If you have been following my blog since the we started our latest adventure, you know that we are not “group tour” people. We decided to take guided tours for China and Russia because neither are particularly easy to negotiate on your own. We have been on the road for nearly 6 weeks and are feeling pretty weary. I can say with certainty that we will take another guided tour when hell freezes over! We did it, we made it, but we will not willingly do it again.

For those of you that enjoy the guided tour experience – good for you! For us, we much prefer going at our own pace which is slower than the pace that guided tours operate. We met some lovely people in our tour groups, which was a positive.

So, we will continue to explore our marvelous world but we will go it on our own!

The Final Overnight Train

Moscow and St. Petersburg

I am taking full advantage of having internet access before boarding the train for Moscow this afternoon! This post has to do with our train adventures through Siberia and our visit to the city of Yekaterinburg.

Life on the Train through Siberia

Yekaterinburg, Russia

We are already a couple of weeks into our trip from Beijing to St. Petersburg. We booked the trip with G Adventures. For the most part, we are happier with this group tour than the 2-week China tour with Gate 1. It has been an interesting experience. Internet has been pretty sparse, so this is the first chance I have had to upload anything to my blog. I am not totally caught up, but hope to be able to do so tomorrow. So, sit back, grab a cup of coffee and read all about it!

Back to Beijing: The Journey Begins

The Temple of Heaven

Train Day One: Beijing to Ulaanbaatar

The Border Crossing: China into Mongolia

Into Ulaanbaatar

Ger Camp

Leaving Mongolia: worst customs yet

Listvyanka and Lake Baikal