Another great rail journey...oops, not quite!

It's been 3 weeks since I got back and have been spending some time sorting my life back to "normal", i.e. clearing out my boxes shipped from London, buying some new furniture, sorting out Internet, etc. Missing the European lifestyle meant that I have been scouring around the island for nice cafes serving a decent cup of coffee, which sadly, besides a handful, are pretty pathetic.

I suspect I am "suffering" from travel withdrawal symptoms as my restlessness is beginning to grow in me especially in the past week. Had been planning to post another entry to summarising my trip but been in procrastinating mode at many a time.

Anyway, my last post ended with one of the more eventful journeys and I basically ended up arriving later than expected in Bangkok to miss both the train and coach down south to Malaysia. As I had a friend who was arriving the following day, as well as the outbreak of H1N1 in Penang, I decided to chill out in the capital instead for 3 days, relax under a touch of luxury in a very nice service apartment (compared to my hostel stays) and tucking into the glorious thai food. Finally arrived into Singapore via Changi Airport on 21 May, just in time for my cousin's wedding the following day. It's amazing how much time you can save by taking a flight (2 hours compared to 2 days on train from Bangkok to SG) but given a choice, I will do the latter anytime, the option to interact with the locals, experience the local culture and just seeing the world pass you by in the cabin is just too great to miss, although I have to admit to some slight hangover from train rides from the tens of thousands of miles starting from Copenhagen to the Artic Circle, through Russia, Mongolia, China and South East Asia, 25 cities/towns in all and most importantly, fulfilling my dream of getting on the Trans Siberian rail journey, even though the trip was bundled with "interesting encounters".

Got a few mails from friends and strangers asking me on advice for their travels (do continue to send me your questions and I will be more than happy to help where I can), which was really nice and it gave the opportunity for me to relive the best days of my trip whilst jotting the email reply. If I were to choose the most memorable place(s), it will have to be Norway and Mongolia. China should probably be one of them as well but due to my time constraint, I will definitely spend some time in the country to explore it proper to give it the due credit.

Note:
The map trail is extracted from my dopplr updates in the various cities/countries on Mapme.at but there are some bugs with the application as it always screws up the order if you travel to more than one city in a day, which kinda explains why I was always traveling from Oslo in Norway.

From Siem Reap to Siam

The journey to the Cambodia/Thailand border has been notoriously infamous. Ask any independent traveler who made this trip and 9 out of 10 will probably have a story to tell. Our bus left at 7am with almost 30 of us rounded up from various parts of Siem Reap before heading towards Poipet, the nearest and most commonly used crossing between the 2 countries. Sitting beside me was a Geordie gal who only just managed to get onto the bus after a all night party. She has been a volunteer in the city for the past 6 months and has been making this trip every month to renew her visa. In the midst of her falling asleep, we did manage to have a really lovely chat about her work, her "really wild" party as well as her scary story of how she was driven to "no man's land" and extorted hundreds of dollars for a visa to enter Cambodia from the Thai end.

By noon, everything was smooth sailing as we crossed into Thailand without further troubles and the representation of the transport company gathered the group by a roadside stall to wait for the connecting mini-vans to bring us into the Thai capital, and other parts for other travelers. An hour and an half passed before the van finally arrived before 10 of us were hurried in together with all our huge backpacks and off we go towards Bangkok. Unfortunately it wasn't long before trouble struck - the van overheated and the driver tried for the next half hour trying to get a replacement van and cool the van in the meantime. In the end, he figured that it was best for us to make our way back to the border again to wait for a coach instead as there wasn't any vans available to pick us up. So off we headed back, and again, the van overheated after driving for another 10 minutes and we stopped again to "feed the radiator with water". Just as the rest of the traveling group was starting to grumble, a lady boss speaking minimal English arrived with a car and suggested that that the group be fetched back in batches to the border in the car instead. By then, the group of Chileans + Argentinians and a Swiss couple started to raise their voices towards the lady in charge, who, to her credit, was trying her best to resolve the situation in the best possible way. This continued on even after we got back to the border and during the next hour of waiting, the poor lady was bombarded with all kinds of abuse from the few. It was a scene so ugly that I describe as bringing out the worst behaviour of a human being, until a point where an American pal and I decided to defend her from the group's demeaning abuse.

To be honest, what would you expect to get out if you were to pay $8 to get from Siem Reap to Bangkok? For me, it means no frills travel on a bus/coach and arrive at the destination in one piece. Unfortunately for some, it also meant that they assumed they have the right to put people down, even when they are only visitors to their wonderful countries. I was really disgusted by their behaviour and really hope they are just minorities of the population of their otherwise fabulous countries that I have perceived them to be in my mind.

Another delay halfway into the capital from a punctured tyre meant that we did not get into Bangkok till 9pm (a full 14 hours journey from start), but I was only too pleased that it was a retribution to the unacceptable behaviour from the group to our host of this country...

Divine inspiration from Angkor

The coach left for Bavet, border between Vietnam and Cambodia half an hour late than the planned 7am departure. 3 hours after leaving the busy streets of Saigon, we arrived at the border, which was surprisingly quick and straightforward. 2 quick stops, passport checks and we are off again heading towards Phnom Penh. The bus boarded onto a barge as we crossed the mighty Mekong river, a meeting point of many hawkers as they try to sell everything from maize to lotus stalk to fried locusts, all carried on the heads of men, women and kids alike. Couple of hours later, we arrived in the capital and waited for another hour for another connecting coach to Siem Reap.

An Australian couple was the only one aboard the 5 hour journey from Phnom Penh and was dark again by the time we arrived in the town. The locals at the stop were quick to play down the guesthouses that you have in mind, and suggesting others. If you are to go on their motorbikes to the accom, make sure you are happy with the rooms before you agree to stay, or pay for the transport. I managed to negotiate a free ride to one of the nearby guesthouse and paid $8 for a non-air con room. Siem Reap is a food paradise, especially if you do not mind sitting by the road to enjoy a local dish under the sweltering heat will only set you back by a couple of dollars.

I rented a bike for the day and headed straight for Angkor, spending an amazing day visiting many of the temples. The 25km around the main Angkor area can be intimidating for many, which you can hire a tuk tuk for the day instead, although I will definitely encourage all to try out the more adventurous route. To really soak in the atmosphere of all the temples, one probably need to spend a couple of days, so if you have limited time like me, be selective on which temples to visit and never try to overdo it. For me, Ta Prohm and Bayon were probably the most interesting ones, especially when one snakes through the crumbling narrow corridors of the former which seem to be devoured by the giant trees climbing all over the walls. I struggled to cycle back into Siem Reap by sunset and even had cramps towards the end!

Spent the night feasting on more cheap and excellent local food, and stocking up again for another long journey into Bangkok the following day.

Laid back Hanoi, busy Saigon

Hanoi will seem quite chaotic to many first-timers arriving into the capital but the streets in the old Quarter are surprisingly very well organised - you find a street full of shops selling all kind of shoes, from $1 slippers to the latest sneakers, street selling the latest movies in DVD for only £1, or if you are hungry, hunt down the street where it is lined with roadside stalls selling dried cuttlefish, grilled in the most delicious crispy form. Head over to Hoàn Kiếm Lake at first light or evenings and join the locals in their morning exercises as the sun glitters over the water.

I sampled some really good and cheap Vietnamese food at cosy Little Hanoi 1 (recommended by Lonely Planet), and enjoyed getting lost in the maze of streets that all looked the same in the Old Quarter. Avoid the night food market that is highlighted in guidebooks as the prices can be 2 to 3 times more expensive for foreigners than what you get elsewhere, and they are not necessarily better. Walking or motorbikes are the best form of transport as the city is relatively small and you can explore all the little sidewalks where the cars are unable to get to easily. If you are a coffee lover, make sure you try the Viet coffee, not really to my taste, but you might immediately fall in love with it. I especially like buying the different kinds of tropical fruits peddled by the hawkers on bicycles at incredible cheap prices, and eating so much till I ended up having stomachache on both days. The only disappointment was not seeing the Vietnamese women in the traditional gown called ao dai, which always seem so graceful and elegant in pictures, together with wooden hat.

Paid 1.3million Dong for a upper soft sleeper bed on the Reunification Express, the price partly inflated by the commission charged by the hostel, meaning it is definitely a better idea to get the tickets directly at the train station, or check with the hundreds of tour agencies dotted around the city. The locals mentioned that domestic flying can be as cheap as $50 one way to Saigon but have also heard about stories about the flying experience. For me, it was always only gonna be one option, by land, meaning either I take the historical rail slowly humming along the coast to the south or go cheap by taking one of the hundreds of open tour buses on offer that takes you from Hanoi to almost anywhere south. The thought of experiencing a train journey holding the world record of the slowest speed for a railway proves too much to turn it down, which I am sure some of you must have immediately rolled your eyes immediately at this point!

Settled into a compartment with an elderly couple and their grandson, as well as another bloke who joined us on one of the stations along the way. Amenities were bare minimal, so don't expect too much. The conditions for the hard sleeper (6 berth) and sitting were alot "tougher", but I am sure they are just fine after you get used to it like what the locals do. There is a restaurant cart which serves rather nice Viet food at very affordable prices, as long as you ignore the local habits of throwing bones and leftovers on the floor.



The green padi fields along the way seem like a world lost in time, with farmers still using water buffalo to plough their fields and move harvested grain. Occasionally, the train goes pretty close to the coast and smell the fresh sea breeze from the South China Sea, making one feel like jumping into the glistering waters immediately. The 30 hours journey seem like forever, not helped by a kid that was getting restless and was constantly throwing tantrums. Mr Obama's first autobiography was a big help to passing time, and was very impressed with the book.

Arrived in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) late and found a guesthouse along Pham Ngu Lao area for $8. As this area is packed with guesthouses (there are no hostels in this city), one can see travelers enjoying a beer at the many pubs and roadside stalls. The city definitely looked far busier than the capital in the north. Booked a bus into Siem Reap the next morning for $16 after checking around the many travel agents in the area, enjoyed a nice local Pho Bo and strolled around the area before turning in for the night.

Head south, from Hong Kong into Vietnam

Heading to Vietnam from Hong Kong is usually a breeze but the efforts increase slightly when you limit your transport options to be only land based. First leg of the journey involves taking a China train heading in the direction of Guangzhou. You can either take to Guangzhou East station and take a cab to another station in the city for the train heading to Nanning. Instead of crashing into another mega Chinese city, I bought a ticket to Foshan, (佛山, home to the legendary gongfu master, Wong Fei Hung 黃飛鴻) instead and transfer to the next train heading to Nanning in the same station after a 3 hour wait. Do take note that you will need to re-enter China at Foshan and standard visa requirements will apply for relevant folks. Another cheapest ticket meant that I was again allocated the top bed in the 6 bed berth layout, only this time, the compartments are all open plan. Most of the locals brought their own food whereas some simply bought the meals from the push trolleys that come by every 10 minutes or so. I did the same and it was pleasantly quite edible, and at a very affordable price of 15Y (~£1.50). It was quite interesting to see the varied food brought on board, ranging from traditional dumplings to spiced chicken drumsticks conveniently vacuum wrapped in ready-sale packs.

Arrived in Nanning at six the next morning and got my next train ticket to Pingxiang for 30Y, leaving at 8am to the Chinese/Vietnam border town in 3 hours. Managed to grab some porridge with you tiao (kind of fried dough fritter) for breakfast before the clouds opened and started to pour. As the train snake through the hills and valley completely covered with lush greenery, the train attendants started to come around the cars selling strange things from toothbrushes to UV mini torchlights (they argued that it was very useful to spot fake notes) to 3-for-10Y "top range" socks. One do need to be always wary of everything that is going around you, especially keeping an eye on your belongings as the train was completely packed to the brim. At Pingxiang, bargain hard with the rows of mini vans and tuk tuks lined up outside the rail station. It is worthwhile to exchange some Vietnamese Dong from the ones carrying stacks of millions in their hands as I did not see any ATM machines at the border. Paid 5Y sharing a mini van of 5 to the "Friendship Pass", named to signify the warm relationship between the countries. Locals are not entirely surprised to see backpackers crossing into Vietnam from here but it is still quite unusual, which is good as it meant that prices are kept to the local standard. The Chinese immigration was a breeze but over at the Vietnamese end, one will need to hand over your passport together with the immigration forms to the counter and wait for your name to be called out after it has been verified and stamped. After which you will have to pay another 3Y for a "doctor" to certify you OK before you put your bags through the scanner. Outside the border, look out for buses that head directly into Hanoi, another 4 hour slow journey due to the country's speed restrictions, costing roughly 80,000 Dong for the trip. With the cheap price comes the need to share with fellow "travelers" as the mini van will attempt to pick up as many people heading into the direction of the capital as possible along the way. At one point, it was so crowded that people literally had to "stand" in the van! I was hastily dropped off along a road in Hanoi to take a xe om, or motorbike to the Hanoi Backpackers' hostel as the van was not willing to drive through the Old Quarter. Been a frugal traveler, I ended up taking a 20min stroll through the hustle and bustle of the city landscape, lined with narrow streets filled up with roadside hawkers selling tasty snacks and fruits, crossing the roads like an old pro with millions of motorbikes screaming past, always making sure that the motorists can see me, and avoid me...

Bingeing in Hong Kong

The overnight train T97 from Beijing to Kowloon was almost filled to the brim with most heading to the southern part of the country in particularly, Guangzhou province. I had bought the cheapest bed on the sleeper train - top bed in a 6 bed compartment. The 24 hour journey turned out to be one of the more boring train rides of my trip so far as I barely chatted with the locals in the bunk as I ended up staying along the corridor most of the time since it was just too crowded to have 6 people squeezed in a tiny compartment. As the train steamed towards the south, the main highlight has to be the moment when the massive Yangtze River came into view and the train rolling over the fast flowing water carrying millions of tons of silt from inner China.

My dive buddy was waiting for me at Wanchai MTR station (Hong Kong's Metro) before we headed to her flat where I will be bunking in for the next 2 nights. People along the streets were mostly wearing face masks as the first H1N1 case was found in a hotel just few blocks down the road. The 300+ customers were still in quarantined which meant plenty of reporters lining up the streets with cameras prying into those trapped within.

Hong Kong is very similar to Singapore, slightly more crowded in terms of population, flats are a tad on the smaller scale too due to the rocket high property prices. Everybody are used to literally rubbing shoulders with each other, either waiting to cross the street junction, taking a lift to your office or squeezing into the public buses and metro. The traditional trolley buses still plowing many of the routes on the 2 main islands are a must for anyone visiting, very similar to London's now-extinct Routemaster buses but much narrower in size - probably due to the smaller built of Asians.



We met up with another friend for dinner headed out to the famous Lan Kwai Fong
bar area after. The area is another of those tourist checkbox to tick against, but it really lacks any serious character unless you want to see and to be seen. Caucasians hang around here alot especially with folklore saying that you can literally pick up a local everytime you head to the bar counter to buy a drink. We met more friends after a mini bar crawl and ended up in a very loud club which we stayed on till the wee hours of the morning.

After a night of unusual high alcohol mixing and intake, I woke up surprisingly unscathed, with my the loss of my voice the only minor annoyance. As the day turned out to be quite nice, we headed up to Victoria Peak for a panoramic view of the country, on top of a 7 storey new shopping complex built at the top of the hill. The tram up the incredibly steep slopes is another interesting sight, else you can either take a cheaper alternative in the bus or even take a 30min slow walk to the top. If you have more time, I will definitely recommend you to head over to the rural Cheung Chau to escape from the urban crowds.

In this country, you can find food in every corner of the street, literally. There are so many "Tea cafe" which sell anything from buns to wonton noodle soup to roast duck rice. Even the 24 hour convenience store (7-eleven) is packed with snacks that can pose a serious danger to people like me to stuff ourselves to death with food! Dim sum is the other must do in the city, especially those older restaurants that still have the steaming hot buns and dumplings coming around in push carts by elderly ladies shouting at the top of the lungs the food that they have. Shopping is also brought to another new level of meaning when you wonder over to Mong Kok in Kowloon where billboards hug every square inch of the space above your head, where thousands of stores lined up the streets, selling from the latest electronic gadgets to shoes wore by the top sports athletics. For ladies, a visit to the "Woman Street" will sound a temptation unlikely to be missed, where the latest hand bags, cosmetics, shoes and lingerie are sold at prices and varieties matched only by those in Bangkok. After dinner at another roadside store, we joined the hundreds by the harbour to watch the "not-so-spectacular" night view of the office blocks that lit up Hong Kong island. Been a weekend, most of the buildings were down to their minimal lights and thus lost a bit of its wow factor that you see in postcards. Instead of taking the metro back, we decided to take the very affordable ferry across the straits instead, becoming a part of what thousands of locals do daily to get on with their lives.

Reliving my adolescent years

Today has to rank as the most enjoyable day which I had the most fun in my entire trip so far. Rented a bicycle and started cycling to Angkor Wat, along the way reliving my adolescence of my childhood. I was completed broken by the end of the day - a total of 30km covered, 80% of it on the 2-wheelies. The chirping of the birds, deafening noise from the crickets, the incredible hot sun, forests of trees, dust and dirt from passing trucks and my $2 RayBan from Vietnam made life seem so carefree all of a sudden. I am treasuring days like this even more as I close in to the island I call home.

Beijing, a metropolis with a twist

Hutong - Traditional Chinese housing typically with a large communal courtyard built around the Forbidden City during the long Chinese history. Toilets are usually shared amongst a few households along an alley with hundreds of families living in each narrow street. These historical buildings are fast disappearing to make way for more roads and modern buildings.

Marie miraculously arrived 20 minutes after us at Leo Hostel located in the middle of the Hutong area south of the Tiananmen Square. She did however spent 3 times the taxi fare to get here. Paul was giving me a cheeky grin as if to thank me for been able to speak to the cab driver and get here in the shortest time. During cab journey, the lady driver laughed at me for coming to the Chinese capital only for the first time at this stage of my life (she would obviously be even more unimpressed if she had known how old I was), which was kinda of weird as if thinking that all Chinese should visit this ancient city once in their life, just like a must for the Muslims to visit Mecca.

The rest of the day was spent sorting out the travel arrangements to Hong Kong as I only found out that the Chinese Railway has changed their Beijing-HK schedules, meaning I was only able to leave 1 day later than originally planned. Decided to pay a slight commission to the hostel to help sort out the tickets rather than to spend time queuing up at the train station. Had a quick taste of the cheap and wonderful Beijing dumplings with Paul before strolling to the massive People's Square.

Next day, after another very early morning wake before seven, I headed out to the Hutong area for some rather authentic breakfast of hot soya bean milk, porridge and fried dough fritters, all for only 50 pence! The neighbourhood was incredibly charming, with the young on their electric bikes heading to work, whilst the mom and pops continue on their trusty traditional bicycles to the nearby market, with stores owners breaking the calm dusty air with their shouts for business. A walk through it seems to take you back in time, especially for one who has been so used to living in a city like environment like myself.



As the sun rose higher, raising the temperature ever higher under the smog of dust covering the city, I headed towards the Forbidden City, avoiding the People's National Assembly and Mao's Mausoleum due to the massive queues. Joined the lines of thousands past the Tiananmen where the Chinese guards maintained a level of orderly flow by shouting at the crowd to move forward and not stop to take any pictures. Few enterprising locals were already doing a brisk business by charging 20Y for a picture taken for them and printed out immediately.

Paid 50Y for the entrance fee and another 5Y for a simple guide brochure of the city with some explanations and pictures. On first entry, I was quite overawed by the grand scale of the palace - it was just the size but the immaculate details that are put into each and every corner. My memories immediately drew me back to the days when I watch this on TV, and finally here I am, seeing it with my own eyes of this magnificent city within a city. I wasn't alone, as I can just see the amazement and glitter in every single person the moment they walk through the gates. The numerous tour guides will always start off with each tour group asking if anyone know how many rooms in total are there in the city - the answer is supposed to be 9,999.5, which they will then continue to add that a new born child will be 28 years old by the time he or she finished staying in a room for each day of their lives. To really absorb the history of the city, one should really join one of the hundreds of tour groups visiting for a true learning experience. As usual, I went for the "free" option, staying close to a group whenever there is one nearby, listening intently with my rusty knowledge of the language.

A few more metro lines have since open for service since the Olympics Games last year and are excellent forms of transport to explore the city at the cost of only 2Y per single trip. Tried to find a place called "Jiu Ba Qi", literally translated to "987", where art galleries and chill out cafes are awash in the area, but ended up in the bars and nightlife area of "SiMaiTai" instead. Slightly disappointed, I decided to head towards the Olympics Park instead after tucking into some Pho Bo at a newly opened Vietnamese outlet behind a brand new shopping complex that seems to be sprawling out in every corner of the city.

If you are thinking of doing the same, you might want to consider going after dark as that is when the lights come on for both the Olympics Stadium, also known as the "Bird's Nest" to the locals, as well as the Aquatics Center. The pride and joy of their success in the Olympics last year can clearly be felt in the air as hundreds of locals congregate to take pictures beside these 2 incredible human architectures. I probably spend the same time helping others to take pictures and my own. Some of the locals were even asking how much I charge for a picture as they mistook me as a freelance with my big camera and tripod setup.

Paul and I joined 8 others from the hostel for a trip to the "Secret Wall", which was basically an unrestored section of the great wall about another 30 minutes drive from the the touristy Baidaling. It took almost 2 hours before we left the famed city morning rush, jammed packed with ever increasing number of cars. I will really exchange that for millions of bicycles instead anytime. An elderly man met up in the village at the foot of the Great Wall and been the only Mandarin speaking person of the group, I was naturally "promoted" to be the translator. The 30min climb up to the wall proved to surprise a few as some of them were huffing and puffing by the time we reach the top. But the view was well worth the efforts - an incredible crumbling wall snaking around the peaks of the mountains as far as the eye could see in the thick layer of smog, just the way it has been for thousands of years, no restoration, no touts selling you drinks and best of all, no need to jostle with thousands of other tourists. It was just the eleven of us, enjoying this amazing piece of Chinese history at our own pace. At times, the elderly man will try to spice up the journey with some stories about that section of the wall, which I will translate back to the group. Apparently it was very steep in history as the rebel Li ZhiCheng was said to have invaded the Beijing from here.

Back in the capital, I brought Paul out for another local dinner in the Hutong area which both of us enjoyed a great deal. The next morning, I brought him to try the breakfast that I had the other day and took advantage of my last day to stroll through this wonderful heritage that is in danger of disappearing as the city steams into the 21st century. In the cab to Beijing West station to catch my train to Hong Kong, I felt an unusual disappointment to leave the city. It has been the one and only place in my travels so far where I have felt so much at home, primarily due to my language advantage, but also because it has turned out to be a lot better than I expected it to be. Maybe I was falling into my comfort zone, which is unhealthy and best to leave on a bright note.

Cautionary visa requirements for travelers to Russia

For travelers going into the country, do take note of a new visa requirement by the Russian authorities. When going into the country, you will retain the visa form that the immigration returned to you with a stamp. You will need to bring your passport and visa to a nearby police station to get it stamped by 72 hours into the country. For any stopover that you are staying for more than 3 days, you will also need to do the same for that location. Some hotels and hostels can also do it for you, but you will probably have to make the arrangements yourself if staying in a guesthouse. This precautionary measure was introduced to reduce illegal immigrants and people overstaying their visas. During my recent trip across Russia, I was quite lucky to leave the country into Mongolia without problems at the border even though they were questioning me about the missing stamps as I have stayed more than a week in the country. Stories from fellow travelers revealed of people getting fined from USD$50 to been brought back to Moscow to spend 3 months behind bars!

So spare yourself this hassle and remember to do what is needed!

Lost in the beauty of Mongolia

Amid volcanic craters, pine-clad lava fields and the occasional herd of grazing yaks lies the Great White Lake, as it’s known in English, lies the Khorgo-Terkhiin Tsagaan Nuur National Park. According to legend, the lake was formed when an elderly couple forgot to cap a well after fetching water. The valley flooded with water until a local hero shot a nearby mountain top with his arrow; the shorn top covered the well and became an island in the lake (Noriin Dund Tolgoi). In reality, the lake was formed by lava flows from a volcanic eruption from the nearby Khorgo Uul volcano many thousands years ago. When we arrived, the beauty of this place immediately mesmerise the entire group, especially as the Russian beast pull over the peak for a panoramic view of the nature park. We all agreed that it probably has the best toilet view in the world, whilst doing your morning "business". The winds turned into light snow in the night as we huddled together inside the Ger, under the cozy warmth of the burning firewood.

The following day, we jumped onto the horses waiting outside our Ger as the wind howl towards us in a relentless mood. As my jacket was left in the UB Guesthouse back in UlaanBaatar, the host deemed that I was wearing too little with my 4 layers of tops that I have brought along for the trip (for a sense of how cold it was, I had a base layer, 2 t-shirts and wool fleece) and was ill-equipped to ride to the volcano. He came back from his Ger with his traditional Mongolian coat and helped to put it on me. I was also the lucky one to get the only white horse in the group which during the 4 hour ride, kept trotting to the front of the group and refused to be overtaken by anyone else.

Amidst a vast lava field strewn with black lava rocks, we visited 2 lava caves with ice that has not melted for thousands of years before heading towards Khorgo Uul volcano. As it was my first horse riding experience, I did eventually end up with a sore back bone (the piece just at the base of your back bone) and wobbly legs at the end of it as I tried all ways to make my ride more natural and comfortable, especially when the horse went on one of his ego-charge gallops to run away from the group. Paul said his kidneys hurt more than anything (wonder if it was the Russian vodka or the ride) else after the ride although he was in much better shape after a good siesta. The 4 hour ride only costs us £6 additional each! We had more mongolian noodles for dinner and it was starting to get to all of us (was hilarious when Marie took a first bite, said it tasted "AWESOME", but spat it out after I dared her to take another mouth as I suspected she was been polite, being Irish).



I set my camera up to try to take a long exposure shot of the night sky, with the eventual result showing the stars circling around the North Star, with the streaks of white light behind each. Unfortunately the camera on my battery died after 2 tried of 30 minute exposures but it was certainly an encouraging start. Even without the camera, one can only appreciate the beauty of the stars yourself in complete darkness. That was when I understood the meaning of "putting your hands out to reach for the stars...", as it really gave me that illusion.

On day 4, we packed up, thanked our lovely hosts and hop onto the Russian beast again and sped off on the dry landscape under the careful manoeuvre by Baatra. We stopped halfway to chat to another jeep of former Peace Corp volunteers heading to the west before coming across our first herd of camels. It was another 5 hours of probably the toughest off road before we arrived in the flatlands halfway between the Great White Lake and UB. The view was however one of the best of the trip as endless of mountains lined alongside us. I was enjoying the sights of the countless herds of sheeps, yaks and cows by mimicking their sounds on every passing, with Baatra contradicting me with the sound of the other animal every time. He did miss a moment of concentration and hit a sheep as it tried to cross in front of the car but was a step too late.

Our last stop on the flat plains happened to be staying in the Ger of Baatra's mom and brother, who are still living there in the wild, although few modern amenities have supplemented their simple life in the form of solar panels, satellite dish and tv. I had my first experience of a mini sand storm while walking back from the nearby river after a washup with herds of goats and sheep around me. Ended up taking shelter in a depression on the ground for half a minute for it to pass. Was kindly invited by Baatra into his mom's Ger for tea where she proudly displayed his wedding pictures and his 3 month old daughter. As there was not a single tree around, the fire burning in the Ger was fuelled by dried cow dung instead, which burnt pretty well but gives off a smell that, let's just say, not pleasant.

Another 350km drive on the hottest day of our trip on the 5th day back to the capital ended our Mongolian wild adventure. We stopped halfway for lunch and had more Mongolian noodles, this time only Baatra, Paul and I been the only ones eating; Dave has also joined Marie and surrendered to pot noodles instead. We arrived back in UB Guesthouse just before 6pm and immediately took turns for a nice long shower to clean away all the sand and dirt from the last 5 days. Looking back, I was really glad to have done the trip, and experienced the kind and warm people of normadic Mongolians first hand, which was greatly enhanced by a bunch of like-minded and fun travellers. We celebrated our "clean" self again by heading to a Cuba restaurant for some steak and Coca Cola!

Flickr to Mongolian set

26 hours on rail, from Moscow to Yekaterinburg

Kupe - 4 bed compartments with doors for privacy commonly found on the trains ploughing the Russian tracks.

Began my longest train journey so far in my life - 26 hour ride from Moscow's Yaroslavsky station to Yekaterinburg, also known as Sverdlovsk on the Russian train time tables, 1816km from the capital. Shared my compartment with a senior Russian woman returning to Irkutsk on probably one of the best Trans Siberian train - Train No. 10. The fierce and unfriendly looks from the city were immediately transformed to keen and curious questions about myself as we settled into the tiny space. After much nodding, shaking of heads and hand gestures, managed to pick up a few tricks on how to best store my luggage and change into comfortable "train wear" within the comfortable 25 degrees of the cabins opposite the freezing chills sweeping the platform outside the view.

Throughout the next day, there was an keen interest about finding out more of this strange Oriental all the way from Singapore, doing in this part of the world. I showed them pictures of places I been, and showed them maps of my journey so far and the plans to arrive back home on land. The woman seems to be returning to Irkutsk with hand cream made by her mom to sell (or was she trying to say both she and her mom use the same cream). She showed me her son and grandson and I learnt a few more Russian words by writing them down as she tries to induct me into the Cyrillic world.

The little gal in the next cabin seems to be attracted to me for some reason and kept popping over to get me to "talk" and play with her. Our only communication were mainly me saying "Nyet", "Da" and a shrug of the shoulders, but she still seem to enjoy every moment. Guess she just needed someone to keep her company.

The view on the train can be immerse especially when the woman woke me up at 05:50 and raised the curtain to see the amazing sunrise - biggest sun I have seen in my life - rising from the horizon. I assumed she is on Irkutsk time zone which is 5 hours ahead of Moscow. Along the way, you could really see wooden huts, endless birch forests and bobs of industrial cities as the train slowly made its way East. Time can pass by quite easily for most folks, as I walk along corridor, at times peeping into the life of the locals who are so used to using the rail as transport across the Siberian tundra. Some read, some were eating cup noodles, some staring into the empty space and some simply just sleep the day away (which was what 2 Brits were doing most of the time during the journey). The trains hardly go faster than 80-100 kph and during most stops, most head out for a breathe of fresh air and some exercise, as well as buying some food from the hawkers peddling food along the platform. You can buy most cup noodles and small snacks from the Provodnitsa or carriage attendant or head to the food carriage if there is one. I regretted not bringing enough instant coffee sachets thinking that I wouldn't get to drink that much, but turns out that you keep looking for things to drink or munch to pass the time, along with a handy book at hand. There is a stove fired samovar which hot water can be obtained at any time. I even got a very delicately styled cup for my hot drinks from the Provodnitsa for free, but to be returned when you disembark the train.

Had a mini incident with the Russians authorities again at Perm 2 when I popped out to take some pictures, only to find 2 huge Ruski policemen grabbing me and indicating to me "no pictures". They had wanted to bring me away before I insisted that I was from the stopping train and got the attention of the carriage attendant who got me out of trouble. Learnt from locals later that this is the city where they manufacture the Sputnik rockets (or was it where they fire the rockets) and I should stay away from policemen as they are mostly crazy.

Arrived in Yekaterinburg at 03:55 with a private cab arranged by Katie of Meeting Place hostel waiting for me outside the station. Air was freezing as it had been snowing for much of the day and arrived at the doors of the hostel, with Katie waiting for me after 20 min. Struggled to sleep again after, I am now 5 hours ahead of GMT, 2 hours ahead of Moscow and have to resort to keep my watch to Moscow time, and phone to the local time, as the trains are based on Moscow time - how odd!

Took a day trip out to Ganina Yama on a public bus, 17 km outside the city, in the middle of the forest, where the last Romanov Tsars were murdered, disposed and dismembered after to remove all trace of the atrocity by the red army. The place has since been transformed into a monastery and it has a very calming effect as you walk through the woods with Russian Orthodox church music in the air. To get there, head to the bus terminal outside the railway station and look for a kiosk with the words "Ганина Яма" on top of it. The mini bus 17 plys the route every 2 hour and cost 25 R each way. You can check the schedule outside the kiosk or at the monastery when you arrive.

There isn't much else in this sprawling city with top brands and new apartments taking over the city as you walk through the main streets. On the other hand, people are alot friendlier than the ones I have encountered in the previous 2 metropolis, and you could really feel the keen interest to know you better. Another photography exhibition gave me much inspiration again to take better pictures and decided to use the remaining day to stock up on my supplies for my 49 hours rail ride to Irkutsk before making my way down to Lake Baikal to spend a few quiet days to reflect.

In and out of Moscow in 24 hours

3 years ago, I set foot into Moscow and was reasonably wowed by how everything are so gigantic. 3 years later, I still get this same feeling. This time round I got a taste of the train stations after arriving from a packed overnight train from St Petersburg with 3 other blokes in my cabin - glad it was a peaceful sleep through the night. Will be a short stopover this time round as I am catching the night train out of the city, and only had few things in mind to see. The former KGB building off Lubyanskaya Pl, which was slightly disappointing since it hardly look any sinister to what the guidebook mentioned; St Basil Cathedral - still fascinated by this "funky" looking cathedral which stands out from the many others that I have seen around Europe; and a first hand experience in a public banya, or traditional Russian steam bath. It is very similar to the hammam that I had in Istanbul, with the main difference been the men (I think there are different sections for women as well) going into a ridiculous hot steam room, armed with birch branches, which they will use to hit against their bodies, legs, arms, etc to improve the blood circulation. As usual, my high tolerance to heat means that I struggle to sweat initially and had to shower myself and go in and out of the steam room few times to get the glands going. Have to admit that I underestimated how hot it can get as I almost fainted at one point after it got so hot from the constant steam generated by the caretaker who was splashing bobs of water into the heater. To make it even more exciting, you are supposed to dip yourself into freezing water outside the steam room to cool yourself off. You repeat this to the point that you think you finally have enough! I have to admit that sitting in the steam room, flanked by huge naked russian men, with the smell coming from the birch leaves, was quite a weird one, but it left me feeling so refreshed, especially after been on the roads for 2 over days and warmed me up considerably under freezing Moscow weather. I stopped short of letting the Russians do a body scrub - not without any towels!

Took a short detour to see the world's biggest Mcdonalds, which opened in 1990, to queues of crowd lining round the square in front of Pushkinskaya Metro station - there were probably 20 or more counters and seats 700 people! Elsewhere, one will only be surprised by the number of luxury cars on the roads, and the number of new luxury stores that keep popping up along the streets...I guess this is true Capitalism, especially when you see how many beggers are around the streets as well.

Had another bad encounter with Russians whilst collecting my rucksack from the luggage room, where the old man handling the bags as I misplaced the token that was given to me in exchange for the bag. He obviously knew which bag I was carrying as he was on the verge of handing it over before I struggled to return him the token, and started shouting and cursing at me, even though I offered to pay for the "loss". After 10 minutes of "begging" him to return my bag, the token finally "reappeared" in one of my zipped compartments which he then finally literally threw the bag back at me. I apologised and knew I was in the wrong but he doesn't seem to take in anything I said and continued to shout at me...he's probably had a long day, wife made him sleep on the sofa the night before, and did not have enough to drink for the day, but still, there is no reason for me to be on the receiving end of such service.

Can't wait to get on the 23:25 train to Yekaterinburg and leave 2 forgetable cities behind me...not the best start to the journey, hope the worse has ended here...

St Petersburg - corrupted, overhyped?

Crossing into my 3rd time zone since leaving the English capital. My body is adapting fine but the poor bus journey was not making this any easy. The bus dropped in at some station other than the one I was expecting. Luckily there was a Metro station beside it although it took me few minutes to figure out exactly what station it was. First stop was the Intourist office several stations away, made slightly challenging with an interchange to another line. The Metro system is an unusually deep underground, taking one easily 2 minutes to get to the platform from the surface, assuming the reason behind was that it doubled up as bomb shelters during the 900 day siege by the Germans during WWII.

English is next to useless in this part of the world, and people are strangely very unfriendly. I am not sure been Oriental played a part to this but even the security guards at the reception of the building of the travel agency were refusing to allow me to get to the office, and kept speaking to me in Russian when it was obvious that I understood nothing of it. After much efforts and waiting for 30min, I finally got my tickets I came for and left for Moskovsky Vokzal station to deposit my bag. If you get a chance to use the luggage deposit, make sure you remember the following sequence to save yourself more unnecessary time and sign language with the involved.

1. Pay the amount (R72.10) at the counter; where the lady will then hand over a token to you.
2. Find an empty locker.
3. Stuff in your bag and everything else you want.
4. On the inside of the locker door, there are 4 dials; the first is a Cyrillic character and the next 3 are numbers; select the combination you want and remember them by hard.
5. Close the locker door and insert the token from earlier and you should hear a "click" of the locker successfully closed and locked. Otherwise you might have to find another locker that is working. Remember to scramble the lock combination at the front before you leave.

To take the Metro, you also need to buy tokens off the counter costing R20 each, which you can use to take to any stop. Headed to Nevsky Pr and walked towards the Neva River for the State Hermitage Museum, where at one time, I was so sleepy and struggled to stay awake even though in front of me were probably some of the most impressive art display in the world - I guess I wasn't into the cultural mood at that moment. A pair of elderly American ladies asked me for directions as they too struggled with getting any information from the locals.

The number one thing to remember in Russia that is different from rest of Europe - almost everything seems further than what they look like on the map! Everything here is SUPERSIZED - roads, buildings, rivers, etc. Unless you really prefer to walk, it would be a better option to take the Metro where possible as the roads are especially dusty and you can spent a long time to get to your destination, although most of the sights are centered around Nevsky Pr, which is a very long road linking Moskovsky station (all trains to and from Moscow ends here) to the Neva River before it joins the Gulf of Finland. At this time of the year, one will see loads of broken ice sheets following down the river, where it is famed to become a mosquito breeding ground during the summer.

I heard about winter swimming and was lucky to see one brave soul doing a 30 seconds swim from the island of Peter and Paul fortress. Really cannot imagine how cold that is but learnt from the locals that it is supposed to be very healthy activity as your blood rushes through your arteries and veins after that to continue to keep your body warm, provided you do not die of a heart seizure.

As my train was way past midnight, I spent my remaining hours at the train station where I ran into the my first encounter of the corruption in the country. As I was earlier "chased" out of the food court after sitting and reading for 3 hours, I went back this time to buy a small bowl of Stroganov soup, paid and sat down to enjoy the football match that just started. Within a few minutes, the same policeman walked over and handed me a paper with "R78" written on it, and pointed me to the cashier. As I argued to say that I have paid, he continued to point at the paper and spoke in Russian. After, he left and came back with another older policeman and both started to demand me to do the same. I realised it was a lost cause, not speaking a word of Russian and no one to help even though I tried to get the guy who paid after me to confirm that I have indeed paid for my soup. Annoyed, I went to the cashier with the 2 police and handed the money as requested and specifically asked for a receipt this time round. If you are in Russia, make sure you ask for the receipt for everything you buy, you never know who or what might come after you. I guess I made the mistake to not take the receipt and they took the opportunity to get something out of me, even though it was such a small amount. But that was enough to annoy me that I just left immediately and stood outside for the remaining 2 hours to wait for the train instead. Maybe I was one of the unlucky ones, but at that time, this was the only impression in my mind, far from good and I can't wait to take the train out immediately. Frankly I can't see the attraction that so many regard of this city. Besides the Hermitage, it's just another one them - rude, dirty, corrupted and overrated, but I will leave it to you to decide from your own experience.

Crossing from Estonia into Russia

Almost missed my 23:59 bus to St. Petersburg as I was looking out for a Eurolines bus which I booked, which was no where to be seen. Instead, a dodgy looking old double deck bus came along and I literally had to run to catch the bus from leaving. As usual, it was a bus load of Russians with curious eyes on the one and only oriental, wondering if I had taken the wrong way.

At 3:15, the bus arrived at the Estonia border after an extremely bumpy ride; or was it the bus? A border guard came up to collect everybody's passports and left. It was a nervous wait especially since I knew neither Estonian or Russian, and probably no one knows the language that I speak too. 10 minutes later, the same guard came back and distributed the passports back to individuals and the bus drove on across the bridge separating the 2 countries, with a raging river below.

On the Russian side, everyone were asked to carry all their luggage, with the immigration forms filled up for the border checks. As expected, the woman behind the counter looked at me with suspicion, called out to her superior and they both started to talk in Russian for a good 10 minutes. The superior scrutinized every page of my passport to the degree that I was worried that it might fall apart anytime. I suspect they are wondering why would anyone have such thick passports? (I get this asked many times on my travels) After another minutes of scanning under the UV light, going through all the pages again and again, she finally put a stamp on my visa and handed back my passport.

It took a good hour before the entire bus got through the border, mainly waiting for me to get through to be exact. Has been a nervy experience, not helped by the fact of the language problem and not knowing exactly what they might decide to do. I guess this is the type of "unusual" encounters that attracts travellers to continue to come into this crazy country despite all the hassle and efforts to get here. Alas, all is well and we loaded back onto the bus at 04:30 and continued the journey to St Petersburg...amidst a worse road...

Closing a Baltic chapter

Finally a day when I am not rushing around catching a bus or train, lazing around in bed till 9 in the morning. Chatted with the friendly Irish gal in charge of Viru Backpackers as she was telling me about her Trans-Siberian trip last February, where she then stayed on 2 months in China and made her way down to Laos, Cambodia before ending up in Thailand. Managed to pick up a few useful tips on Do's and Dont's for myself on my way back home. She even passed me her "Southeast Asia on a shoestring" book! My bag is not getting any lighter...

Tallinn is quite small, especially if you only consider the interesting old town, but very medieval. What's good about this town is that you can enjoy most of the sights as much without a handbook as there is a useful acrylic plaque on the wall of the building of interest describing it's history in Estonian and English. Many probably remember this city/country made famous by Kazaa or Skype, a city that is perpetually enveloped by free WiFi completely - which obviously is useful for travellers like myself. Cafes are also very common amongst the locals and you can always find a little cosy looking one around the corner of the streets somehow. It's probably quite a refreshing change to walk on cobbled streets again after a week of fjords, snow and mountains. To be honest, one really just need a day to cover this city and probably best to move on or head out for day trips. Will be ideal to combine it with other Baltic states as well since it is so easy to get around. For me, it's really to close out the "unfinished business"from my last trip, where I started off in Latvia before heading down south.

Whilst here, remember to try out the pancakes (serves both sweet and savoury) at Kompressor, and coffee at Kehrwieder, which will be my recommendations. Also head over to the Museum of Occupation if you are interested to learn more about the years before Independence, where it was subjected to USSR, then Germany, and again USSR's control before it finally got it's independence in 1991 together with the other Baltic states. The city seem to be pretty big on Jazz and music festivals too, and I think there are plenty coming up over Spring and Summer. Did not take many pictures, but as usual, you can find a few on my Flickr.

Heading off to the bus station to catch the overnight Eurolines coach to St Petersburg, but first I have to find a pub to catch the big match. Might be mission impossible, but never say never...

Through the length of Finland and across to Estonia

Had one of my best sleep for in a week, completely knocked out on a sturdy bed in a room all by myself. No need to sneak around in the dark worried about waking others up, no need to wake up early for limited toilets, and best not having to endure painful snores. Breakfast was a refreshing change, considering that I have not have any proper meals for the last 18 hours, surviving on a tube of Pringles crisps which I finished all. The morning sun was barely visible, blocked by a thick layer of fog, as I strolled in the direction of the bus station. I was encouraged as a small group started to form for the bus that is due to arrive at 10.05am. The 30km journey to Kemi took about half an hour and the train station is just a short walk across the other side of the road.

Started to chat to a couple who took the same bus as well at the station - husband was Thai who married a Finn and are living in Helsinki after 5 years working together in Bangkok; a modern day love story of fate bringing 2 people from such extremes together. Glad to have some locals to chat to on the way down south. Had my first Finnish food - meat balls with mash potato on the train - hang on, I thought that was Swedish? Anyway, it tasted rather good as it was nicely made hot before serving although it was a pricey €9.40. Was rather embarrassed to find out that Finland has been using Euros for almost 10 years now instead of Finnish Marks.

Managed to catch a few video podcasts under the series "Magnum in Motion", highlighting the best photographers in the world and their creations. I find it interesting as it doesn't necessarily just discuss about photography but also about the society and environment in the creation of those pictures.

Due to the delay from yesterday, I was unable to stop by Tampere today. Had wanted to visit it to see how the city is like since it brands itself as the first Fairtrade city in Finland. Instead, I have been sitting on the train for the past 9 hours, staring at countless laptops in front of me as they attempt to pass time by watching movies. Arrived in very windy Helsinki and spent an hour getting to the correct ferry terminal (after I went to the wrong one the first time round and had to track across the city center). The ship is quite luxurious and even have free WiFi onboard as it crosses the Gulf of Finland, although it is so painfully slow that you give up after 10min. If you feel posh, you can choose to take a helicopter and arrive in Tallinn in 18min instead of the usual 2 hours.

Checked into Vru Backpackers, can't wait to check out this town in the morning. Sorry, no photos in today's post, need to catch up on some sleep before leaving for Russia later tonight.

A great Nordic Adventure

A relatively easy overnight bus ride from Oslo to Trondheim on a clear night with the full moon shining above. No sight of the elusive Aurora Borealis. The only light coming from the guy beside me busy chatting away to his mates on his laptop, with the occasional giggle always so often. I did the same myself after a while trying unsuccessfully to get to sleep; catching up on the missed episodes of Heroes.

7am sharp, the bus whizzed into Trondheim bus station. Useful that it is directly beside the train station for me to catch my next onward journey to Fauske. (In case you are wondering why did I end up taking the bus, read my previous post). The sleepy town was just waking up to the streaks of sunrise coming through the horizon. Grab a packet of fresh buns from a very friendly man over the counter wishing me "Happy Easter" and hop onto the train. The train on this leg between Trondheim and Bode is clearly less busy as there are less carriages and the state of the interior is older than ones that I have been taking before.

As usual, I attracted a few additional glances from the locals not used to seeing an oriental in this part of the world. Just after Trondheim, the train pulled up against the station "Hell" - I wonder what and how do people live in this place! (I was just kidding, I am sure the words do mean something in Norwegian). The journey up north was nothing short of spellbinding. One moment, we were at sea level, the next we were hurtling up the mountains with deep ravines precariously beside the tracks, then through miles and miles of white flat plateau, occasionally dotted with a red hut or a skier huffing and puffing across the Arctic tundra.

Apparently there was some problems with the food delivery for the train resulting in no food available at the kiosk. The train master was kind enough to offer free coffee as apology and even ordered pizzas for the passengers which were collected along the way. Had my first cup noodle left behind by my mate from his last travel - instant noodles never tasted that good before, although on hindsight I should really have kept it for my siberian trip but I am on a vengeance to reduce as much weight on my shoulders as possible after a painful strained right shoulder that wasn't too happy carrying all these load. Although the good news is that my soles have recovered enough to walk properly after much rest from sitting on the trains/bus.

Few miles past Mo i Rana, we officially crossed into the Arctic Circle, past the Latitude N66'33.705, and very much still heading towards the pole. Few hours after, I dropped off at Fauske, an hour from the last station of Bodø on the Norwegian rail tracks and waited for a bus that will take me to the tiny town of Narvik. If Lonely Planet was to publish a "Top 100 bus rides before you die", I bet this bus journey will be one of the top few listed; no pictures of mine are able to portray the magnificence and brilliance of the Norwegian engineering feat - winding roads up and down the peaks, through miles of tunnels within mountains so huge that you wonder how can it be possible. 5 hours of pure adrenaline, with the only exception being the bus going onto a ferry crossing a fjord that the engineers probably felt that is the most sensible option for that part of the journey. One will be amazed how accessible this part of the world is even with such daunting natural wonders. The ferry ride was a refreshing change, with the snowy peaks against the blue skies that was just turning dark, and the bone-breaking winds blowing across your face.

We arrived in the small town of Narvik after the driver drove like formula one to catch up on lost time from been stuck behind several cautious cars driving in the complete darkness. The hostel "Spor 1" - which literally means "Track 1" is conveniently located 100m from the station, beside, as you guessed it, the railway track leading to the port where iron ore is still be transported out. A shower after 3 days on the roads was very welcoming and a night sleep on a proper bed feels like a long time back.

The Swedish/Norwegian (the 70 year old mom was born in this town, the son in Trondheim and the grandson in a town outside of Stockholm) in my dorm room were very friendly and gave me on some ideas to spend the day, whilst they heading up the mountain behind the town for some skiing. Also got to know later that the son did the trans-siberian rail himself too 20 years back but in the opposite direction as the one I am heading. Oh, did I mention his mom is also skiing?!?! It's amazing how people in this part of the world keep themselves so healthy and fit; can't imagine my mom going for a run with me, let alone speeding down the mountains.

The guy reminded me of Lofoten, a group of islands at the far edge of the Nordic fjords, where time literally stood still for centuries and fishermen still live there in their colourful huts, air drying herring and cod catch for centuries. Unfortunately I just miss the 5 hour bus by 10 min when I got to the station, which was quite disappointing but I guess there is only so much I can take in and maybe this is something to bring me back to this part of the world again. Instead, I took a cable car up the mountain where families were spending the Easter holiday, having picnic and just enjoying the glorious sunshine, and of course, the incredible view of the fjords as far as the eye can see.

Still no sign of the Northern Lights. Guess one really have to be extremely lucky to see one at this time of the year when it only turns dark so late and the skies are more often cloudy instead of the clear freezing weather that it needs to encounter this natural sight. At least I managed to get a bed for the night stay,even though it was a really dodgy one - my keys say "TV room", and it literally was a tiny space with 2 fold out beds which I will amaze me if it can really fit two in there. Even then, still costs me NOK200 after I tried in vain to ask for a discount based on the fact that it wasn't really a dorm! Chatted with a nice Finnish guy who is working as a polar guide in Santa Claus town of Rovaniemi who is in town to enjoy the skiing. People around here are really friendly and it's a refreshing change to find good sensible folks in hostels instead of kids whose aim to live seems to be getting themselves drunk every night and sleep in during the day.

The next morning, I bid farewell to my new-found friends as they wish me luck for my upcoming long journey as I cross from Europe to Asia. Oh, and why do they always have to remind me of the movie "Trans Siberia" all the time? It's not like I have any russian dolls in my bag! :-)

Travelling in Europe on Easter Sunday is strongly discouraged - not a single shop is open and my stomach has been growling since last night as I had my 2nd cup noodle in 2 days. Had to watch my spending as I have easily spent a quarter of my planned budget so far. Everything is just ridiculously expensive in this part of the world, and I have still Sweden and Finland to pass through! Did not help that the train kiosk refused to accept my remaining Norwegian Krone coins since it is operated by the Swedish rail although they did accept notes. Reluctantly ended up paying over the top for a small sandwich, coffee and orange juice using debit card.

It started to snow as we crossed into the swedish border of Riksgrasen station high up in the mountains. The trees seem to be grasping for air as the thick coat of snow is at least a few metres deep. Winter doesn't seem to come to an end this north, in fact, it looks like it has just started - you jump off the train, put on your skis and you're off. Cars or shoes are useless in this part of the world, it's how the Scandinavians have lived for thousands of years.

The mountains and fjords slowly transform to flat plains of arctic wilderness as a lonely moose lazily looked back at the bewildered stare from me as it trooped off across snowy land. Probably my closest encounter to this incredible animal which reminded me of my conversation with the Finnish guy that they go around hunting these animals in Lapland and their meat is especially delicious in stew, chewy if you do not cook for long enough. The train stopped for 20 minutes in the town of Kiruna, the source of the iron ore that is delivered to Narvik and Stockholm on rails twice a day. We continued south, heading towards the imaginary line of the 66 degrees, ever closer to the Finnish border.

Switched to a connecting bus at Lulea, the last stop of the journey after another 7 hours on the train, followed by another 2:20 hours to Haparanda, the Swedish border town where I had to walk pass the huge Ikea, across to Tornio, the Finnish town across the motorway to catch another bus to Kemi to get onto my train to Tampere. Alas, I completely forgot that Finland is another hour ahead and bus schedules are severely reduced from the Easter holidays. It's no fun walking around a completely unknown town close to midnight in freezing weather, disoriented and starving. Checked into the only B&B for €30 after accepting that I will not be going anywhere tonight. On the positive side, I get to have a room to myself. Have to scale back my plans tomorrow as the bus and trains are reduced service for the holiday, hopefully everything will be better; Happy Easter all!

Note: Photos from my Norway adventures

Danish to Swedish to Nordic in a day

I do not sleep alot, but 4 hours is probably too little in this case. Took 35min walking unusually slow on my slightly blistered toes to Copenhagen Central train station, snaking by the canal and the tip of the red light district. Pleased with myself for spending all DKK36.50 of my remaining coins on apples, bananas and a ham croissant - not a single Danish amount left, which helps from the ever growing coin pouch that contains the little bits left of my previous trips. This city is really big on 7-11, you find one at every other corner of a main street, helps if you have to grab something at 5 in the morning.

First day into my 5 day rail pass, which I thought was really easy to use - you just fill up the date of your travel and show it to the inspector that keeps popping up to check after every station. The train sped by the airport and across the bridge connecting Denmark and Sweden - another piece of amazing human engineering feat that spans across the entire channel separating the two lands. In the distant, I could even make out a massive wind farm in the middle of the Baltic sea, trying to lift themselves from the morning fog. The 30min journey to Malmo central ended up to be twice the length as the train hit some problems and had to reverse back into another station for all the passengers to hop onto another.

The sun was coming up on the horizon as I strolled past workers on the morning rush hour. Headed to Lilla Torg, to find Pronto cafe beside a lovely old phone box recommended by Richard. Alas, I was too early, the only people up this early being the folks replenishing the beer drums of the restaurants and bars in the square. A short stroll around and my short Malmo experience has come to an end. Glad that everything in Nordic region can be paid by electronic - guess they have to if their stuff are that expensive! Caffeine fix sorted out by trusty Nationwide card that doesn't charge me for foreign usage; at least not till June if I remember correctly.

The 9.03 am train to Oslo, via Goteborg was really comfortable, considering this is equivalent to the regional trains in our context - seats wider than Ryanair, individual reading lights and radio, and even handy power sockets although the angle was a abit weird since it was hanging off the ceilings above the seats. At Helsingborg, had to run off to the first carriage before it split off to Goteborg. 3 hours in, we arrived in Goteborg, extremely modern looking connecting to the bus station that made Victoria bus terminal look like prehistoric. Grabbed a Subway sandwich and jumped onto my next train to Oslo, another 4 hour journey across the Swedish west coast. Operated by the Norwegian train company, NSB, the carriages look and feel like Eurostar's business class, except for the food and champagne, but nonetheless made me feel that I have basically got half the value back from my £240 railpass.

The journey to Oslo rekindled the reason why I am taking this trip again - tracks going through mountains (not massive though), crossing tiny towns, overlooking frozen lakes, etc - how did the rail engineers do all these? The first sight of snow sent my heart fluttering again. Been a visual person - I am always the first to choose a window seat, on flights, bus or trains, you cannot ask for anymore better than this. Listening to Eddie Vedder's "Guaranteed" from the "Into the Wild" soundtrack makes me so look forward to even more from the few weeks. Norway is definitely going to be even better. The leg to the Arctic Circle is a huge unknown, the ride across Siberia is going to be heaven or hell.

I had 5 hours to see Oslo before my overnight train to Bergen and managed to catch the main sights in town, highlight been the Vigeland Sculpture Park, with tens if not hundreds of unique sculptures of family interactions. Look carefully at every of them and you will realise that there is not one that is the same, and the unique aspect is that each portrayal is so real life. The Oslo bay wasn't as beautiful as I thought as the day has been overcast mostly, with the sun struggling behind the thick clouds. Had enough time to pop into a pub overflowing with Liverpool supporters for the Champions League match against "yet again" opponents Chelsea. Really disappointed that the Reds went 3-1 behind by the time I left to catch the train after a brilliant opener by Torres. Promise myself not to let this affect my trip - *trying my very best!!!*

Paid additional £5 for a standard seat for the overnight train, with a sleeper costing a ridiculous £160 on top of my inter-rail pass!!! Ended up on a carriage full of school kids returning from some excursion back to Bergen - my earphones cum earplug are proving to be really useful, passive blocking of at least 80% of the ambient noise without even playing anything.

Woke up on multiple occasions through the night, not the most comfortable train ride but I guess I was just getting what I paid for. Kept an eye to the full moon sky for any signs of the elusive Northern Lights but the only thing showing up was clouds, and more clouds. Arrived at Bergen 6.30am, with my next train leaving for Oslo at 7.50am. The skies were raining quite heavily, not the kind that you get in the tropics, but heavy enough to put you off most things. This is one of those annoying things that you have to get used to when travelling between winter and spring; well, at least Bergen seems to always bear the brunt of the Atlantic front blowing across UK (I noticed this during BBC's weather forecast, you will notice that the west coast of Norway always rain every other day).

The journey back is to take me to Myrdal where I will change to the well-known Flam railway. It leaves from Myrdal at 863.5 metres and goes through 20 km of tracks, and over 20 tunnels drilled directly through the mountains before reaching sea level Flam town, which is a Fjord port accessible all the way from the North Sea. I had to pay additional for the tickets as they were not covered by the Inter-rail pass but did get 30% discount off the original value. It's quite an amazing engineering feat and I definitely recommend anyone to take it if you plan to come to this area, but include some hiking in between and the journey will be definitely be better mine! Boarded the 12.25pm train back to Oslo, another 5 hours through Europe's highest plateau - the Hardangervidda, a flat plain completely covered with pristine powder even at this time of the year. Loads of people get on and off along the various stations and you can see them doing cross country skiing on the giant white sheet of snow, which was so hurting to eyes under the best sunshine I have so far on this trip.

Found out that there were no overnight trains on the eve of Easter - DARN! how can I forget that? Luckily, there was an overnight bus heading to Trondheim, but cost NOK49.50. The frustration of last minute travel suddenly hit me again with my poor planning. Because of my change in plans to improve my chances of seeing the Northern Lights, I decided to head further up north to Narvik, I decided to pay the premium and not want to regret not trying after going so far (Lesson learnt from my last trip). So it's going to be another of train and bus ride tomorrow, and let's hope I will be able to find somewhere to stay in the town, where I really need a nice shower after 2 days on the road.