Part 1- Beijing to Ulaan Baatar

 A journey thru 3 countries, over 8515km and countless days and nights on the trains. Our first section starts from Beijing. This is the shortest train ride of our trans-Siberia Rail journey and as we move along the days merge into nights and when we finally arrived at Moscow we couldn’t get down fast enough from the train. Needless to say we were real glad to have our feet back on solid ground.

1st Leg: Beijing (China) to Ulaan Baatar (Mongolia).

Train No. K3 Hard Sleeper Class (4 berth/cabin)

Depart Beijing 24/Sep 11.22 (Beijing time) Arrive Ulaan Baatar 25/Sep 14.20 (UB time)

Total 27 hours.

Arriving into Beijing late at 1 am from Kuala Lumpur on Airasia, our van pick up and transfer straight to our guesthouse near the old Beijing area.

Our first stop of the following day: The Temple of Heaven, under a gray and wet sky. Dodging the rain between corridors and walkways, it was not a good day for taking pictures.

 The rain continued as we enter the Forbidden Palace. Tourists under umbrella and raincoat filled the palace ground. Moving along the covered walkway when the rain gets too heavy, there is not much choice of angle and perspective to shoot from.

By late afternoon, some of us had enough of the wet weather and decided to return to our guesthouse. Sitting outside the café next to the guesthouse, sipping beer and coffee, we watch the Beijing lives goes by under the rain.

Our first part of the rail journey start the next day at the Beijing Railway Station. Before the train arrives we stock up on our food supplies for the next day meals.

Our cabin sleeps 4 persons with a small table top in between. We spend most of the time sitting on the lower bed, as there is hardly any space to move in the cabin. Hot water is available at the coach; there is a toilet but no shower.

We were surprised that meals were included in our train ticket for the Beijing part of the journey. Simple meal of a small plate of vegetable and 1 meat served with white rice.

  Nothing much to do for the next 20 over hours except it passed by some scenic landscape.

The last station before we cross over to Mongolia. The train stop for a few hours at about midnight at the Elian Station. We were told to get down and wait at the station or stay inside our coach for about 3 hours, while they pull the train into the workshop to changed the rail.

The size of the rail track in China is different from other countries and it have to be replace before we can continue to Mongolia, our next destination.