Border Crossing

All together, it took 9 hours to cross the Russian/Mongolian border:

- 3 hours sitting at the border station doing nothing. Except for the bit where I nipped off the train to go to the loo (the train ones were locked for the whole time) and came back out to find that the train had gone. Thankfully I knew it was likely to do this and all they do is move it to split it and then shunt it back with a new engine. Still disconcerting though.

- 3 hours sitting on the train (no one allowed off now) as the Russian border guards did their thing. Entertainment was provided by a fight between a local and some guards on the platform which included much comedy slapping and the guys wife stood by holding his coat and watching

- an hour trundling through no man's land

- 2 hours at the Mongolian border post whilst their border guards did their thing.

Not fun. Not by a long way, but a price worth paying to see Mongolia.