21 days - Beijing to St Petersburg on the train

Location

Day 1 - I meet my group and have some dinner.

I first did an overland trip on the Trans-Mongolian in summer 2004. Since then I've completed the journey another eight times. This trip will be my tenth and final time I've trained it between Beijing and St Petersburg.

In 2004 I travelled alone and by train all the way from Hong Kong to Helsinki. Since then I returned to work as a tour leader for Intrepid on the Trans-Mongolian route. I take up to twelve people on either twenty-one or seventeen day tours stopping in Ulaan Baatar, Lake Baikal, Suzdal and Moscow. The journey seems to be getting more and more popular amoungst western tourists, backpackers on their way to asia for a gap year, english teachers on their way home to the UK or the States and of course the train enthusiasts.

Tonight was our group meeting where I go through the trip, answer questions and make sure everyone's passport is in order for the two border crossings. After the meeting we ate at a local chinese place just next to our hotel. We spend the next few days in Beijing seeing the sights then board the K3 on Wednesday morning.