Daily Routines

I've got into a bit of a routine. There are numbered kilometre posts all the way down the track, so with the help of our guide book we can predict when the stops are happening and how long we are staying. So there am I, all rugged up at the door to greet our Provodnitsa as we pull in to a station, and give her endless amusement as I jog down the platform to take some photos or buy some supplies from the little brick huts with glass hatches that only open up for the train (they've started appearing at long stops now). Not that she actually laughs or anything. Getting a smile out of a Provodnitsa is a futile pursuit that every foreigner indulges in for sport.

The whole line is dual carriageway and electrified now, but we still stop periodically to take on water and supplies. The toilets on-board are bio-loos just like on planes, and the carriage is heated to 21 degrees. Surprisingly, I don't think we've ever been out of mobile phone reception, or at least we haven't noticed.

The restaurant cars are all privately operated, so what's on the menu, how much they charge, and what kind of service you get varies from train to train. We had a lovely schnitzel for tea last night, after an initially frustrating attempt to understand what was on the (Russian only) menu, until they summoned the only waitress with a few words of English - probably out of bed. We didn't expect English menus, but some pictures would be really helpful given that this is a train where you expect tourists and foreigners, and it seems that no Russian dreams of eating in the restaurant car anyway. In general, the Russian norm for service seems to be to give up and serve the next person if the initial attempt to help you fails. No attempts to keep trying, or to try pictures, or charades, or anything.

We are currently travelling on rails laid on permafrost, which means that even in mid Summer the ground is frozen solid to a depth of around 100 metres, and you have to dig with dynamite. They claim to have spent over 1 billion roubles since 1891 building the line (AU$400 million), and when you consider that most of the labour was done by exiled prisoners, its a huge investment. However, there are trains every few minutes both ways, so its well and truly the lifeblood of the east.