I’m off the train! Every now and then I do a little sort of lurch. Is this the same as sailors get when they set foot on dry land after being at sea?

Said goodbye to my various train companions, with warm wishes to visit Switzerland (will they come and visit our Welsh mountains? I hope so) and from my Russian cabin companion for the last 2 days a blow up   Russian FIFA balloon! How cool is that! And very thoughtful as it weighs nothing.

My hotel here in Ulan Ude – which I chose for it’s rave reviews – may be international and impersonal but it’s 2 minutes from the main square,  they speak English and do laundry, do delicious food and oh bliss – a bath ! With a plug that works! Oh joy ! Did I mention it’s as cheap as a dorm bed in London ?

That’s Lenin by the way.

That’s it for a couple of days now