Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Mongolia

We spent five hours at the Russian border and another two on the Mongolian side.  Passport control takes away your passport and only when they return it to you can you get off the train.  Then, you have to be back at a certain time for the:

1. Drug sniffing dog to come through.
2. The customs officials to check your bags
3. The border patrol to inspect your compartment for contraband
4. The police to sweep for whatever.

In all we saw four different departments of each government to cross the border. In comparison, two agents worked the entire train from Finland, armed with passport readers at their hips, they read our customs paperwork, checked visas, scanned passports and inquired about the luggage above our heads- all in less than two minutes per person.  How this took seven hours total on the opposite end is beyond me.  Especially since we were a one car train- kid you not. (We picked up and dropped cars at other station stops on both sides of the border.)

The day was warm and we were the only passenger train. Our engine left us as we sat on the track alone, large freight trains running beside us. We drank beers openly on the platform benches and paid to use the water closets at the station as our toilet was locked while parked.  A couple of people took naps as this Mongolian train is not as comfortable when moving at night- frequent stops for loading and unloading cars and older seats without cushions. 

We walked the tracks and saw an amazing sunset as a rain moved into the mountainous border.  We slowed to cross the border itself and I was able to capture one of the ceremonial mile markers.

No comments: