Ruthy in Mongolia
 China and the Trans Siberian Last month I was so lucky to get an opportunity to travel to Beijing. My sister was coming to visit Mongolia and it worked out cheapest for her to fly into Beijing and then travel back to Mongolia on the train. So I flew into Beijing (Mongolian airways had a special deal on so it was actually cheaper to fly than get the train, UB to Beijing only). We hung out in Beijing for about five days so that we had plenty of time to get Cassie's Mongolian visa sorted out. Quite a lot of people I know had made the trip down to Beijing before and they talked about it like it is some kind of Mecca and constantly comparing it to Mongolia. So I thought, in keeping with this, that I would get to Beijing and be overwhelmed by the array of food on offer, the amazing infrastructure and wonderful customer service. However, I just found myself really missing Mongolia. All the things that people had said were great about Beijing made me pine to be back in Mongolia. I didn't eat any food that was so amazing that I couldn't get in Mongolia. Tarmac roads minus the potholes don't really do it for me anyway and I missed our quirky, rubbishy, pothole laden roads in Mongolia. I found it frustrating that I was being ripped off for being a tourist, at least in Mongolia I know enough of the language to tell people I know they're trying to rip me off! Don't get me wrong I loved being in Beijing: it was really hot, I got to see some world famous things like the great wall and Tiananmen Square, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7ou2-Kv4UA&feature=related the public transport system was better than anything I've ever experienced before. We stayed in the cutest, friendliest hostel where Cassie and I realised we want teeny pet dogs! But the entire time I was thinking I miss Mongolia, I can't wait to show Cassie Mongolia... Mongolia felt like the home I longed to get back to and I was only away for five days! Maybe it's because Beijing is so industrialised, so western. I'm sure if I'd had longer and ventured out of the big cities it would have been a totally different experience and I'd have ended up learning so much more about Chinese culture but I think we did lots in Beijing in the few days we had there. Cass and I walked 10km of the Great wall of China! Ok we cheated a little and took a cable car up the hill and a shortcut that two lovely Chinese ladies showed us but essentially we walked 10km! And a good job we did cheat a little: Cassie had a complete breakdown at the end saying she couldn't go any further! I think we had both, naively, assumed the path on the wall would be paved and easy to navigate. When in actual fact it's only the super touristy bits that have been reconstructed and the majority is still crumbly and difficult to climb. So, Cassie and I walked 10km of the great wall (up, down, slipping, sliding, screaming, breathless and sunburnt) in our flip flops! It was a bit touch and go for a while but we were able to Cassie's visa sorted and our train tickets booked. We're bought the cheapest tickets which are referred to as 'hard'. I'd travelled hard on Mongolian trains before so I had a little freak out at the prospect of spending thirty odd ours on hard seating. When we got there though it was like pure luxury! Our tickets even included lunch and dinner! We were lucky to be sharing with two nice Canadian guys who had just finished training as doctors! They were really funny and laid back. I think who you share your cabin with would have a huge impact on how much fun you have. There was a little miss know it all in the cabin next to us. She'd done the journey one time before which qualified her as the most experienced and this fact had gone to her head. She told everyone that at the five hour stop at the Mongolian border the toilets were locked and no one was allowed to go to the loo. I found this incredibly hard to believe. What if you were desperate? What if you were sick? What if you were elderly with a weak bladder or pregnant with a weak bladder? Or just had a weak bladder?! Surely these people wouldn't be forced to find alternatives to using the loo! I talked this over with her but she was actually really rude and made some remark about how I needed to understand that things operate differently outside the EU. I think she had maybe just seen what Cassie and I look like and assumed we were Western princesses who'd never holidayed anywhere outside the EU. As it turned out she was wrong. We were able to get off the train and hang out in the station while they changed the track things on the train. Mongolia's train tracks are like 2mm different to the ones in China and Russia so at either border the train is held up for hours while they make the changes. So we were able to use the train facilities then when back on the train we asked the carriage attendant nicely and he opened the loo for us! So not only did she actually not know it all she also judges and stereotypes people before she's had a conversation longer than five minutes with them. Hey ho, we didn't spend much time with her anyway. We just resented her for terrifying us at the prospect of not being able to wee for five hours when we'd been drinking beer! I turned 26 years old while we were on the Trans Siberian. Our roomies had found some Canadian girls and a group of guys from Belgium and we had a little party! It was amazing, I had happy birthday sang to me in about five different languages. It also turned out that the Belgium guys were meeting my friend Sophie in UB, what a small world...
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Diary Photos
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Contrasting city |
 Beijing |
 Our hostel |
 Beijing |
 Tiananmen Square |
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