Trans-Mongolian train trip: A rail journey like no other

By Ben Groundwater
Updated April 29 2016 - 8:13pm, first published 7:39pm
Trans Mongoian railway: Approaching Ulaanbaatar. Photo: Jane Sweeney
Trans Mongoian railway: Approaching Ulaanbaatar. Photo: Jane Sweeney
Yurts in field, Gorkhi-Terelj National Park, Mongolia. Photo: Pedro Salaverra
Yurts in field, Gorkhi-Terelj National Park, Mongolia. Photo: Pedro Salaverra
Gorkhi Terelj National Park. Photo: Jenny Jones
Gorkhi Terelj National Park. Photo: Jenny Jones
A Woman stands in front of a house in Novosibirsk, Russia. Photo: Peter Solness
A Woman stands in front of a house in Novosibirsk, Russia. Photo: Peter Solness
Sonderzugreise "Zarengold". Photo: ? Roland E. Jung
Sonderzugreise "Zarengold". Photo: ? Roland E. Jung
Blue window shutters in Ulan Ude, Siberia, Russia. Photo: Annapurna Mellor
Blue window shutters in Ulan Ude, Siberia, Russia. Photo: Annapurna Mellor
Mongolia, Ulan Bator, Trans-Mongolian express train. Photo: WIN-Initiative
Mongolia, Ulan Bator, Trans-Mongolian express train. Photo: WIN-Initiative

The wind whistles across the Mongolian steppe, stinging cold noses, making prayer flags rustle and snap, as we prepare to take part in an ancient ritual. It doesn't matter that we're non-believers in this strange land, far from home – we still scratch around in the dirt, searching for a few rocks of a decent size, ready to observe tradition, ready to commit them to the sacred stack. Before a journey like this, every little bit of luck counts.

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