UlanUde to Ulanbator - Day 102: Border nightmare

The border control between China and Mongolia was a nightmare. We waited for nearly 5 hours at the Russian checkpoint although they did allow us to walk on the platform while our passports were being checked. Isaac wasn't feeling too well and we couldn't make him instant noodles because the hot water samovar (water dispenser) was switched off at the border. He was hungry, cranky and then cried non-stop. He eventually fell asleep but I was so upset with the guilt of not having fed my hungry child.

Then came the Mongolian border control which took another 2 hours while we waited in our stuffy cabins. I was so glad when we were finally got moving.

Ulan ude, Russia- Day 101: Buryat Republic

Ulan Ude is the capital of the Buryat Republic - an autonomous region within the Russian federation. The Buryatis were a shamanistic people before adopting Buddhism and have clung on to their faith despite years of Communist repression. Ulan Ude is home to Ivolginsky Datsan considered the center of Buddhism in Russia. It is also home to to the largest Lenin head :) How's that for megalomania?


We are staying in the apartment of a young Buryati man whose mother took a liking to Isaac.

Irkutsk-Ulan Ude, Day 100 - Hitting the 100 day mark

Hitting the 100 day mark should make us feel celebratory but on the contrary we are so sad that our trip is already half over. We have had so much of fun thus far and Isaac has done surprisingly well with all the travel.

Today we take the last train on our Trans Siberian journey, from Irkutsk to our last stop in Russia - Ulanude. Riding the Trans Siberian has given me a rare insight into the very heart of this country and I am glad that we chose to do this despite how uncomfortable it got at times. I wouldn't go as far as to say that it has changed my life, but Russia as a country has taught me more about myself than I ever knew before.

I was attempting to shoot a video but had to stop because T was giving Isaac a little nightcap before bedtime :)

Krasnoyarsk-Irkutsk - Day 96: Rossiya No. 2

About 8 different trains into the Trans-Siberian and we have figured that the trains with the lower numbers (e.g 1 or 2) are the more modern ones and the larger the train's number the more rickety and drab they get. Shortly after realising this pearl of wisdom which had eluded us thus far, we read it in black and white in our guidebook. I do wish we had figured this out earlier, although T argues that the older trains are a more authentic Trans Siberian experience.

Krasnoyarsk, Russia- Day 96

Krasnoyarsk is city of 900,000 people in the center of Siberia and was a major center of the Stalin Gulag system housing several labor camps. Krasnoyarsk was closed to foreigners during the time of the Soviet Union and our host - Alex says he sees a tourist only about 4 times every year. Most tourists do not stop in cities like Krasnoyarsk simply because it lacks any cultural or architectural uniqueness.Nevertheless we spent a beautiful afternoon riding a cable car to the top of a ski mountain to take in the breathtaking views of the city.

Alex, Lydia and their lovely kids were our hosts for two nights and Isaac was so glad to have the company of children and toys for a change.

Novosibirsk, Russia - Day 92: Railway Museum

Novosibirsk as a city owes its very existence to the Trans-Siberian rail network. It's first settlement was due to the construction of a bridge for the rail line. We explored the small but impressively curated railway museum where we were the only visitors that day. Isaac loved the little scaled down train models and T is a train enthusiast - so I had both boys happily occupied.

Omsk-Russia, Day 90: Look how far we have come!

Before boarding our train from Omsk to Novosibirsk, we saw this map at the train station. It shows Russia's extensive rail network but also just how far we have come from Moscow (2716 kms) and the 3180kms we have before we get to Mongolia.

Yekaterinburg-Omsk, Day 88

We had 2 old women as coupe mates on the overnight train between Yekaterinburg to Omsk. Both of them looked and behaved like they were mentally disturbed and T who normally says only the nicest things admitted that they were "Borderline scary" :)

Of course, Isaac never has a dearth of friends to play with. We have discovered that Trans Siberian trains are filled with boisterous kids. Russian mothers are completely comfortable traveling with a portable kiddie potty which they place outside the car/wagon toilet when their kid wants to 'Go'. While I admire this kind of determination I don't think I could cope with all the cleaning that follows after the 'job' is done. Changing diapers seems so much more easier in comparison.

Warsaw-Sestokai-Vilnius - Day 59: Day trains

If train schedules permit, we prefer overnight trains. It kills 2 birds with one stone (morbid expression, but I can't think of any other); We save on a night's accommodation AND sleeping is a better option than running behind a very active toddler!

Unfortunately, only day trains run between Warsaw and Vilnius with a switch of trains at Sestokai (a town that borders Poland and Lithuania). All in all, it took about 9 hours, and since there are no restaurant cars, we have to shop, pack and travel with enough food and milk to sustain our son. Thankfully, Eastern European trains seem to run half empty, so there is always lots of room to stretch out and catch up on some reading/writing.


That's Isaac amusing himself with some strange stuffed giraffe ritual.

Prague - Warsaw, Day 55 : Polish train safety

When planning our train travels through Eastern Europe, we had come across several warnings about Polish overnight trains. What had me most nervous were 'gassing incidents' - passengers in coupes who were gassed before being robbed of their belongings. We checked with several sources and everyone said it was safe now and that the incidents were more of an urban myth.

We got safely (and uneventfully) from Prague to Warsaw. Interestingly, we were told at the ticket counter that the only available tickets were 2 upper berths in a 4 passenger couchette. We bought it grudgingly with visions of being pushed off the upper berth by my toddler who I would have to share it with.

The coupe turned out to be 6 berth couchette and completely empty! So much for the Polish train reservation system!

Odessa to Kyiv, Ukraine - Day 38 : Ukrainian Trains

I am finding out that trains in Ukraine can be very 'third world'. The toilets are unsanitary and cramped, I could smell second hand smoke through the air vents and they didn't have a restaurant car or meal services on an overnight train. At least on an Indian train, you will never be wanting for food or water.

We paid for a private'luxe' coupe but all there was to show for it were plastic plants (lots of them), formica coupe walls and depressing seat fabric. All night the train kept halting abruptly and then jerking forward. The only saving grace - Ukrainian trains run on time.

Turkey - Day 27-34

Turkey is by far the most child friendly country I have visited. Strangers pile my toddler with far too much attention to the unfortunate point that he now squeals when he sees someone approaching him. On trains, he has been handed cookies and fruits . At restaurants, the waiters play with him, while T & I have our meals. And at a ferry office, they let us use their office to change his diaper. Everywhere we go, my son gets his cheeks pulled, pecked and outright kissed. We'd like to think that our son is cute, but I am convinced Turks love children as much as their kebabs.

Our pictures from Turkey posted on our Facebook page.

*Travel Tips for Parents*:

Since our toddler has limited patience when strapped in a plane seat and can't move around in a bus, we planned to visit only places that were accessible by trains. Seat 61 is a great source. We traveled from Istanbul to Izmir (with a ferry connection at Bandirma), took a day train from Izmir - Ephesus, an overnight sleeper train from Izmir-Ankara and the Super express train from Ankara-Istanbul. We would highly recommend the trains in Turkey - for both comfort as well as cleanliness. Infact, I would implore you to try them out; it's perhaps the best way to travel if you have young children.

Much to my son's delight, we found lots of children's parks in Istanbul - I particularly liked a small secluded park at Taksim Square tucked into the center of the busy intersection. Hotel Alaaddin that we stayed at provided a baby cot/crib. Only a few restaurants provide high-chairs but they make up for it by holding your baby! The ferry from Istanbul - Bandirma had a cozy childrens play area - pretty impressive for an 80 minute ferry ride. Supermarkets have a variety of fruit yogurts, cheerios, cheese snacks, and milk in tetra packs that don't require refrigeration. In Istanbul, we suggest heading to 'Dia Super market' in Karakoy ( it's the 4th stop on the tram line from Sultanahmet) because everything is overpriced in uber-touristy Istanbul.

What I do find surprisingly little of in Turkey are vegetables on the menu other than an occasional eggplant or a tomato and lettuce salad. In Izmir we came across Kumpir- a baked potato dish that you can ask for with vegetables, a perfect break to all the meat that we had to feed our toddler. Most public restrooms don't have changing tables, so we have perfected the 'standing' diaper change - which requires 2 pairs of hands - one to hold him straight while the other changes his diapers. Of course this is immodest, but necessity forces creativity.

Day 15 - 18: Delhi, Mumbai & Pune - India

Having flown from Cochin to Leh via Delhi, we wanted to do the rest of the trip by train. Our itinerary was Delhi to Mumbai (Mumbai Rajdhani), Mumbai to Pune (Deccan Queen) and Panvel to Ernakulam (Trivandrum Rajdhani). Having spent many uncomfortable nights aboard Indian trains during my college days, I was less than enthused about these 3 trains we would be taking. Of all the international train travels I have done thus far, Indian trains rank the lowest for unsanitary conditions and discomfort. However, I was pleasantly surprised with the fully air-conditoned Rajdhani trains and the level of service. Each car had a service attendant providing fresh sheets, meals, snacks, tea at regular intervals, towels and bottled water. My only gripe is the toilets continue to be unsanitary, subjecting me to pretty much fasting through the train ride. The train windows had accumulated some kind of muck, so we could barely see the scenic Konkan landscape as we sped by the coastline.

Talking about trains, T attracted curious onlookers at the stations despite his wheatish complexion which I thought would make him less conspicuous. When we stepped out of the station, auto rickshaw drivers and touts swarmed around us - till the crowd became more like a mad mob. I wish I had pictures to prove it. I admit that there is some curiosity that comes from being a mixed race couple - so I wasn't too taken aback when a cloak room attendant asked me in Hindi, "What are you doing with a white man?". There seems to be so many people just hanging around without much purpose outside these stations - odd considering that there are rarely any foreigners that ride the Indian railways.