russia: riding the train in platzkart

The next part of my trip was long: 38 hours on the train, in 3^rd class. Irkutsk to Severobaikalsk. One long trip often listed on people's bucket lists for travel is to go the length of the Trans Siberian railway. This particular route isn't part of that trip, but it's the same experience.

The entire route from Moscow to St Petersburg takes a week to cover, if you don't get off the train at all. I think many people take a month to cover the distance, getting off the train at various cities along the way.

3^rd class is the class of train you see when a movie shows a Russian train. It's an open car, with a series of mini pies. It's usually two lower and two upper around a small table, with a lower and an upper across the aisle.

For what you get, I find the trains to be a cheap way to get around the country. A night train means I don't have to pay for accomodation that night, think of them as a hotel on wheels. If you're in platzkart it's like being in a hostel on wheels.

I haven't traveled on the trains in the summer, I imagine it wouldn't be quite as comfortable. Many of the trains have air conditioning, but I doubt it is kept as cool as most people would like. Spending days in a warm train with people who haven't been able to shower properly doesn't sound all that fun.

There are definitely etiquette rules for the train, and cultural traditions. If you're on for a long time, you're probably going to bring slippers. Don't put shoes on the beds. There is a samovar in every car to make your ramen noodles or oatmeal. Some people bring pajamas to change into to sleep. 

If women indicate they want to change clothes before or after sleeping, men should leave the area to let the women change. (Though this is more applicable to 2^nd class, or kupe. There is a specific way to make your bed, I've had quite a few Russians offer to help me.

The best part was definitely people watching. It was fun to see how others passed the time, though there is a limit to how much sleeping and eating one can do. There weren't many of us on at the beginning of the train who were still on at the end.

One of the reasons I chose to take this train is because of the timing. It departed from Irkutsk in the evening, and arrived two mornings later in Severobaikalsk. In other words, I got a full day of exploring the city on either side of the train ride. I like arriving somewhere in the morning. If the train had departed in the morning and arrived in the evening, I wouldn't have been as likely to travel that way.

We arrived 2 minutes late in Severobaikalsk. Compared to the rest of the world, that's nothing. Especially when you think that it was 38 hours. But for Russia, conductors only have 5 minutes of leeway, and probably 95% of the time they're exactly on time, so 2 minutes is worth mentioning.

For whateva reason, the train from Severobaikalsk back to Irkutsk is 'only' 31.5 hours. 

People did the same things to entertain themselves: eat, sleep, read, watch tv episodes and movies, talk. There was a very young child who walked up and down the aisle with her mom several times. They'd walk the length of the car back and forth about 10 times, then do it again a few hours later. I was happy the kid wanted to walk, instead of cry, which I've heard more than a few times.

I'll ride the trains again. Over and over and over.