But 5 days does sound a little excessive – would be interesting to hear if there could have been some good side trips along the way to shake it up a bit –
But then travellers are the eternal optimists don’t you think – Always keen to see what’s around the next corner? Over the next horizon? And got to go and see for myself as the above could be just your slanted view?
(Do have a reason for not having a submit to comments button here Ant?)
S-l-o-w-w-w-w-wwwww, I like it!
I can imagine the Nullarbor is a tad tedious. I had thought the same of much of the roadside Outback. BUT. Then I learned a little about the culture and flora and fauna, and it suddenly became this thriving kingdom.
I know of one good side trip — Lake Baikal. Quite a few travellers have told me they’ve been scuba diving there in dry suits.
As far as going on the Trans-Sib for yourself — I definitely recommend doing that. How many times have we all read blog posts which portray the exact opposite experience to our own?
(I’ll take a look into the comment query. Thanks.)
ROFLMAO!! Boring! Lovely!
You forgot, bring a board-game, your iphone, your ipad your ipod! Excellent post – painfully frank. I LOVE IT!
Cheers Ciki
I’ve got it out of my system now, I can get on with my life.
So it’s basically like 5 days in prison, just that you get to look at pine trees? LOL. I’d never go on such long train journey. I prefer to fly. I love to fly. But trains… if it’s up to 6h I can take them, if not, I’d rather take a bus or plane.
But glad you’re so frank about this. I think this will shatter many dreams of inexperienced travelers, who want to do something awesome
“…like 5 days in prison.” For the record, I didn’t say that. I didn’t!
You make some good points too — I think it’s time a few walls came down and people started saying what they really think.
You “prefer to fly”. You could have been lynched for saying that three years ago.
Ant, My son is now living in Japan and the train and ferry is the only real low carbon way of visiting him. It probably is boring but an hour spent on a train is better than an hour spent on a plane. However this journey is 120 hours, so I guess that is why War and Peace was written by a Russian. There is no such thing as bad weather and there is no need for boredom if you are prepared, so great advice. If you take electronic equipment I believe you need to get well acquainted with the train crew as power points are scarce and even the mp3 players you mention won’t play for 5 days without a recharge.
Which of the three classes did you travel by?
How much did it cost you?
What extras did you have to pay?
“… this journey is 120 hours, so I guess that is why War and Peace was written by a Russian.” Fair point!
I promote overland travel (it was the main reason I took the journey) over needless flights wherever possible, but you’re right — this was too far. I’d fly next time. Ironically a flight to Tokyo from London was around £100 cheaper at the time, but it was the price of the flight from Tokyo to Mongolia which was the killer.
I paid £325 from Moscow to Beijing via Ulaanbaator, in second class (four berth cabins). There were no extras, apart from food and drink — and at the border with China, the train crew passed around a hand-written note, asking for money for the bed linen, around US$5 if I remember rightly. Naturally I told them to get stuffed, and I was scowled at for the remainder of the journey
Thank you Ant. Did you check out 3rd Class and if you did can you give a brief overview?
I honestly can’t. In fact, I don’t believe there was one on my train.
I’ve had a quick look at http://www.seat61.com/Trans-Siberian.htm for you, and he states the following:
Sorry I can’t help any more than that.
In terms of 2nd Class: I found it as expected. Compact, four-berth cabins. Comfortable enough when you’re asleep, but quite cosy for the day time. Naturally, when you’re sharing with three other people you have to make some allowances (especially if you occupy the lower bunk, which doubles as a seat — for this reason alone, I always opt for the freedom of the upper berth).
Ha ha! Really enjoyed this post. I felt my jealously slowly slip away. I think you should go again though, with a friend just for a fair comparison, you know.
I agree, Sophie. Despite my stated opinion, I wouldn’t be averse to retracing the Trans-Mongolian route (or any of the Transsib journeys).
If I did, I’d opt to do it in winter. I think the Siberian landscape beside the tracks is so nondescript, that a blanket of snow would make it quite magical and give the journey that tinge of adventure that I felt it lacked. And as I’ve said, I would definitely stop on route, at least five times.
This is a trip I’m dying to do – similar to you, I don’t think you can beat train or motorbike travel. You inevitably reach your destination feeling very connected to the areas you’ve passed through – even if it’s painfully similar pine forest landscapes.
I imagine this is a trip that is best done with a mate, as you mentioned. Certain things beg for that travel partner – and a five day train journey is one of them. You can share in the boredom, the claustrophobia, and of course the fish and vodka.
PS, I love the little things you do with your site – like the ‘subscribe’ option below. Brilliant.
What a blinding P.S., Matt! I really like it when people comment on the little things I do as oppose to the big chunk of text in the middle of the screen. Thanks.
In terms of the Trans-Mongolian Railway — right on. Get a friend, or have the ability to make a good friend really quickly. There were no shortage of offers to drink vodka or break bread, not least because one of my cabin mates was a Mongolian ergo, vodka was mandatory.
The best way to cross Siberia would be by motorbike. Whenever I watch Long Way Round, I feel no connection to the region whatsoever.
Come back and let us know how your experience on the TMR was.
I love your honesty! But £325, amazing value for a journey that far, if you can hack the monotony and solitude. So where would your ideal designated stops be then? Do you think this trip by Intrepid Travel gets it right in that respect? Great comp they’re running to win this or 30 other adventures this month by the way.
http://www.intrepidtravel.com/rle11/#watch/wbsb
P.S: I like yr sub by email note too, wish more blogs did this, including mine! Always wonder if commenters come back to read replies.
I would stop at Lake Baikal, that’s a definite. I like to think if I did it again, I’d find a theme to give the journey some depth. Perhaps historical, or even geographical or cultural.
Most of the major tour providers will cover the most interesting stops, and you shouldn’t worry about them being over-populated by tourists — there’s really not that many people taking the route, especially compared to the popular Asian backpacking routes.
The email subscription was added recently, thanks to Linda’s post above. It was already a feature on my old site — I just forgot to migrate it when I did the redesign. I’m glad people like it, and you all seem to be using it too which is great.
Planning a similar journey next year, so I’m going to consider myself warned
How’s Mongolia itself?
Mongolia is excellent — well worth visiting and getting out into the Gobi. Ulaanbaator is nothing more than a hub for travellers (I don’t think there are any other major towns or cities), so just make your way there, talk to locals and travellers and then head off in which ever direction takes your fancy.
If you arrive in July, consider the Naadam Games for some kitsch events.
I did it for 7 or 8 days (would have to go back to my notes and look) and was bored out of my mind. Glad I did it. Would not be likely to do it again. Boooorrrrring. And this coming from someone that loves trains.
Thanks for the backup, Michael. I’m guessing you travelled all the way to Vladivostok?
You’re definitely meant to stop and get off! Five days stuck on any form of travel is going to be boring, because you’re not getting to experience the world outside your window. I would highly suggest stopping every day if you ever do it again. Siberia’s a lot more interesting than most people realize.
I know, Kelsey, I know… but unfortunately, as I explained, I couldn’t! Where would you recommend stopping off? If I’m honest, from all the TV shows and podcasts I’ve listened to, Siberia isn’t somewhere I’d readily revisit. Sell it to me.
Perm is a good one to stop in – something of a university town.
Just because a place is gray and dreary and cold doesn’t mean that its people and culture deserve to be ignored. If you only visit “cool” places like China and Thailand and Nepal and ignore the shitholes of the world, it’s a rather one-sided view, don’t you think? Go to the places that nobody else wants to go. Make them valuable.
I wouldn’t exactly label Siberia as a shithole! (Nor could China claim to be cool). Just that, to me, it seems uninteresting. Naturally, I can’t find everywhere in the world interesting at face value.
Also, I don’t care where anyone else wants to go — therefore I wouldn’t just visit a place, simply because other people didn’t want to.
I see what you’re getting at though, and I agree with you on the most part; if only that — especially on travel blogs — it’s a personal opinion of a place. Which is why I will never say “don’t visit” somewhere, I just put across my point of view, drawn from my own experiences of a place.
With regards the TMR — I fully accept the mistake of travelling non-stop.
You’re starting to get what I’m saying, I think. Basically, if you only travel to places that you think will be interesting, how will you ever be pleasantly surprised by a destination? If you never get off at a boring looking town, how can you ever know that it was actually boring? Everywhere has a story, it’s just a matter of looking at it the right way.
I can be pleasantly surprised anywhere; but can you convince me to choose to visit an apparently uninteresting place, over a place that I personally find interesting?
No, probably not.
I don’t need to disprove myths (I’ll leave that to the guidebook writers). I go to places which I’m naturally curious about; which indubitably leads to me getting of trains and buses at alarmingly quiet and sterile places. I’m very rarely bored (when travelling or not).
My post was about the TMR itself — that the train journey, was boring to me. The landscape, the train carriages, the food, the prolonged period of time aboard it etc.
In terms of Siberia itself. It might well be a wonderful place, full of wonderfully interesting people — just that, to me: I’m yet to read, see, or hear anything that has tempted me to retrace the journey, and alight the train.
Which is why I repeatedly throw the opportunity out there, for other travellers to fill in the blanks for my own journey.
Thanks to your suggestion, Kelsey, people can now get clued up on the Siberian university town of Perm, and choose whether it’s of interest to them.
Thanks for your comments.
Along with Perm (wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perm), I can also recommend Omsk (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omsk) and Tyumen (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyumen). Lake Baikal, near Irkutsk is also quite beautiful, but only when it’s not frozen.
You’ve also just inspired me to write a post called “Why I Visit Shitholes”.
Great! Looking forward to reading it, Kelsey.
It’s related to this: http://www.driftingfocus.com/blogs/?p=6650
Ant, sorry to hear you were bored out of your mind. I had always wanted to catch the Trans Siberian (ended up doing the trans Mongolian), and enjoyed it no end. I did the journey a couple of years back, and being a little older now, and being able to afford a private cabin with Liza probably helped allot. It was also just coming out of winter and the scenery was amazing. Somehow, I just prepared myself for the long haul (although we did split the journey up with a stop in Irkutsk, and a week or so in Mongolia before heading to Beijing). We loaded up in Moscow, with loads of food and multiple bottles of Vodka. We were pretty well tanked for the whole 6000km. Not sure why, but I really enjoy train travel, no matter how long the journey, although if I had of done it many years ago, there’s no doubt it would have been in 3rd class. Ive even talked up doing the journey from Vladivostok to Europe some time in the future. Once again, I loved the Animoto slide show. One day I’ll get of my arse and punch a few out myself.
Hi Jason, thanks for your comment. I hadn’t thought about it until now, but I also broke up the journey in Mongolia for a couple of weeks. For those who are confused, the Trans-Mongolian actually continues on to the Chinese border, and on to Beijing.
Let us know when you produce some Animoto action, Jason — I know you have some excellent photography from your travels.
I just prepared myself for the long haul (although we did split the journey up with a stop in Irkutsk, and a week or so in Mongolia before heading to Beijing. We loaded up in Moscow, with loads of food and multiple bottles of Vodka.
I stopped in Irkutsk to chill there for a few days before going to UB. You should have done that instead…
Thanks Nick. If you could expand on that, I’d appreciate it. I was already pretty chilled, but I do remember Irkutsk as being one of the more popular stops along the way. Thanks for your comment.
Oh man, Mongolia has been my number #1 dream destination since I was about 10. I guess the train is out though. I’ll just wrangle myself a wild Mongolian stallion or something.
Mongolia is an incredible destination. I have no qualms about recommending it, but ask that you come back and let me know how it goes when you achieve your dream.
Boring, is it?
Even though Trans Mongolian is one of my dream destination. Well, the way of travel. 
But glad to see your experience! I will keep your words in mine when the day comes.
Hey guys
))))
I am gonna be doing this transmongolian thing for 3 weeks this autumn, starting from Beijin (how do u spell it??) up to Moskow. My friends just dropped out so u r more welcome 2 join
Hi
Im planning on hitting Russia for a few months in September after a jaunt through Sweden and Finland im planning on taking it slow and stopping at maybe 5-6 stops in russia, so i might see you going the opposite way Sara.
Hej Tom!! coooooooooool let´s keep in tocuh!
and enjoy Scandinavia! I live in Copenhagen, so just tell me if u pass by here as well 
hi Sara, no-way copenhagen is my first stop!, im gonna spend 3-4 days there then try and get to sweden for midsummer solstice, it would be good to get some local knowledge on the city, I heard about these crazy houses that used to be a barracks but thats about all I know.
København is a freaky place, I love it! The barracks… I guess u mean Christiania! That´s a lovely place in my eyes! U should try to come to distortion (1-5 June), 5 days street part simply crazy!!!!!! Well, see u then
Hi Sara, im on my way to Copenhagen on Tuesday, i wonderd if you still wanted to meet up? my email address is tomshnub@hotmail.com. unfortunatly i could’nt get the time off work to come to distortion, what with taking a year off already. hopfuly see you soon
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