June, 2010: Day 2 - The Trans-Mongolia: Ulaan Baatar to Sukhbaatar, Mongolia

The train stops at the UB station for about half an hour, and by the time it pulls out, it was obvious almost everyone else were on this train just to get to UB. Only three of us were left on my carriage: myself, a Russian girl (twenty plus, who looks more Mongolian to me; and an American college boy.) They were in another room, so I am left alone in the room:
1) I was happy that there will be less people to share the toilet with;
2) Sad that there will be no one to have a conversation with the next 2 days;
3) Happy that I would not have to talk once I ran out of topic in the 4th and 5th days;
4) and worried that the bunch of friendly roommates would be replaced by the infamous Russian drunks.


Four years ago, in the same month of June, I had taken the train from UB to the Mongolia border, SukhBaatar. Not sure about getting the Russian visa worked out in UB then, I have decided against crossing into Russia. But I had vowed to be back again and eventually cross the border on train.
I think I still have a vivid memory of the scenery along the way, being able to recall the prominent features in the landscape. Although, to be fair, the unchanging uniformity of the landscape did help a lot.
Deciding against paying another 12US$ at the restaurant car, it's time to break out the ration.


This being summer, the sunset came after 8pm.
It was after 10pm when the train arrived in SukhBaatar. It's another round of custom and immigration formality. I think this is where the Mongolian railway's carriages were taken off.
I would be another hour before the train pulled out of SukhBaatar, with uniformed guys (custom? immigration? army?) lined up on the platform and along the track saluting the departing K3.


The border seems to come with thickly forested (not rainforest-thick, but with pines.) I hope my flashlight that went off didn't spook any border patrol.
I am not sure if we crossed into Russia proper before midnight, but a quarter before 12, my cellphone was showing it had locked onto "MegaFon RUS". Whatever lies ahead, that vow from 4 years back had been acted upon.