Overnight, K3 did a few things while I was asleep: passed through Balezino and Kirov stations, crossed the Vyatka River, skipped one entire timezone (GMT+5), and hurled right into Moscow time.
This was Day 6, and the final day of the journey. We are now in GMT+4 timezone, while is also Moscow time.
Since crossing into Russia, we had crossed eight rivers. The K3 had one final one to crossed, and one of the most venerable in Russia: the Volga, which is about 1km wide at this point.
Before the next station comes into sight, sign of the city.
At about 7 in the morning, the train arrived in Gorkiy, once Nizhny Novgorod, the fourth largest city after Moscow St. Petersburg and Novosibirsk.
We are now less than 500k from Moscow, Yippeee!!!
After 5 full days on the road, I have adjust my biological clock from Singapore's GMT+8 to Moscow time. At 8am local time, I got down to breakfast of egg muffins, the very last few item of my ration of mostly oranges, bread and instant noodles.
Almost time to say farewell to the water boiler, indispensable for making coffee and instant noodle.
Gorkiy is one of the Golden Ring cities. Golden Ring is one term I used to associate with Russia, because since tour agents started offering package tour into Russia, it had more or less been "Moscow and the Golden Ring!!!" on their adverts.
Between Gorkiy and the next station are the Golden Ring towns. There seems to be quite a few large churches along the way.
Four hours before Moscow, we arrived at Vladmir. At the platform, some Russian guy tapped on my shoulder and warned me about taking pictures of the station. The station does look a bit like a fortress.
After leaving Vladimir, the Chinese train crew started with their cleaning duty. Sweeping the corridor, wiping down the railings, and giving the toilet a washup. Then some Russian officials made their appearance. They were here to make an inspection before the train arrived at Moscow.
It was also time for me to packed up. And to go brush my teeth. And to slide the door of my room closed while I wipe myself with packs of wet tissue. And also to check out how to get to my hostel on the metro. All this in the 1 hour as the train approaches Moscow.
At half past 2pm, the K3 arrived at her destination Moscow. Or the Yaroslavsky station, to be precise, as there were three train stations right next to each other.
Now, to find a money changer...
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