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Транссиб. Едем на поезде. Советы путешественникам.
ТУРЫ ПО ГОРОДАМ РОССИИ
ТРАНССИБИРСКАЯ МАГИСТРАЛЬ
ЖИЗНЬ В ПОЕЗДЕ
When you spend more than two days in the train, it becomes like
your second home: you get to know all the conductors, you spend a lot of time
with co-passengers, and there's a special life that's happening inside the
train. In this page we try to uncover what life in the Trans-Siberian train is
like.
- The wagon and its keepers: Travelling in second class. Nine compartments in a
long wagon kept in order by two conductors (provodnik in russia) working in
shifts. They have their little room at the front end of the wagon, next to the
toilets and the hot water boiler (that works on fire). They walk along the
corridor and make sure everything's all right, acquaint with passengers,
sometimes squeeze them sensually when they encounter them on their way. They
also prepare glasses of tea for 4 R; they exit at every station and remind
passengers not to stay too long on the platform.
- What do passengers do? In second class, people sleep in four berth
compartments, they usually spend all day eating, chatting, and playing games,
sleeping, or enjoying the changing landscape. They often look at the timetable
that says at what time the next stop will be. And when the stop comes, they get
out, stretch their legs, inspect the bags of the people selling products on the
platform, they buy a cake, even in the middle of the night. Some people travel
for the whole 6 days it takes to cross Russia, others only for a few days,
people meet, talk with each other about where they come from, how life is there,
it’s a rare occasion of meeting people from everywhere in Russia. They feel at
home in their compartment, they bring back beers bought at a stop and invite
their neighbors as guests for an evening of talk, card games, laughs. The
smokers go to the end of the wagon to smoke.
Some people play the radio very loud, while others keep turning it off. Some
guests get too drunk and want to sleep where they are. The 'Provodnik' comes and
brings them to their berth. Men wear slippers, and snore. Intimacy is shared
with everybody, and couples sometimes find it hard to share it together. If they
have the chance to be in the same compartment with friends, they send them
outside in the corridor with a book and a glass of trans-siberian tea while they
enjoy privacy for some time.
Basically trains in Russia are more secure than the streets of the cities. There
are few people around and they have no chance to disappear. Just behave yourself
normal (unless you're after some adventures) and it'll be ok. There are
militsioners (policemen) at most of the trains. So if you have problems ask
conductor to call them. If there are no policemen on the train, they will enter
on the next station. If it's the conductor who pisses you off, go to the
train-master ("na`chalnik `poezda"), he's usually in his compartment,
carriage 6-7.
СТРАНИЦЫ ФОТОАЛЬБОМА
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