If you ever decide to do the trans Siberian train then make sure you get on a Russian train and not a Chinese one. If you are going down through Mongolia or direct to Beijing you won’t have any choice but stay on that Russian train as long as you possibly can.

So, writing this on a CHINESE train which is certainly different, its a dull khaki colour, the carriage attendent is male, looks too young to be out of school and obviously doesn’t know what a hoover is. My 1st class double cabin is all covered in deep red plush material and even a white antimacassar with lacy bits. And its FILTHY! And the loos are what you’ll be expecting after reading this far. As its only one night I’m just keeping my rucksack firmly shut and slumming it in my clothes til I get to the hotel tomorrow morning. There’s an American family with 2 teenagers who’ve been on this since Moscow. Dad did the booking and is suffering dire retribution! Thank goodness for wet wipes…….And, the one lovely thing, pristine thick white cotton sheets.

We’ve been sitting at the Mongolian border for a couple of hours with various officials doing what they do – the Mongolian border person – a woman – saluted me smartly which rather took me back. How on earth to respond????? Incredibly one of the train people walked down the corridor opening panels into the roof, presumably so they could check there was no stash of drugs up there. Though how they would check is a mystery there’s no stepladders in evidence!

Another train is pulled up alongside and I gaze longingly through the window to see at least 10 people bunked up together in a 2nd class RUSSIAN compartment all helping themselves to a big dish of food, passing round bottles of vodka and generally having a party……..