CANDOER Retirement Group

Sunday, July 21

Another gorgeous day dawned on Irkutsk. I certainly was leaving with a very positive impression of weather here. It has been just wonderful every day! Never too warm, always dry, and with a lovely air conditioned breeze from Lake Baikal.

Now back to the Trans-Siberian train. The Rossiya arrived in Irkutsk just a few minutes late. That's not bad after four days. Coincidentally, the reservations the car number and compartment assignment are identical to those of the first portion of the trip. I brought along sufficient food for breakfast for I just assumed the dining car was still operating on Moscow time.

The train windows were probably washed only at the beginning of each trip, if at all. So, having quite of bit of time, I set about washing the exterior of my compartment windows - no small feat considering they are at least two meters above the platform.

As soon as I settled in, I made the acquaintance of Anna, an Australian lady, who quickly became a friend for the balance of the trip. Her compartment was adjacent to mine. I also got to know our new provodnitsa, Galina, her assistant Natalia, the cook Vladimir, and dining car hostess/waitress/accountant/referee/sales manager/cashier extraordinaire Svetlana. I didn't learn the train mechanic's name, but he was a jovial fellow and valuable asset to Vladimir and Svetlana. I wasted no time getting them all in a good mood and favorably disposed.

From Irkutsk, the Rossiya follows the southern and eastern shores of Lake Baikalfor five hours before turning east heading to Ulan-Ude. The ride is absolutely beautiful because the sun is against our back, thus providing splendid views of the lake. Being Sunday, there were a number of campers between the right-of-way and lake shore. Not a single one was in the water, although people were on it fishing from inflated rubber dinghies.

Towards noon Irkutsk time, I sauntered forward two cars to the dining car. This dining car appeared not to operate on Moscow time - thank goodness. The bill of fare was standard, simple but tasty. Forget the menu. It was there for show only.

The mystery of the dining car on the Moscow-Irkutsk segment was repeated again after Irkutsk. It was absolutely loaded with boxes again under tarpaulins and sheets. Only this time there was more! Eating space was really constricted to just five tables. I still had no idea as to why the dining car was apparently being utilized as a freight wagon.

At Ulan-Ude, the Trans-Siberian railroad continues east while a branch line heads straight south to Mongolia across the Gobi Desert to the capital, Ulanbataar. The train station platform swarmed with traders from Mongolia selling their goods along with kiosk operators selling the usual Russian prepared snacks, bread, milk, fresh fruits and vegetables.

This is an industrial city (sawmills, cars, glass) and capital of the autonomous republic of Buryatia. The Ibla River flows rapidly through it to Lake Baikal. The population is 359,000 and made up of Russians and the Buryat tribe (formerly nomadic between here and Mongolia). It was founded as a Cossack settlement in the 1660s.

As the train proceeded through Petrovskiy Zavod the surrounding mountain forests appeared to be severe victims of acid rain and are dying. In the vicinity, I learned, there is much mining activity of iron ore and coal. Crossing the Russian landscape I have often noticed large factories in dilapidated condition, if even functioning. Others appeared abandoned. Those which were operating invariably had chimneys spewing forth colorful smoke which undoubtedly is not very healthful to anyone or anything. The Russians have a lot to do to protect their environment and raise the now seriously declining average life span of citizens.

I observed there seemed to be almost an unlimited supply of scrap metal available everywhere we have been. The Russians are missing a good deal if they don't have the Koreans, Japanese and Taiwanese come in and cart it away - for a price. I saw some scrap metal salvage operations taking place, but they are certainly minuscule in scope when matched up against the problem.

An afternoon cribbage game was under way in the dining car. I observed. Vladimir and Svetlana were engaged in something which left Vladimir in a very bad temper. Never make the cook angry!

About 20 kms west of Khilok, the train came to a stop in the middle of nowhere for no apparent reason. It was more than two hours before we could start moving again. While the Trans-Siberian railroad is double track, I had previously noticed that cross-over sections to allow trains to run on the opposite side were very infrequent. It was not unusual to go 50 kms or more before coming to another cross-over point.

While waiting, trains passed us coming from the east about every five minutes for most of the two hours. A lot of westbound traffic had been backed up and released to run consecutively. Then the oncoming traffic stopped completely, and about 20 minutes later the Rossiya started off again, but obviously operating under visual or radio telephone half-speed orders.

Then we came to the site of a derailment of about eight empty ore hopper cars which probably occurred two or three days previously. The cars were still lying helter-skelter all on the north side of the right-of-way. The catenary system for both sides was destroyed and had been rebuilt. The eastbound (south) tracks apparently were not destroyed, but the westbound (north) sections were torn up and being replaced by crews working all over the area. A single temporary cross-over was built so trains could be operated one at a time between this site and the town of Khilok ahead. There were a lot of railroad workers, equipment and supplies brought to the scene so work could continue round the clock.

In Khilok we found numerous trains queued up in the freight yards awaiting their turn to pass the derailment site. After Khilok we passed more trains standing on the mainline awaiting their turn to either enter Khilok yards or go to the head of the queue in the case of passenger trains.

At this point I must admit to a bad misconception I had about the terrain we were to find along the section of the Trans-Siberian railroad from Ulan-Ude to Khabarovsk. As it is directly north of Mongolia and the Gobi Desert, I had just assumed this also would be dry, barren countryside. Such is not the case at all. It is quite verdant, with plenty of forest and large farms. We were in the Yablonovyy Mountain range.

For dinner, I found Vladimir still in a deep funk, refusing to go in the kitchen. He may have been on a personal strike of some sort. It was a bad sign. He sat at a table doing a crossword puzzle when it really was time to prepare meals. There were very few customers. So we let Svetlana know to just bring us anything to eat that could be easily prepared. It turned out to be borscht with fried eggs and ham on top of a bed of cooked rice garnished with cucumbers. Quite good. Never had a bad meal on the train yet.

I have to give Svetlana a lot of credit. It seems no matter what happens in the dining car, she can handle it and takes everything with equanimity. It appears she is in charge of the entire operation, the sum of which is yet to be revealed to us. I suspect the trouble with Vladimir had something to do with the cargo stacked everywhere and its impending disposition. It was not only in the restaurant portion, but especially in the kitchen area.

Back in my compartment, I pored over my world map, for during dinner conversation the question came up if anyone had actually gone around the world.

Until this trip, no one had. It turned out that in Irkutsk I had accomplished this, although not in a single trip. Irkutsk and Singapore are on the same longitude, and I now have crossed it from both directions.

Chita has a population of 349,000 and is located on the river of the same name. Its chemical engineering works and coal mines can be smelled even if you can't see them at night.

Monday, July 22

During the night others said it rained a lot and rather hard at times, but I never heard it. I sleep too soundly. From looking outside there must have been a good rain. But it was another beautiful day, with puffy white clouds everywhere in the azure sky. The train was now more than two hours behind schedule. The train stopped at Karimskaya, about 110 kms east of Chita, which is the junction where the Trans-Siberian line continues east, and the trains to Manchuria and China proceed south. Being quite early in the morning, there were few vendors on the platform, but I was able to purchase some things for breakfast. But there was no fresh fruit available. Fortunately I had a little remaining from previous purchases.

Anna, the Australian lady, came in my cabin after her breakfast this morning to chat for a while. I found her to be a most interesting person and really enjoyed hearing all about what she was doing. What an adventuresome person!

Ultimately, she mentioned that Russian man who sleeps on the other bed in her compartment apparently has not bathed recently. His bed clothing left an unpleasant odor. During the day he spent the time with his family in the adjacent compartment. I reached into my shaving kit and handed her my bottle of Old Spice after shave lotion. I gave it to her and said to sprinkle this over the bed and that should take care of the problem. Each morning thereafter she returned to borrow the Old Spice, and said it did the trick!

Everything remains lush green everywhere. The farmers should be delighted. Private potato patches continue to be evident along both sides of the tracks. The forests are gone now. The terrain resembles eastern Washington State with rolling hills of grain and range land. We didn't see any beef cattle, but occasionally did find herds of dairy cows.

At this point there are no highways and few towns to be seen for the next 2,300 kms. This is beautiful isolation. Occasionally I did see some vehicle tracks across either sandy or muddy terrain. A 4-wheel drive won't do it here. Best to have a tractor or truck with big tires. But it has been interesting to see the few people here getting about on motorcycles with side cars. It's that or the back of a truck.

It is now common to see trains with flat cars of vehicles fastened to them. Exposed automobiles and some other vehicles have had plastic or plywood placed over the windows for protection against flying objects. What I was amazed to see was people riding in the private automobiles, particularly if they were foreign made and of recent vintage.

I also saw along this area trains with screened automobile carrier cars attached. They are similar to ones seen in western Europe and North America. The difference here is that inside each there always is someone riding. I believe the reason may be that the vehicles are imported from Japan for private sale in Russia.

We have now seen quite a few Russian military trains moving or parked in stations along the way. Just as 24 years ago, each military train, at least in this area, still has a number of exposed soldiers posted on it, both while stationary and under way. No passenger car is attached in which to relax either. July is nice, but January?

Additionally, every bridge in this area is guarded at both ends by a sentry. With no roads anywhere, the railroad bridges are extremely vital for this is the nation's lifeline with the far east. What desolate duty. There are countless bridges across the area.

Militarily, this is still a sensitive area. The Chinese border is formed by the Amur River and has been the scene of difficulties between China and Russia for years. The original engineering plan of the Trans- Siberian railroad started by Nicholas II called for laying tracks along the north bank of the river. However, the violent nature of the river frequently destroyed them. A political decision was later made to move the entire line about 200 kms further north to avoid natural disasters and Chinese military problems.

Along the route of the Trans-Siberian we occasionally passed railway salvage yards. Since Ulan-Ude they have appeared more often. Dozens of electric locomotives, some diesel and only a few steam engines, were seen awaiting the cutting torch. Likewise for many passenger cars. A few stations along the way have restored steam locomotives prominently erected as monuments.

In my many years of riding trains, until now I had never seen railroad fire fighting equipment. Several times since Ulan-Ude, especially in large railroad salvage yards or yards with significant railroad construction equipment at the ready, I saw strings of all red tank cars, red sleeping or food service cars, flatcars with large diesel engine pumps and hoses, and even once a red railroad crane with telescopic boom! Regrettably every time I passed one of these unusual sights, my camera was never ready. I can only assume such equipment must be spotted along this area which does not have roads or nearby communities to provide fire protection. Likewise, this equipment is probably taken along during major right-of-way construction.

After lunch I returned the breakfast tea pot and glasses to Galina, our provodnitsa. I found her sauteing a pan full of sliced eggplant in garlic butter on the hot plate behind the samovar! I complimented her on having such a delicacy for lunch. Of course, she then invited me to join her for some.

My soft class sleeping car was built in 1994 in Ammendorf, Germany (formerly East Germany). The builder's plate is beneath the first step to the entrance of the car, which is just about at eye level from the platform. The car appears to be made from the same plan of which thousands were produced many years ago. While air conditioned and quite comfortable, it has taken a physical beating from the riding public in its two short years of existence. It looks like it has been in service for 40 years. The adjacent hard class sleeping car (not air conditioned) was built in 1989 by the same firm. The dining car (air conditioned) was also built in 1989 by Ammendorf and could use a complete reconditioning.

At Mogocha we had a 15 minute stop on track 3. Tracks 1 and 2 were vacant. All vendors and kiosks were on the track 1 platform. Hundreds of passengers piled off the Rossiya and scrambled across the tracks to make their purchases. After ten minutes passed, a passenger train pulled in on track 2 cutting off our return to the Rossiya! There is no alternative underpass or overpass. This caused passengers to start crawling under the train on track 2 (very dangerous), or climbing through it to our train, or running to the end of the train on track 2 to climb aboard ours at a convenient entrance. Now our locomotive engineer exceptionally signaled his horn for departure!

The skies became overcast and rain showers occurred for a couple of hours. That is what keeps this countryside so green. I sure was wrong in my expectations of the terrain.

At 1730 local time, the westbound Rossiya passed us between Mogocha and Amazar. It was the same train we rode from Moscow to Irkutsk. I silently waved to Larissa, Olga, Elena, Sasha and others that took us on our first ride.

In this part of eastern Siberia, there are no roads linking the few isolated villages the train passes. There are only dirt tracks with plenty of mud holes in them. Here for long distances the railroad is the only line of communication and transportation.

At 1830 I went to the dining car to have a beer. I found the entrance blocked by boxes. However, Svetlana spotted me and let me in. I was now witnessing an amazing operation. The dining car mystery was now solved before our unbelieving eyes. Svetlana, Vladimir, the train mechanic, and three others were frenetically engaged in a vodka wrapping and packing operation on a grand scale. There was no time to serve food.

Vodka had been stashed in the most improbable places! The boxes were the most visible being beneath the tables, on them and the seats. They were also in any available space in the kitchen and storage areas. Each contained 24 .50 liter bottles.

Additionally, many cases were emptied (but cartons saved) and individual bottles by the hundreds were stored in the seats of the dining car. Each seat held about 90 bottles! All unused cabinet space was filled. There were two floor hatches leading to storage space below the floor and these were filled with scores of bottles. Even the baseboard heating covers had been removed and dozens of bottles were stashed behind them!

One wonders where the dining car had space to store food! No doubt this explains the very limited selection of the "menu".

At Amazar, the local time was 2130 and the train stopped for 15 minutes. Over 100 boxes of vodka started flying out the dining car's four exits and windows at incredible speed to waiting merchants on the platform. When all was finished, large sums of money quickly exchanged hands. Svetlana looked up at me from the platform and smiled.

This was the third time today such an operation took place, but the previous two were on a much smaller scale.

Now there actually was a lot more room in the dining car for several tables had been cleared of boxes of vodka and their tarpaulins put away. So the dining car in reality was used as a freight car to supply vodka for all those isolated stops after Chita when there are no roads for truck traffic. But why does the railroad allow this when it could be shipped in freight cars? Perhaps I'll get an answer later.

At 2200 the dining car resumed "normal service" and I got a late dinner. Stroganoff was the offering. Vladimir and Svetlana were absolutely exhausted, but both smiling and in a very good mood.

Tuesday, July 23

At both early morning stops today there were no vendors or kiosks operating. This was undoubtedly due to the train now being at least three hours late. When it is on time, private vendors would not come nor would kiosks be open in the dead of night. Consequently I was unable to purchase anything for breakfast.

At Svobodnyy we crossed the very wide (about one kilometer) and fast flowing Zeya River. The railroad built single parallel bridges, but a kilometer apart.

No one was able to figure out for sure why that was done. Both ends of the bridge are well protected by military guards. The guards waved back to us. The bridges obviously are extremely important and loss of even a single one to natural causes or military action would be a huge economic blow to the country.

This is an area where it is common to see military installations and trains which support the defense perimeter north of the Chinese border. The visible state of their equipment does not inspire confidence. Furthermore, the sloppy dress of the very young soldiers and their unmilitary bearing suggest discipline in the Russian Army leaves a lot to be desired.

We passed a hay field which has to be the largest in the world. It should be in the Guinness Book of Records if it isn't. All the hay had been cut and put in large rolled bales. The field was at least eight kilometers long unbroken and 4-5 kilometers distant from each side of the tracks which bisected the field! It was quite a sight.

At Arkhara the train was more than four hours late due to slow travel over extensive new roadbed construction encountered and the derailment delay we passed two days ago. It is doubtful we will arrive in Vladivostok anywhere near the scheduled time tomorrow.

Trains on the oncoming track were spaced about five minutes apart. They kept on passing us with such regularity it made scenery photography chancy. As we approached ever closer to Pacific ports, trains exclusively devoted to sea containers were more prevalent. I also noticed a number of unit trains of cereal grain hopper cars. I was unable to learn if these westbound trains were loaded or empties. I suspect they were loaded, as Russia imports considerable amounts of grain from North America. Indeed, this is a very busy system!

Anna happened to be in the dining car after another one of those quick platform vodka sales took place. She said when Svetlana came back on board, she and Vladimir engaged in a money counting exercise and was amazed at the volume of banknotes they had. She had no idea how much was actually involved (one does easily become confused with all those extra zeros on each banknote).

At Bira we were scheduled for a ten minute stop. There was another significant vodka sale out of the dining car. After about 25-30 boxes were stacked on the platform, the fellows receiving it paid Svetlana. A bystander walked over to the boxes, opened one and was abruptly hustled away by accomplices of the buyers. At this point the train started moving with me still on the platform. I trotted along and hopped aboard like brakemen in a railroad yard.

I sure wish the engineer would sound the horn before departure! It would not be fun to be left out here. This was only a seven minute stop.

From Bira to Birobidzhan was about an hour's run. Birobidzhan is the capital of the former Russian Jewish Autonomous Oblast, established by Stalin for settlement of his Jewish population before World War II. I read in the International Herald Tribune in Moscow shortly before boarding the train that only about 10,000 Jewish people remain in the Oblast. The single remaining synagogue is supposedly closed.

At 1900, Anna and I went to the dining car to have dinner.

Svetlana advised they would serve dinner after departure from Birobidzhan, but served us some beer in the interim. As the vodka stash was almost depleted, there were a few more tables available for service in the dining car.

And for the first time on this portion of the trip we were joined by two other groups of Russian diners. Since Moscow, the dining car was almost the exclusive preserve of the few foreigners on the train. One group of two Russian men and a woman sat at the table adjacent to me. Two other Russian men sat at the table on the other side. I'll call one of them "Ivan, The Terrible" for reasons which will become evident.

The train pulled into Birobidzhan for a five minute stop. The east exit door of the dining car was opened and two or three men came aboard to get their order of boxed vodka. There was furious activity by Vladimir, Svetlana and the train mechanic to get all the boxes out the door, count and verify them, collect the money and verify it - all in five minutes time!

Hold everything! There was a shortage of one box! The buyer shouted from the platform "give me another box of vodka!" Svetlana and Vladimir did a fast check.

Vladimir then ran back to the kitchen, grabbed another box and started running back to the open door. Anna and I now witnessed "Ivan, The Terrible" intentionally stick his foot into the aisle to trip Vladimir who went sprawling with the box! Nothing was broken!

Vladimir tossed the box out the door to waiting hands on the platform. The train started to move. Svetlana was furious! Pandemonium!

Vladimir rushed back into the car, dragged "Ivan, The Terrible" out of his seat and pummeled him down on the floor between our tables! POW! BAM! BIFF! WHAM! SOCK!

Vladimir now picked up "Ivan, The Terrible" by the scruff of his neck and seat of his pants and was rushing him to the open car door where you can only guess what was going to happen next as the train was now rolling out of the station. But Svetlana ordered "nyet, nyet", jumped both of them and all three went crashing down on the floor again! The train mechanic closed the door and undoubtedly saved "Ivan, The Terrible's" life.

The train mechanic then restrained Vladimir who had really lost his temper, while Svetlana escorted "Ivan, The Terrible" and his friend out of the dining car. The three other Russians, the Australian lady, and I were flabbergasted at what we had just witnessed! It all took place in no more than six minutes time.

The amazing thing about this incident, was that during all the time of the shouting, shoving and pugilistic activity, "Ivan, The Terrible" never spoke one word!

We were further astonished by subsequent events. Svetlana said that "normal" service would resume shortly.

First of all, Vladimir, Svetlana, and the mechanic returned to the kitchen. We all had great admiration for Svetlana, for, after what she had just been through, several moments later she returned in a good mood, completely composed, smiling - almost as if nothing had happened. She asked if we wished to eat and we all say "yes," but urged her not to hurry.

Then for some inexplicable reason, the two Russian men and the woman had Svetlana bring a magnum bottle of Russian champagne and a large box of chocolates to me and Anna, the Australian lady! We shared them with everyone. Svetlana wanted the pieces with nuts. She then gave us a 2-liter bottle of Russian beer rated at 11 percent! We could only surmise the gesture of champagne and chocolates from the Russian diners was perhaps more out of atonement or embarrassment for the behavior of their countrymen, but we accepted it as one of friendship and thanked them.

Svetlana, who by now was sitting with us, looked up and saw "Ivan, The Terrible" and his friend returning to the car. Incredibly, she greeted them rather than shooing them out! "Ivan, The Terrible" asked for Vladimir, apparently to make an apology. Equally incredible, Vladimir came out of the kitchen, not with a meat cleaver in hand, but in a much more amiable disposition than last we saw. Words were exchanged. Vladimir, now mollified, went back into the kitchen. "Ivan, The Terrible" and his friend sat down at a table and gave their order to Svetlana! Anna amusingly whispered to me "I wonder if their food is going to be poisoned?"

I had to find out what was going on relative to this dining car operation. When all had finished eating and Svetlana was somewhat more relaxed, she freely provided the answers.

Some time after 1990, each dining car on the Russian railroad system, while owned by the railroad, was leased to a concessioner for 20,000,000 rubles per car annually. Svetlana and Vladimir are not railroad employees, but the concessioner's. Due to the absence of roads between Chita and Birobidzhan, the dining car concessioner soon discovered company income could be enormously supplemented by the sales of vodka to entrepreneurs at stations between the two cities! For the locals, the train was their best opportunity to obtain their favorite beverage on a regular basis.

The dining car mystery was finally satisfactorily resolved. The problem is though, serving food has become a relatively very small part of the concessioner's business, at least on the Trans-Siberian railroad's Rossiya.

By the time I returned to my compartments, it was almost midnight. Glancing out the window, I saw the bright lights of Khabarovsk looming across the Amur River. The river here, like so many we have crossed in Siberia is extremely wide. The train stopped in Khabarovsk for 30 minutes. We were still four hours late.

This is an industrial city of oil refining, saw milling, meat packing, railroad center and territory capital with population of 608,000. The Khabarovsk Territory of Russia is in southeastern Siberia, bordering the Sea of Okhotsk and drained by the Amur River. The territory population is 1,728,000. Mineral resources include gold, coal, and iron ore.

Surprisingly, we changed to an articulated diesel locomotive! We now set off on the last leg of this fabulous trip. Because of the dark, I was unable to ascertain as to exactly where electrification ended as we left Khabarovsk heading straight south. I had expected complete electrification over the entire route of the Trans-Siberian.