As a lover of all things hot – hot weather, hot latte and hot guys (in the last case I regret to inform you that I already have the hottest so you will have to settle for the second best) – I wonder how a tour in Siberia could be at such a high position in my travel wish list. It all started around decade and a half ago when the movie The Barber of Siberia made its debut. I was impressed, especially by the last scene which was set in the dense Russian taiga, even though I would have opted for a happier ending. My curiosity for the area has been heightened even further by Paulo Coelho’s Aleph which covers the story of a personal pilgrimage across Russia on the Trans-Siberian railroad after the main character finds himself in a rut.
I had done a small research in the past about the train and it appeared to me a little bit confusing. First, I couldn’t figure out where would I take my daily shower, during the seven days trip, accross 9288 kms and eight time zones. Second, there is no option for open ticket, which means that I can not hop off and on wherever I like because every ticket comes printed with a specific date, train number, car & berth number. So I put everything on hold, for like 10 years.
But (there is always a but in this perfect world) a few days ago I saw an advertisment of a private train run by Golden Eagle Luxury Trains and I immediately checked their website. For the 100th anniversary of the completion of the Trans-Siberian railway next year, they will introduce a new, one-off journey between Moscow and Vladivostok including stops in three remote communities of Eastern Siberia. I immediately investigated what does luxury train exactly means in their dictionary and here is what I found:
- Private en-suite accomodation (with a shower!!!)
- 24 hour cabin attendant service
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner and drinks included
- Gala Caviar dinner onboard
- Resident pianist in the lounge bar
- Russian language lessons
- Off-train guided excursions (barbaque on the shore of Lake Baikal, visting a nomadic family in a Mongolian ger and a walking tour around Old Believers village in the Buryat Republic definitely sound inviting to me)
Needless to say that this kind of experience is very close to what I was looking for a few years ago. Enjoying the ever-changing landscape in complete comfort ad even being able to explore some of the cities and mystic places along the way contributes to my increasing impatience to visit Sibera, in summer of course.
So, if you were wondering what present to give me for the next festivities here is my not-so-subtle clue 😀
P.S. I have never crossed any borders with a train but after I saw the other itineraries of Goden Eagle I think it might become my routine. They offer other, not less fascinating, train journies like Persia and the Silk Road ( from Moscow to Tehran, passing through Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan) or the Arctic Explorer (an adventure deep into the Arctic Circle to seek out the Northern Lights).
Are you coming with me?
Had a friend take the train across Russia and they said it was great. As for me, the ride would be great but I’m not sure about the food.