From Ulaanbaatar to Sainshand by train

Trains in Mongolia

I am particularly looking forward to explaining where I went by train during my stay in Mongolia. Ages before the flight to Mongolia I started researching the train lines from Ulaanbaatar, prices, distances etc., as I wanted to see what my options were.

Despite the enormity of Mongolia, which is five times larger than Norway, there are not too many options and directions, but for my appetites it was more than enough. Trust me, I would repeat those experiences anytime, and I cannot recommend them enough.

So:

• The trains are incredibly comfortable; they remind me of the trains with overnight compartments which disappeared when Yugoslavia fell apart as there were no long distances anymore, and it felt extremely pleasant and I felt secure while covering major distances
• I chose overnight rides only because the daily ones were fully booked for those days I had the plan to travel in such manner – I would actually prefer to have daylight shining over the scenery outside the windows as I love documenting everything and extensively via camera/phone
• The prices of train fares are ridiculously low for Norwegian standards. A train ticket from the village in Eastern Norway where I live to Oslo is 125 NOK for one direction, and covers 40-ish km. A train ticket from Ulaanbaatar to Sainshand, which is 500 km away from the capital, costs 150 NOK
• By paying for a ticket you are securing yourself a bed, linens (yes, you are expected to pull the linens on the pillows and the bedcover and to take them off when you reach the destination), a towel and a cup of tea. The linen + towels are dealt out by the wagon attendant, they come packed in a plastic sealed bag and are squeaky crisp and clean
• You are expected to be at least 30 min before the departure in front of the entrance of your wagon. The number is assigned to you when you book the tickets. It is also necessary to have your passport with you as you will be showing it to the wagon attendant; everyone’s name is known in the train
• Even though I was alone, I did not feel threatened. Mostly because I keep to myself until someone initiates any contact and vital valuables are put entirely away from others reach. I ended up talking with few Mongolians before we all fell asleep like dormice
• No deviations in behavior are tolerable. The wagon attendant apparently kicks out anyone behaving against the rules; no harassment, drinking, smoking, etc. rules are in full effect

Basically, the trains are comfortable, pleasant, and they carry the ex-soviet vibe which I think everyone should be exposed to.

Choosing Sainshand

The first train ride drove me to Sainshand. I was searching for a city to visit which lies deep in the heart of the Gobi desert and lies along one of the railroad branches from the capital city. Sainshand seemed promising by being exactly that. This city is a speck of humanity in the middle of the desert, and it lies along the mongolian portion of the famous Trans-Siberian railroad. As a backup / support, I found a few places where I could eventually sleep in case something goes awry, a few places to eat and charge batteries on my devices and I was ready to depart.

Departure to Sainshand

I came to the station fully enthusiastic and literally ready for anything, as I had no idea what I could expect. The area in front of the train to Sainshand became busier as the time of the departure came closer, and there were no obvious tourists besides me. Apparently, this is not surprising, as being in Ulaanbaatar in late April is not considered to be in the peak season. Everyone knew the wagon/bed numbers they were assigned to, and as the sun came down, the wagon attendant opened the doors and allowed everyone to find their place, make themselves cozy and relaxed before we drove away 500 km towards the south-east.

The cabin had four beds. I had a talk about Mongolian experience with my temporary roommates (two absolutely out of this world gorgeous local women and a random guy) which turned into a talk about travelling in general and living in Norway, and I could never imagine that I could fall asleep so fast but I did.

What I liked was the obviousness of how regular such trips were for them. I, unaccustomed to such train procedures, had only to follow and repeat what they do in order to fit into the scene. The scene of a train passing through the Mongolian-Manchurian epic steppe, driving me towards the Gobi desert. I was beyond excited.

The distance between Ulaanbaatar and Sainshand measures approx 500 km along the railroad. The train departed at cca 21 h and came early in the morning, around 6AM. You can imagine how slow it goes, but there is something recharging and peaceful in this. I woke up several times during the night and almost instantly fell asleep again.

And then the day came.

Arriving to Sainshand

Sometime around 4-5 in the morning I woke up, brushed my teeth (yes, the bathrooms are incredibly clean and very usable) and leaned over the window to enjoy the view.

I woke up in the Gobi desert.

It was my birthday, the day I turned 42. I cannot imagine a better gift to myself, from myself.

The view from the window was this one.

It felt so good to see the sand, announcing something amazing.

Like when you play the Witcher 3 and see ravens, implying a leshen nearby. And you know how epic a leshen is and you can only admire him.

The plan was to explore Sainshand, its vicinity, and to reach some dunes which would be close enough to the city. There is an energetic centre (a buddhist one, not a new age woo woo one) near the city and it seemed to be a very popular place for visiting, so I was approached by several people who offered car rides to it. I declined politely, as I wanted first to see where I am and then during the day to decide when to go there, eventually.

Sainshand

I had an entire day on my disposition. I walked across the entire city from several angles. The city is extremely raw and harsh. There is nothing gentle about it. It is chewed by progressive deterioration and its visage shows a severe lack of investing in it since the Soviet Union fell apart. Mongolia, nota bene, was never in the Soviet Union, but the Soviets had a major influence on Mongolia in the 20th century.

It felt extremely comfortable, though, to be there. I do not know exactly what makes such places so calm and down to literal Earth. I felt free to roam, observe, touch, move, whatnot whatever I wanted, and not feel like a full blown intruder that I was. It was obvious that even though I cannot have a proper conversation with most of the locals I would get help if such a thing was needed at any given moment.

I was walking alone, along the empty streets, and it was so damn good. I know it does not make sense, in a way. This was not downtown LA or Rome or some other hot destination, but I felt so comfortable and one part of me did not want to leave at all.

Train ride back to Ulaanbaatar

In the late afternoon I came back to the station. Extremely happy with what I saw and looking fwd to the bed in the train back to UB.

The next morning I woke up again at around 5 AM, witnessing the steppe through which we drove on, along the southeast route towards Ulaanbaatar.

Blasted by what I saw in Sainshand and knowing how comfortable I felt by being in the train and the outside, I just booked another train ride, this time to Sukhbaatar – in the direction of russian border, northwards.