Recycling is second nature in our eco-friendly household, along with buying
organic foods and using energy-saving lightbulbs. But – and this is a big,
climate-bashing but – I wanted to visit my sister in Hong Kong.
It’s easy to flaunt your green credentials by hopping on a train to Paris, but
longhaul is slightly more complicated. And the journey length is
incomparable.
Initially it was little more than a "I’m greener than Kermit me, I’m
going to take the train to China" boast. It sounded impressive and with
typical lack of forethought, I hadn’t considered how much planning would be
involved.
Panic started to set in after visiting the local Thomas Cook shop to request
their famed (well, in the trainspotter’s world) international train
timetable. This was not like the flimsy Southern railway timetable. It was
massive, with endless times and names and footnotes. The travel agent tried
to decipher it, but after a few minutes shrugged “Haven’t got a clue love.”
Reading the guide book on the Trans-Siberian route helped clarify things
slightly, although asking for help finding it on the shelves was not a good
omen.
Having asked a few savvy people for advice, I found www.seat61.com, a treasure
trove of international train information. This site suggests the best route
is Brighton to London, London to Brussels, change for Cologne, then hop on
to the sleeper train to Moscow.
There are two routes from Moscow to Beijing, with the most picturesque meant
to be via Mongolia. This train, No 4, leaves Moscow every Tuesday at 9.30pm,
arriving in Beijing six days later. Four hours after the train leaves for
Hong Kong. By this point cabin fever will probably set in so spending two
days in Beijing waiting for the next train (they only leave on odd numbered
days in November) seems a good plan, if only so I can have a shower before
setting off on the last leg. Family ties may be strong, but more than a week
of not being able to wash properly would put a dampner on the welcoming hug.
There are a number of options when buying tickets from Moscow to Beijing.
Unlike in the UK train ticket prices fluctuate depending on where they are
purchased and, not being brave enough to chance buying it at the station in
Moscow, I went with the next cheapest option of using an agency in Russia.
The frisson of adventure gained by faxing through photocopies of both sides
of a credit card to an unknown number in Moscow is presumably why some
people choose the dearer route of purchasing through a UK agency, but not
possessing a credit card I had to use my dad’s, so the frisson was all his.
The agency, called Hostel Asia, www.hostels.ru, was efficient, delivering
the tickets exactly when promised. As I’ve had no outraged phonecalls, it
appears no excess money was swiped either.
Next was the London to Moscow leg, booked through the London-based European
Rail, www.europeanrail.com. The longsuffering telesales agent eventually
gave in to my demands to compare the prices via Warsaw, supposedly cheaper
but slower, and the more usual direct route.
Fifteen minutes of hanging on the phone and the grand difference between the
two was twenty quid. So I went for the quicker route, which, as he pointedly
reminded me, was what he had recommended at the beginning of the phonecall.
The Beijing to Hong Kong route was paid simply by PayPal through China
Travel Service, www.chinatripadvisor.com, who will deliver the tickets to my
hostel in Beijing on the day I arrive. I hope.
It was at this point that I realised visas were needed. Four. A transit one
for Belarus which the train passes through on the way to Moscow, then a
Russian one, a Mongolian one and a Chinese one. Saying that out loud, I
started to feel like Madonna on an adoption spree. Hopes of organising the
visas myself were dashed when I realised that with five weeks to go I was
cutting it fine.
There is a set order in which to apply for them and nightmare stories
circulated of having to arrive at some embassies at 5am, with no guarantee
of admission that day. So I contacted yet more agencies, initially to ask
for guidance on the process. One agency, Real Russia, www.realrussia.co.uk,
offered to sort out all four visas for £80. As the bill was already
eye-watering, this was a small price to pay. My passport was returned with
four shiny new visas in a far shorter timescale than I could have managed.
Travel arrangements completed, clothes were the next challenge. Temperatures
in Mongolia during November can drop to a mindboggling -20ºC, and even in
Moscow where I have twelve hours to sightsee, it is unlikely to rise above
0ºC. Everyone I’ve spoken to about the trip has wisely nodded: “Layers,
that’s what you need, lots of layers.”
Renaming myself the Wandering Onion in honour of these hallowed layers, I’ve
been shopping. While searching for thermals for the odd occasion that I
would leave the train to stretch my legs I remembered that the train would
be stuffy, Hong Kong would be in the late twenties and I only had one
rucksack. Returning from my quest with eight books, a hat and a hopelessly
inadequate anorak, a friend took pity and lent me her ski jacket and scarf
while I scrabbled around for my bikini.
All that is left is to master a few key Russian phrases. A patient friend has
tried to teach me some words and useful sentences. I can still only say
hello without clutching my phrasebook and stuttering, although I have high
hopes that vodka will help my fluency. Mongolian is proving, if possible,
harder. My attempts so far have borne an uncanny resemblance to Dory
speaking whale in the film Finding Nemo, so my only hope of a normal
conversation is going to be if a seven year old child with a penchant for
cartoons featuring brightly coloured fish is traveling in the same carriage.
I’m planning on buying my ticket from Brighton to London on the day. I’ve been
assured there are no engineering works on Sunday, but I’m leaving nothing to
chance. I’ll have 90 minutes to go the two stops from London Bridge to
Waterloo. Plenty of time to think about how I’m going to live on various
trains for 11 days.
HOW MUCH IT COST
Rail fares
Brighton to London: £10 (with Network Railcard, £12.40 without)
London to Moscow: £289.70
Moscow to Beijing: £155, plus £45 delivery
Beijing to Hong Kong: £75
Visas
Belarus: £45 (including £20 fee)
Russia: £75 (including £20 visa support letter and £25 fee)
China: £50 (including £20 fee)
Mongolia: £60 (including £20 fee)
Accommodation
Two nights in Beijing hostel - £8
GRAND TOTAL £812.70
i am loking train offers for the family want to visit to cradiff i want to goes from brighton t cradiff please thanks you
mary, brighton, subdan