Life on the train

 Passing the day

Life on the train drifts from stupor to frenetic activity, from relaxing to bursts of platform shopping or dashing around the station. You sleep when you want to but gradually you drift into a routine centred on stops, eating or bone-idling.

Things to do:

The Trans Siberian is the big-book trip, attempt War and Peace or devour the Lord of the Rings.

Window gazing is meditative, good for daydreaming and problem solving. Compartment windows don't open but some in the corridor will. For private space there's the restaurant car where a good relationship with the staff (encouraged by a small gift from home) will leave you undisturbed.

Make friends and don't be daunted by not knowing the lingo. Most communication is non-verbal, a warm smile is a good start and a phrase book will supply the basics. Other English-speaking foreigners will probably be travelling as well. Play games, learn or improve your chess and consider packing backgammon or cards.

Follow the journey, a map and guidebook helps make sense of this momentous transcontinental journey. A schedule is posted in every carriage so if the train is running on time you should know where you are.

Films. A laptop or video player plus DVDs will endear you with your fellow passengers and the provodnik (carriage conductor, and usually a woman). Good relations with the provodnik is essential for that morning cup of tea in bed or her not minding you recharging your gear from the only plug in the carriage that's for her vacuum cleaner.

Tea breaks and picnics with the locals		Local enterprise at a short stop

Stops

Stops vary from two to 40 minutes. Always confirm the stopping time with the provodnik and make sure you 'go' well before you pull into the station as toilet doors are locked when passing through towns and cities.

Forty minutes is too short for a city tour so keep within the station and return with time to spare. The horror of seeing the train leave without you is the opener for too many train travel stories so always carry your passport, ticket and money with you.

There'll always be plenty of characters and maybe a Lenin statue or similar Soviet relic to photograph. Don't, photograph anything military or involving the police without asking, or you will be missing the train.

At the longer stops, you'll see the ‘houseproud’ conductors polishing doorway handrails and the train nameplate on the carriage but never the dirty windows. Meanwhile a railway worker, swinging a long handled hammer taps the wheels and wheel bearing boxes with a musical ‘ping – pingpingping’ meaning a healthy wheel.

Food

Restaurant car quality is variable. Sometimes the staff are graduates of the Soviet School of Inhospitality majoring in surliness, indifference and awful food while other times they're really sweet and dish up tasty food. Food and service improves dramatically in the Chinese restaurant cars.

The train runs on Moscow time, outside it's local time but the restaurant cars seem to have another time zone so check meal times.

Passengers usually cater for themselves with the ever-boiling samovar at the carriage end providing hot water for drinks and pot noodles. Most stops have platform hawkers clamouring to sell fresh bread, fruit, vegetables, hard boiled eggs, tins of sardines, instant noodles, bottles of home made vodka, dried fish, toys and clothes. Platform kiosks provide the rest; forget the old images of Soviet-time queues and empty shelves, these are well stocked especially with varieties of beer.

Travelling Protocol

Life on the Trans Siberian is free and easy but they're a few protocols.

All carriages are non-smoking and smokers have to use the connecting passageways between the carriages.

Dressing down is standard; most locals travel in daggy tracksuits and ones with stripes down the legs being the most favoured. But, they are the most practical clothes to travel in along with a pair of slip-into shoes.

In mixed compartments, the men wait  in the corridor while women prepare for bed; men change into their nightclothes in the toilets, or the women turn to face the cabin wall.

While you can go to bed and get up anytime, the bottom berth in a four-berth kupe is also seating for two so bear that in mind when you decide to lie in; alternatively ask for a top bunk.

Compartment picnics are shared affairs. Everyone lays out the food they've bought, the vodka does the rounds, toasts are made to international friendships and everyone tucks in.