Beijing China to Ulaan Bataar Mongolia

At last we were on the Trans Mongolian Express, a part of the Trans Siberian more on that later. The train was scheduled to depart at 07.45 from Bejing Central and we were there expecting to see a horde of travellers on the same train. The count was 16 travellers and most of those were from the antipodes and the great south land. However it is a big train some 16 carriages long.

1. The journey is 18 hours (5 hours on the border).
2. The train changes bogeys, different rail gauge in Russia and Mongolia
3. Border guards do their thing all very boring really.

The journey.

4. The country changes from lush farmlands to desert around the outer Mongolia area.
5. Then it reaches the Gobi, flat land (see travellersteacup blog).
6. The towns are Industrial. Coal mining the main production
7. Out of Bejing the train follows the Great Wall for about 150 kms
8. The train is an older type and does the Beijing to UB 3 times a week
9. We had a whole carriage to ourselves
10. As always us southerners usually end up in a huddle. So it was.
11. We woke in the Gobi with the first light coming over the horizon
12. Shock the temperature was –5 and more to come
13. Ulan Bataar is a lot different to Beijing and we were to experience some great moments. Travelling on the Great Train Journey.

Image 1 Beijing railway station at dawn.