March 2017 archive

4 Days in Xian, China (Warrior Pose)

I stayed for a glorious smog-free day in Beijing and then continued with an overnight train to Xi’an for my 4 days in Xian.  Although I had a berth for this overnight ride, it was the 3rd (top) bunk.  I made sure I didn’t drink anything before bed because the last thing I wanted to …

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4 days in Beijing (I’m in the 1%!)

Beijing marks the end of the Trans-Mongolian railway of our train ride from Ulaanbaatar.  Upon arrival in Beijing, we had a very busy 4 days in Beijing.  With 4 days in Beijing, you can see all of the following:  Temple of Heaven Great Wall of China – we chose to visit the Mutianyu section of the …

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Eating Creepy Crawlies at Donghuamen Night Market in Beijing

You can’t visit Beijing without stopping at the most famous Donghuamen Night Market where you can eat Creepy Crawlies.  Here are my Adventures at the Beijing Night Market! What would you eat at Donghuamen Night Market? If you enjoyed this post, check out the weird stuff I ate and drank in Ethiopia! This post contains affiliate …

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Ulaanbaatar to Beijing Train (Last Leg of the Trans-Mongolian)

When taking the TransMongolian train trip from Moscow to Beijing, you can’t miss the last leg – the Ulaanbaatar to Beijing Train. The Ulaanbaatar train station is not far from the center of town.  It’s worth arriving a little early to have a look around this Soviet-style train station. We checked in and were shown …

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Gobi Desert Trip, Mongolia – Gobi(g) or Go Home

If visiting Mongolia, and absolute must is a Gobi Desert Trip.  I met a few ladies on the internet and we booked a trip through Khonghor Guesthouse. Our group of 5 ladies, a driver, guide, and our Russian van stopped to stock up on groceries in the capital city before we slowly made our way …

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Ulan Ude to Ulaanbaatar Bus + What to Do in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

We took a short break from the TransMongolian train and for the leg into Mongolia, we took the Ulan Ude to Ulaanbaatar Bus. After our lovely afternoon sightseeing and sleeping in Ulan Ude, Russia before our bus to Mongolia. We walked from the Ulan Ude Traveller’s House Hostel (Check Rates and Availability) to the starting point …

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Ulan Ude Lenin Statue (Are We in Europe or Asia?)

Based on a tip we got from the internet for the Trans-Mongolian journey, we decided to take a train to Ulan Ude, Russia and then bus to Mongolia rather than take the train.  The train is a 24-hour ride, whereas the bus allows you to get a good night sleep in Ulan Ude and then …

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Irkutsk Lake Baikal (World’s Largest Lake)

Irkutsk Lake Baikal is the “Paris of Siberia” and a great stopover on the Trans Siberian Railway.  The flowers and churches were great. There were lots of old wooden buildings. We went to the local market for fresh fruit. Edna and I had arranged for a car tour to Lake Baikal and Listvanyka town and …

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trans-siberian railway independent travel (Riding the Rails)

The Trans-Siberian is a “bucket list” item for many and it’s possible for trans-siberian railway independent travel. We survived about 2/3 of the Trans-Siberian express from Moscow to Irkutsk.  Our train ride was 80 hours – 4 nights and 3 full days.  We were in the 3rd class or “platzkartney” This means there are 52 berths in …

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A Day in Moscow (Don’t have a Cow)

We took the first of many hours on the Russian trains from St. Petersburg to Moscow.  The trip was only 8 hours overnight and was quite comfortable and then we only had a day in Moscow before making our way further east on the Trans-Siberian Railway. We spend the day doing our own walking tour …

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