横跨西伯利亚／Trans-Siberia Railways

告别了蒙古，就正式踏上横跨西伯利亚的旅途。众所周知，西伯利亚铁路是世界上最长的铁路，连接俄罗斯首都莫斯科和日本海岸的海参崴，全长9288公里（如果连圣彼得堡的旅程计算在内，总长为9937.7公里），共穿越八个时区，全程需要七天。由于我是从乌兰巴托前往西伯利亚，因此如果直达莫斯科，只需要四天。不过连坐四天的火车，没有下车研究一下西伯利亚的美，不能算是真正横跨西伯利亚，所以我选择了几个城市，分段完成横跨西伯利亚的旅程。尽管如此，每一段旅程都得花上一段时间，因为俄罗斯的铁路太过陈旧，导致火车行使的速度不快；路上的车子行使的速度甚至比火车还要快。除了其中一个路段外，其余的时候我在火车上的时间从24小时到30小时不等。
After saying goodbye to the grasslands of Mongolia, it is finally time to embark on the journey across the vast Siberia. The Trans-Siberian Railways is the longest railway in the world, linking Vladivostok on the far east of Siberia to Moscow, a distance of 9288km. If you include the stretch between St. Petersburg to Moscow, that will be 9937.7km. All in all, the journey stretches seven days, taking you through eight time zones. As I was heading into Siberia from Ulaanbaatar, it will take me only four days of non-stop train ride to get into Moscow. However, the idea of being cooped up on a train for four days does not really appeal to me. Neither does being on a train all the way feels as if I’d really experienced what is Siberia really like. Hence, I chose a few cities to break up my journey to Moscow. Even then, the train rides were long, as Russian trains cannot go too fast on the old tracks. I once saw a car on the road next to the rail tracks zooming past the train I was on. Except for one ride, all the train rides were between 24 to 30 hours long.

很多人都问我，对俄罗斯的印象如何？第一个感觉？灰暗。第一个印象？不就是伏特加酒、电子音乐、伏特加酒、电子音乐、伏特加酒、电子音乐……
Many people that I’d met asked me, what is my impression of Russia? Even Russians are curious as to what I think of their country. My first feelings towards Russia? Grey. My first impressions? Vodka, techno music, vodka, techno music, more vodka and techno music… …

看过了蒙古那绿油油的大草原和蓝碧蓝的天空后，俄罗斯黯淡的天空和灰色与褐色的建筑真的让人感到沮丧。或许是我比较不幸运吧，在俄罗斯几乎20天，不到五天是晴天，其余的时间天空都是灰色的。加上东西伯利亚的房子很多是木制的，每个房子都被木栏围绕着，往西边去房子虽然不是木制的，但却是四四方方、灰色的共产建筑，俄罗斯给我的感觉就是灰暗。
After two weeks of green grasslands and blue skies, the grey skies and dull buildings in Russia can really make one feel depressed. It may be that the Russian weather has something against me, but out of the almost 20 days I was there, less than a quarter of it was sunny days. The rest of the time, it was either rainy or cloudy. On top of that, houses in Siberia are made from wood and surrounded by ugly wooden fences, whereas the buildings in Central and European Russia are the typically communist (read: squarish, grey and dull), it is hard to not feel dispirited.

至于对俄罗斯的第一印象，唉，真不明白为何俄罗斯人对伏特加那么疯狂，走到哪里伏特加就跟到哪里。即使是大白天，他们也是伏特加不离手。就算是在上午10点，看到俄罗斯女子手持一瓶伏特加酒走在大街上也是常有的事。
As for the vodka, I really cannot fathom why Russians have this fascination for vodka. Everywhere they go, they are bound to bring a bottle of vodka with them. And there is no such thing as suitable time for drinking vodka because to them, vodka should be drank anytime, anywhere. So, even if you see a woman walking down the streets at 10am with a bottle of vodka in her hand, or drank men staggering about at 8am in the morning, you shouldn’t be too surprised.

再来就是电子音乐。实在不能理解俄罗斯人为何会那么喜欢电子音乐。无论是路过的车子，还是大街上的店铺，从收音机传来的都是电子音乐。如果是年轻人喜欢这些电子音乐那就算了，但就连是50岁大叔开的车子，播的也是电子音乐。坐在装潢高贵的餐厅，听到的也是电子音乐。这样怎么能不对伏特加酒和电子音乐印象深刻呢？
And then there is the techno music. This is even more of a mystery than vodka. You can really hear it everywhere. From the shops in the streets, from the radios of cars passing by, and even in chic looking restaurants. If the people playing the techno music are young Russians, I am sure one would have no trouble understanding the phenomenon. But when the 50 year old driver of your mini bus plays techno music at top volume throughout your bus ride, it is enough to want to make you pull out your hair.

至于对俄罗斯人的印象，老实说，刚开始我真的很不喜欢俄罗斯人。总觉得他们爱摆臭脸，不像亚洲人那样会笑脸迎人，更不觉得他们友善。不过后来和俄罗斯人接触多了，才知道俄罗斯人其实是很友善的，只不过他们不善于踏出第一步。只要你肯主动对他们笑或与他们聊天，他们其实是很容易亲近的。尤其是在火车上，这些俄罗斯人虽然互不认识，但却可以轻易聊起天来。即使是50岁的大婶和20几岁、打扮时髦的辣妹，一坐在一起就有聊不完的话题，还会分享她们带来的食物。所以只要带着大量的耐心和灿烂的笑容到俄罗斯去，要在那里玩得愉快并不是什么难事。　　～伟
And my impression of Russians? Truth be told, I didn’t like Russians at first. Boarding a bus full of Russians, all you see is a sea of sour faces. The shopkeepers faces always seem to be saying, ”Don’t bother me.” , whereas staff behind the ticket counters of train stations always wave you away impatiently whenever you want to ask them something in English. But over time, I changed my impression of them. I learnt that Russians are actually very friendly and nice people. The only catch is you got to be the one making the first move. If you go up to them with a big smile and lots of patience, you will find them most willing to help you, even if there is a language barrier. I learn most about Russians from train rides. Even though they board the trains as strangers, Russians quickly warm up to each other and will be chatting away in no time. Even a 50 year old lady and a trendily dressed 20 something hippie can easily find a common topic and it is quite common to see them sharing food and drinks. And when they see a stranger like me who don’t speak Russian, they will still offer me whatever food they have and find means to communicate with me. So, if you want to enjoy your stay in Russia, just bring lots of patience and a big smile.　　～wei