Web Exclusive: Dining Car Adventures

Baikal Express, Russia

This is actually a true web exclusive because somehow it never found its way into my hand written journal. I guess I could write any number of entries about the Baikal express.

One things that stuck to my mind no matter how minor were the curtains in the dining car. Not that I went there to eat, it's waayy too expensive (about 3 times the price of a normal cafe). We did have a beer there once, the Danes, Mikhail and I. The curtains caught my attention because they had maps printed on them. At first, I assumed it would be maps of Russia - obvious, right? Then I looked closer and realised to my excitement that it wasn't Russian at all. It had English names on it but none I had heard before. I read things like "The Dark Lands" and "Zorn Uzkul" and "Zharr". It was a map of a fantasy world. Probably RPG. That got me all excited - in the middle of Russia. I know it's geeky, so here is my confession. I spent the next several hours trying to remember which world it was. It sounded familiar but I couldn't place it. Greyhawk? No. Forgotten Realms? No. I tried to ask staff but they didn't know. Probably never knew where the damn curtains came from. Now you have a try: here's exactly the map I saw.
Then it hit me like a hammer: two names "Skaven Lair" and "Realm of Chaos" - it was Warhammer. Skaven being creatures in that game and Chaos being a faction. Should I be proud of figuring it out?

In the dining car I also encountered another strange fellow traveller: A Russian lady that spoke some English. The Danish guys had warned me that she seemed to try and pick up every guy on the train. And sure enough the moment she saw me she homed in on me. The two Danes smiled and retreated making off-hand jokes about her. Well, what can I say - I'm better than that. So I stayed to talk. She invited me for a coffee and a vodka - straight from her glass. She was actually from Irkutsk going back there for business. She had several degrees in things like law, pharmaceutics (if I remember correctly). I think she was a bit drunk (already) so she probably stretched the truth a bit. Anyhow, she was so keen to talk and find new topics - to make me stay maybe. She was going to Listvyanka, a village on Lake Baikal, straight after getting to Irkutsk. I should join her there for a drink. Whoa! Aggressive didn't even begin to describe it. The Danes noticed me talking to her. Now their bad jokes really reached the peak. "Would you f**k her if you got the chance", they asked. "You would, wouldn't you?" I didn't even answer that question. I think they failed to notice one important thing about her, maybe why she was so aggressive. She kept mentioning previous unsuccessful marriages and some guy she really liked and who she had met on a holiday. Maybe, just maybe that lady was simply lonely. I'm sure we all know how it feels. Sure, maybe she didn't choose a clever way to deal with it - I guess as a woman it's easy to be labelled a slut if you behave like this. Still, it's no reason to treat her like shit. So, I entertained her for a while even though her thoughts jumped around like crazed crickets sometimes. She would talk but responding was impossible because either she wouldn't understand or she wouldn't listen but instead go on to a new topic. Still, I think I still learnt a few things - at the very least how to be courteous. In the end I didn't take up her invitation to Listvyanka, that was a bit too hot for me after all. But still we parted in a civilised way by shaking hands. The Danes left without even saying good bye. Says a lot about people doesn't it. I hope she finds what she is looking for.