Mongoliassa ollaan onnellisina ja suihkun kayneina! Takana 5 paivainen junamatka, joka yllastykseksemme ei ollut ollenkaan tylsa. Viihdytimme itseamme mm laulamalla lapi kaikki suomi-iskelmat, ja aloittamalla myos sanoittajan uraa. (Luvassa Siperia-aiheisia lauluja). Maisemat innoittivat runosuonemme kukkimaan, joten mitaan
cd soitinta tai wappeja ei tarvittu. Vinkkeja Siperian junamatkalle mukaan otettavista tavaroista kuitenkin myos seuraa. Varustuksemme ei ollut taydellinen, mutta lahes. Vaunutovereiksemme saimme Mongolialaisia opiskelijoita (joille yritimme aluksi kovasti puhua kiinaa), viereisessa hytissa asusti itse Arnold Schwarzenegger ja Danny Devito veljensa kanssa. Venailaisia "mafioosoja" siis.
Nalkaan ja janoon ei tarvinnut kuolla: nuudelit ja puuro maistuivat oikein hyvin. Vetta saimme junassa koko ajan kuumana olleesta samovaarista. Ravintolavaunun tunnelmasta nautimme kahvin merkeissa.
Maisemat vaihtuivat pitkin matkaa aikavyohykkeiden myota ja onneksi niita oli aikaa katsellakin (heh). Uralin jalkeen puusto alkoi vaheta, Omskissa Kazakstanin rajalla oli taysi kesa, Irkutskia lahestyttaessa maa oli luminen ja Baikal-jarvikin oli yha jaassa. Nyt maisemat ovat pelkkaa puutonta aroa ja jurttia siella taalla. Ulan-Batorissa on retro-meininki!
Viiden junassa vietetyn enemman tai vahemman unentayteisen yon jalkeen (unensaanti oli aikaeron takia valilla vaikeaa) oli ihana paasta hostellimme stabiileille ja pehmoisille vuoteille. Henkilokunta Mongolian Steppe Guest Housessa oli aivan ihanaa ja juna-asemalla jo meita vastassa. Nyt lahdemme kiertelemaan keskustaa ja parin paivan paasta arolle ratsastamaan, jurtissa yopymaan (sori aiti) ja jakkiharkia lypsamaan.
Rakkaita terveisia ja paljon haleja kaikille! Hienosti parjaillaan!
Liite:
VIIKON HASSUJA TAPAUKSIA
- Kiinalainen vessapaperi on venyvaa
- Ravintolavaunun Olga-tarjoilija oli kannissa kuin kaki
- Ulan Uden asemalla soi kuulutusmusiikkina "Taas toivotus hyvan joulun" ilmeisesti jonkun kannykasta nauhoitettuna
- Nishneudinskin asemalla oli digikyltti, jossa luki modernisti vain "WWWW"
- Siperian kannykkaoperaattoreita: Ural-Tel, Far-East, Mongolian Mobicom (Toimii Soneran liittymissa, naista et paase nauttimaan DNA:n asiakkaana
Lisaa luvassa sita mukaa kun mieleen tulee.
Here we are in Mongolia, nice and fresh after the shower. The 5-day long train journey is now behind us, and to our surprise it wasn't so boring at all. We entertained ourselves by singing through all the Finnish popular music songs and by starting our careers as songwriters. (Siberia-related songs will be presented to you later.) The sceneries inspired the poetic side of us so there was no need for CD-players or WAP or any other gadgets.Even though our equipment was close to perfect we will be giving you some special packing tips later on. Our travel companions were mostly Mongolian students (to whom we tried to speak Chinese for quite some time) and in the cabin next door there was Mr. Arnold Schwarzenegger himself as well as Danny Devito with his brother. So Russian "mafia" alltogether.
We were not illnourished since the instant noodles and porridge were absolutely delicious to our tastes. Boiling water was always there for us from the Samovar (sorry, don't know the word in English). Every now and then we went to the restaurant car for coffees.
The sceneries changed along with the time zones and luckily we did have time to watch them (eh-eh). After the Ural Mountain Ridge the trees became less and less, in Omsk on the border of Kazakstan there was already a full summer, when approaching Irkutsk the ground was snow-white and the Lake Baikal was still frosted. Now the sceneries look almost as if desert, only random gers here and there. In Ulan-Bator there's a cool retro-atmosphere!
After five more or less sleepless nights in the train (sometimes it was difficult to get sleep because of the time difference) it was really nice to get to the stable and soft beds of the hostel. The staff at the Mongolian Steppe Guesthouse was very friendly and they met us already at the railway station. Now we're off to wander around the city center and after a couple of days we'll be going riding horses, sleeping in gers and milking the Mongolian cows.
Dear greetings and big big hugs to everybody! We're doing really well.
Attatchment:
Funny incidents of the week
- The Chinese toilet paper is stretchy
- The waiter in the restaurant car of the train was totally wasted
- The announcement music at the Ulan-Ude Station was "We wish you a merry Christmas", probably recorded from somebody's mobile phone.
- At the Nishneudinski railwaystation the digital board was very modern and only said "WWWW"
- Mobile phone operators in Siberia: Ural-Tel, Far-East, Mongolian Mobicom