Train, Train and More Train!

Tuesday 25 July 2006 - A real train journey!

Well, I predicted a sleepless night yesterday, but I didn’t quite realize how sleepless.

We left Warsaw after a brief stop and chugged our way to the border with Belarus. During this time, with the help of the man in the next door “couchette” (posh name for cell) we managed to get the bunks assembled ready for bed. And like all our fellow travellers, we settled down to sleep. At 00.30 we arrived at the station of Terepol. Minutes later armed guards and security police marched along the corridor and snapped on the lights in all the compartments and demanded our passports. Then there were more forms to fill in (we were all quite bleary eyed and we had already completed a lengthy dossier on what we were carrying with us, earlier in the day). The guards returned and searched the cell, looking under the bunks for escapees (I cannot think who would be wanting to escape into Belarus). We were then left sitting for an hour while they checked everyone’s documents.

Great, we are on the move again even if we are only chugging along very slowly. About an hour later we arrive in Brest (the actual border town). We stop again for a short time while all the guards and police and security officers return our passports (not the forms) get off the train (there were about 30 in all).

We are moving again – but backwards this time - and end up in a massive workhouse hanger where there are huge jack type contraptions all along the platform and loads of men in overalls, all sitting with their tool boxes open – dark tins, containing a few battered spanners, a couple of hammers and a long pointed dibber each. All the men spring into action, the train is hooked up to the jacks and raised off the ground and the men get to work under the carriages! As it was dark and the men and their overall were all oily with engine grease, it was just like watching an old 1930’s black and white film.

It took an hour and a half to complete the task – nothing’s automated here. I’m guessing that the rail gauge is different in Russia and the wheel tracks have to be changed in order to complete the journey. Changing trains sounds an easier option, but would we have wanted to pick up all our luggage and traipse to another train in the middle of the night? Probably not – and it was quite interesting to watch.

By 05.00 (we had lost an hour by traveling through the time zone) we were on our way again – daylight was just breaking and we all settled down to sleep for a few hours while the train continued on its journey.

Nothing deters Colin from his routine – when he got up he had a proper wash (not a lick and a promise) and shave (but no showers on this train). It was quite amusing to see him with his half cup of water in the bottom of the sink (any more and it would have splashed over the sides with the movement of the train). Very dedicated to ablutions is Colin!

We continued through Belarus which seems very poor – only the major roads are tarmacadamed, most houses outside the larger towns have corrugated tin roofs over wooden sheds, and everyone (I mean every man, woman and child we have seen) is clutching a plastic carrier bag – perhaps they are the latest cool thing in Belarus. Minsk, the capital, seemed to be a thriving place with quite a lot of new development. The station is huge and fairly new and teeming with people. Later, about 12.30 we arrived at our next stop, Orsha – last stop before the border I think – and we have now been sitting here for four hours in a siding. Apparently we should be leaving soon. The train conductor has hoovered the corridors and cells and wiped down the ledges in the corridors, and some people have been shopping! We didn’t understand that we would be here for so long, so we have just amused ourselves (trying to connect to the internet, which is playing up again). Every time we set off again, there’s lots of shunting and bumping – the train is now double the length we started with – over 30 carriages! There’s obviously a lot of people who want to travel this route – not just two crazy Brits.