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Five days of getting up late without washing, drinking all day and existing mainly on instant noodles was like re-living our student days. The private 1st class cabin was certainly plushier than my old room, though both were a similar size.

We spent the days trundling across Russia into Siberia and finally Mongolia. As we watched the scenery change we stopped every few hours to stock up on locally cooked cakes and bread. For the most part these were very fine though some liver filled doughnuts left a  pretty foul taste in our mouths.

The size of the towns and cities along the way was a real surprise. We often saw large blocks of soviet-style flats and factories seemingly isolated in the middle of Siberia.

Our evenings passed with lots of drinking and games in the trains dining car with other guys we met on board. With the old style decor and uniforms we often felt like we were in the middle of a Poirot mystery as we passed between the carriages.