Thursday, June 10, 2010

Day 10 - Boarding for Irkutsk

It feels like I've spent a long time here in Ulaanbaatar, and I've been waiting for the train to Irkutsk.

After having another pleasant breakfast of rice and sausages, I went to the nearby laundromat to get some of my clothes washed. During the time I had to wait, I took another stroll into the city to enjoy the last of it. When I was done, I changed all the remaining money I had into Russian Roubles, as it would have been more difficult to change the Tugriks once over the border.

With the remaining Tugriks that I couldn't change, I spent it at an internet cafe and then headed back to my homestay to have my personal dinner, which was quite boring, considering it was only a packet of noodles.

Once 8pm came, it was time to leave. I was picked up from the homestay by my agents, and transferred to the train station. It was quite a ride there. The driver was driving up and down the curbs, dodging oncoming traffic, speeding through residential flat areas. Seriously it was making me laugh, the way these Mongolians drive. I enjoyed the urban scenery though, and it reminded me a lot of my prior soviet-style living. I loved the way it was. I love the Soviet influence, mainly because I have precious memories of it.

I arrived at the train station and was set to depart at 9pm. I boarded, found my cabin and prepared for the night. I was greeted by two female travellers who shared the compartment with me; Rebecca from Germany, and Sanna from Finland. We will be arriving at the Russian border tomorrow morning.

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