10-Hour Journey to Destination

Moscow to Kazan


It was 10pm, still bright and unbelievably hot. It was really hot. I didn't mind much when we were at the Red Square because I think I was busy making pictures and listening to history of every edifice standing there. This time I was slowly feeling dizzy aside from having jet lag, I think it was about time to sleep already. I crossed a different time-zone so, it looked like the time moved back. It's around 2am already in China when it was 10pm in Russia.


So, I was looking at people and all I see was motion. My mind stopped working. I guess it was also because I was thinking that I could lie in the coupe' already and have a rest finally. We entered, and discovered that the train we're taking is an old one. What I mean by old is like really old one. Haha, I can just laugh now but I was almost speechless when we got in there. I was expecting a better comfort, man I was so tired. Sham was even more disappointed than me. For him it was a shame to make me ride in on Soviet train (Yes, Soviet train) on my first time journey to his hometown. Uncle Shamil apologized for the little inconvenience and I didn't have the heart to complain because he has helped us a a lot already from picking us up in the airport, touring us around and bringing my suitcase. Sham didn't say anything negative either. we didn't want him to feel bad. He left after putting us in and we promised to see him and his family in Kazan when he will be back. He was there on a business trip. 


Alright now comes the real adventure. It was hot like hell inside. No aircon, and I couldn't feel the ventilation. But even if it has, there was no cool air from outside anyway. People were coming and some of them were making remarks like "what kind a vessel was that they got into? Our coupe'mate said it wasn't a train-it was a rubbish bin maybe" lol. Well he was little exaggerated of course but he intended to complain that way. We also decided not to complain when we get to their home because her Mom will feel bad and she bought us those tickets so we really don't want anyone to feel bad...except us that night hahaha. 


Soon the night has fallen. there was nothing more to see outside so we got in the coupe' and stayed in our beds. It wasn't too bad, just that you will see that the train is old. It was probably the same train Sham's parents were using during 50's. Sham was really feeling sorry for me. But I told him it's actually ok. I feel like I was brought to Russia's historic times. Not that I was sarcastic but for real, I was able to not only see what has been a part of Soviet's transportation system but I was feeling it as well. And so we slept and then I woke up early at around 5am maybe. It felt cold and I was really waiting for the sunrise, I wanted to see what I was passing by. I could see the window from my bed, we didn't close the coupe' by the way, cause it was really hot. I didn't wake Sham up, I was just staring outside the window, it felt much fresher, even cold. 


Here I got some pictures taken from the morning in that old Soviet train and along the way.

actually in the morning we felt a lot better. the inconvenient feeling was probably brought by the hot irritating weather the night before. 

(please click on the image to see better quality)

I 'm not posting all of the pictures I have taken along the way. Most of them look the same, forests, grassland, railway and the likes.

or some station or roads on some other Republics 

Our coupe'mates got off at that Republic. We then continued our journey alone for sometime. After few more stations, there was an elder woman who came and joined us. She was so organized. She has complete stuff. She laid the bedsheets very well, put pillow cases nicely and unfolded the blankets properly. She hanged small towels beside her and then she took out some fruits and drinks from her bag and then she sat and started reading a book. I was impressed by the way she organized herself a small comfortable room in that old Soviet train. She knew what she was doing. It was us who didn't that's why we felt inconvenient at first ",)

The train does not go to Kazan, it just passes by. It goes to some other farther Republic. And we thought that probably it was just an extra train since there are too many passengers in summer. Sham said that he, himself was travelling by train from Kazan all the time before but it was his first time to take that Soviet train we took haha, so it was both our first time.