We transfer to the station at 7.20am for the last leg of our journey to Beijing. This train is definitely the best yet; spotlessly clean and the toilets have proper toilet seats and loo freshener, so they smell nice too! You’ll probably gather that by now we are feeling a little deprived of decent facilities.
The crossing into China is the inevitably protracted affair we had been led to believe it would be. Although at five hours, not quite as long as at the Russian border. As well as the usual passport control and customs, the bogeys had to be changed as the Russians/Mongolians operate their network on a wider gauge. This is undertaken whilst the passengers remain on the train – each carriage is lifted using hydraulic lifting gear whilst the bogies are switched. The whole process is finished by 12.30am and we are on our way once more. Beijing, here we come!