Your feedback on my first book has been really helpful in deciding how to approach writing A Bridge Even Further. I wanted to keep all the detail of my experiences of the individual trains, but also to share a bit more of my life off the rails. Trans-Siberian Adventures was a bit of a whistle stop trip, whereas my journey to Singapore has allowed me time out to explore in many places along the way, and I have included some of these ‘off piste’ activities, some quite bizarre!

In some ways the experience has been easier than my first book, but in other ways it has been much harder. My expectations have been higher, and I have had to push myself further, not just as an adventurer, but as a writer. They say writing really does get better with experience, and I hope that my second book is received as more rounded than my first. Ultimately what I think doesn’t matter; it’s all about what you think.

I also wanted to improve the look and feel of what I was doing too. A Bridge Even Further contains more detailed maps than my first book, and also some amazing illustrations of the bridges by my great friend Mark Hudson. I hope you like the front cover, which was designed by Colin Brooks. I chose a design that incorporates a photograph of a train on the Wang Po viaduct travelling from Kanchanaburi to Namtok, the final working section of the ‘Death Railway’.

The one thing I have not quite yet solved is being able to include photographs of any real quality inside the book without making it cost a fortune to print. I plan to link my book to photographs and source material here at my website, more of this to follow. Think of it as the ‘Director’s Cut’.

I have been playing adventurer’s catch up for the last year or so. After making four big rail journeys on the trot, I wanted to get the trilogy written before the next serious adventure. I have already started writing the third book, with a personal objective to finish it this year. More on this in the months ahead, but it is about my incredible journey to Tibet by train in 2016.

Whilst I have been able to take smaller scale trips whilst writing, I now long for the next really big one; and of course one which I can hopefully write an interesting book about when I return. I have just such a journey in mind, but it will have remain a secret for now in case someone does it before me!

As I have discovered, writing a book doesn’t just happen. Not only do I have to endure the at times crippling process of love then hate of my own writing, but others have to read it too. Fortunately I’m blessed with a great team around me, and this has helped me improve every aspect of my work. I would particularly like to thank my editor Caroline Petherick for her support. People often ask me what an editor does and if they need one for their book. My answer is that to publish a book without an editor would be total madness. Caroline not only corrects my grammar and punctuation, but she proof reads my work and checks the consistency of facts – names, places, people, dates. It would be embarrassing to have to reveal how many errors she finds, but I don’t think I am alone amongst other authors. We all need a second pair of eyes.

My thanks also to Olga Tyukova for handling the design and look of this website. I feel through simplicity and clean design it helps me communicate much better what I’m up to.

I hope you have a chance to read A Bridge Even Further. I would love to hear what you think!

Final morning on the train before we arrive at Beijing.

Time for a rather early lunch in the Chinese restaurant carriage, and then some packing and exchanging plans with fellow travellers.

No idea why, but lunch is strictly served between 10.30 and 11.30 this morning. No menu as such, but all quite friendly and efficient. As seems to be normal in a Chinese restaurant car, a policeman is on hand to prevent possible noodle theft and black market exchanges of meal coupons!

The scenery is totally different today – the railway line passes through massive gorges with frozen rivers and tunnels cut through the mountains for the final couple of hours as it winds towards its final destination.

Time for me to reflect on the journey so far – did I really just do that?! I have covered just over half the distance of my mission in just 13 days, including my stops in Warsaw and Moscow. The Trans-Mong is at times fun, at times a bit of a strain, but rich in amazing experiences and people. The cumulative effect of two weeks on the move in the cold outside and the unrelenting heat on board the train has left me a bit tired and shell shocked, but I have three days R&R now to get myself into shape for my second tour of duty – almost literally, as I’m bound for Vietnam on Thursday on the twice weekly express service from Beijing to Hanoi (the train known as the “T5”).. assuming someone here has my tickets. All I can think of right now though is a very very long hot shower!

An early dinner today as the brilliant Mongolian restaurant carriage leaves us at 19.10 local time. I will miss everything about it other than possibly its temperature.

We have just arrived on the Mongolian side of the Chinese border. The soldiers are saluting the train as it arrives on the platform, heralding several hours of paperwork, searches and inspections. I have filled in the paperwork for both sides already, so hopefully I’m ahead of the game.

I have to tell you that the Mongolian border officers here seem to be almost exclusively female and some are very easy on the eye, even when dressed in full combat gear. Or maybe I have been on the train for too long! My passport and visa has just left the train for more detailed examination.

I have had the first customs inspection and once I had explained that the United Kingdom was in fact the same as Great Britain, and that made me British, they moved quickly on to the next compartment.

All okay and off we go two hours later, a short hop a cross “no mans land” to Eirlan on the Chinese side – music, lights, guards, impressive marching, and more paperwork.. The carriage is flooded with very down to business like Chinese officials admiring my Christmas lights, but trying no to be noticed doing so..

The soldiers on the platform are marching everywhere at the double, and its a pretty well oiled machine. Soothing music (“Greensleeves”) echoes around the place along with the sound of slamming train doors.

Then into the shed for a new set of wheels (narrower gauge) and four hours later we are back on our way through China bound next for Datong and Beijing tomorrow lunchtime.

The whole thing is over before you know it – closing at 18.30 local time when you start Chinese border formalities. I recommend a blow out lunch then a snack at dinner, as they run out of some things as the day goes on.

When we stopped at Choyr I dashed up front (it’s still a long way) to do my trainspotter bit. There was some funky young Mongolian guy doing the same – dressed in a blue flying suit, brown leather flying boots, a peaked Mao hat, some Oakley shades and carrying a silver topped stick (see the picture below). He smiled and then proceeded to climb up the ladder onto the engine – he was the driver! I have to say he looks very happy in his work, but slightly too much like a Kamikaze pilot for my comfort.

Its cold here but so dry and sunny that it feels quite nice outside as long as you are well wrapped up. Not much time to explore, and I completely missed the statue to the first Mongolian astronaut behind the ticket hall. “Mr Blond” kept an eye on me as the driver did the equivalent of a pre flight check of the locomotives (there are two pulling together) – I’m assuming Mr Blond gets marked down in his appraisal if he leaves any passengers behind! Anyway, he’s a lovely chap – really kind to us foreigners.

I took a Mongolian breakfast with Paul (from Teeside) who has rum news from Carriage 6. Last night the military police took Robert, his Mongolian cabin mate, off the train at the border. Situation now unknown. Whilst I was sipping a glass of Merlot being saluted at, Paul was imagining himself starring in an episode of the next series of “Banged Up Abroad”. The story is that Robert had been butchering his home cooked meals on board with quite a big bayonet or Rambo type knife which he didn’t declare in his paperwork. When the border security found it in a search they brought in the military (serious guys with guns and an attack dog) to remove him. I’m shocked by this, and needless to say Paul was pretty worried in case he became implicated. I don’t want to make light of this unfortunate situation, but Paul did mention that he had Robert’s Facebook details. Let’s hope they give people access to Facebook in the Mongolian penal system, as this guy is now MIA.

On a much lighter note, I have scored a bottle of Russian “Champanska” from the Mongolian restaurant – like last year, I shall drink it as we change wheels tonight and enter China. At 48 Yuan a bottle it’s something of a bargain – less than £5!

I’m sat in the restaurant right now enjoying an icy “Golden Gobi” whilst they cook my dumpling soup – a dish I have been looking forward to since I started booking this trip. Its Sunday today, so this is my equivalent of a roast lunch.

Its picture postcard stuff outside now – the sun is high in the cloudless sky, the windows are iced up on the outside as we pass endless telegraph poles and the occasional farmer on a motorbike chasing his camels. This is the view that Basil Fawlty tells Mrs Richards about – with “herds of wilderbeast sweeping majestically across the plain”..

Not much more to add other than I forgot to eat my ever expanding pot porridge for breakfast. It sits on my table ready to explode like a “Bouncing Betty” from the Vietnam War – I shall have to exercise caution later on. I might be safer on the bottom bunk tonight.

Actually not much to see on the platform, but I’m guessing that any sane Mongolian would conduct their retail activities indoors. I can see coloured disco lights coming from outside the station, and also a door signed as “VIP” round the side. This is clearly the Mongolian equivalent of Kings Cross.

A Mongolian woman has joined us in Carriage 9 – helped aboard by three men to carry all her stuff. Thinking about it, I would expect most Mongolians to use the native first and second class carriages now joined to us further up the train. Maybe she is actually Chinese? I will attempt to find out later.

Our new locomotives have just tooted as they pass by on the next track – a pair of colourful diesels to power us across the Gobi today. I said good morning to “Mr Blond”, who has the comforting habit of repeating what you have just said. Our one directional conversation this morning focused on the English obsession with the weather, and he agrees with me that it is “very cold” outside. Meanwhile “Mr Green” stands in the doorway assessing people as potential first class material. He won’t let anyone up the steps without a close inspection of their tickets first.

Only three stops today, the final one being the Chinese border in the early evening. Jungle training continues here on board the train as “Mr Green” shovels fresh coal into our fire. He has a standby electric heater that he switches on in the stations – the fire tends to fill the carriage with smoke unless it is moving forwards.

As we leave Ulaanbaatar I can see tiny lights in the distance as the train snakes round encampments of walled yurts (I think a “Yurt” is actually the wrong name – sorry, can’t recall the right one). The windows are filthy and this is hampering my ability to take any decent pictures in low light, so apologies for anything that looks a bit ropey.

A small science lab experiment going on here in my compartment – my Russian pot porridge is providing me with an indication of barometric pressure – as it has come from Moscow unopened itis now ready to burst – so we must be at a much higher altitude now (or just better weather and higher pressure). I’m going to eat it for my breakfast as I fear I will otherwise become victim to a oat and strawberry infused landmine!

I have asked “Mr Blond” when the samovar will be working and he says “later”. I’m not holding my breath, as this isn’t an indication of urgency in my experience so far.

If you can’t be bothered to bring any of your own food you can live comfortably in this place. It’s not cheap though, so allow about 2000 Roubles (£40) for a couple of meals and drinks each day.

Greetings from Mongolia! I’ve just crossed the frontier from the Russian Federation and am now sat quietly in the darkness on the Mongolian border. It’s all very Cold War again – soldiers standing to attention on the platform and immigration officers carrying briefcases ready to board and examine everyone that they find on train 004. Guard dogs roam freely on the platform.

I think my paperwork is in order, but judging by the degree of close inspection my visa was given before being taken away, I’m not 100% sure. The officer who took it from me actually saluted me in my compartment – as I’m not sure on Mongolian army etiquette I didn’t return the salute, as I wasn’t wearing headgear – I hope that’s the right drill out here. I will flatter myself and assume that she knew she must have been dealing with a VIP passenger, as he had a whole First Class compartment just to himself.

I have the Christmas decorations up in my compartment, and hope they help break the ice with the officials – this is hardly the normal behavior of a smuggler or an illegal immigrant surely?

It took about two hours to get out of Russia, and about another two here to get into Mongolia, so it’s hardly fast track, but at least I can sit in my own compartment sipping a glass of Merlot reading my book (“A Captain’s Duty” by Richard Phillips). There are a gaggle of officials walking up and down as well as some “not so officials”, including a couple of women who are black market currency traders, offering local Torag at a rate I didn’t get to hear about.

I’m awaiting the arrival of the Customs people, who I’m sure will be interested in my taste in Spanish wine (the best stuff I could find on offer in an otherwise dull Moscow supermarket).

No restaurant carriage tonight, so I have already dined alone on smoked sausage, crackers and chicken liver pate. I couldn’t face the Russian instant noodles after all – maybe I will on the Chinese border tomorrow night..

The colossal crashing bang and lurching of our carriage suggests that the Mongolian part of the train has arrived and has just been attached. This is good news, as it means that tomorrow there is the prospect of beef dumplings for lunch! Yumsk.

Just as I write this a very seriously dressed lady soldier in full combats and boots has been poking her flashlight around my compartment – that’s the third search of the train on this border crossing. She has left looking satisfied, so I hope that’s okay. Was I marked out for an extra search?

I just need my passport to be returned now, and as the train is now moving (but backwards) I’m hoping this standard Mongolian border procedure..

I walked back to Little Russia for my final meal as the Russian restaurant is peeling off at 16.00 (local). On the journey back through second class you get to see a real slice of Trans-Sib life – Europeans sharing mad travel ideas over instant noodles, Mongolians mainly sleeping or drinking, Russians playing dodgy DVDs on old laptops, and Chinese guards making dumplings. I took some shots of the Russian menu so I will separately post it under a “food” label in case you are reading this wondering how you might survive on “Pot Potato” for a week.. I have broken out my condiments box today for the first time as everything has begun to taste the same to me.

Closer to home a minor disaster was narrowly averted last night. My Dutch neighbours (with whom I share a bathroom) left the shower on – all night. Given that my English neighbours on the other side had a flooded compartment when someone had too long a shower yesterday, I have been quite lucky. What has saved the situation is that it was left on as hot as it goes, so the drain did not freeze. There was a kind of sauna effect in there, but no flood. If this were a submarine it would have been a court martial offence. I’m not going to mention it though – I hardly ever see them and think they are living on Moscow time (madness). Let’s hope we have enough water left until next re supply.

The samovar won’t boil this morning, but I think that’s an unrelated problem. “Mr Blond” says simply “later” when I ask him about some hot water for my morning fix of reasonable coffee. I don’t know if he means it will be fixed in a few minutes or a few days. That’s a bit odd given we are burning tonnes of coal each day to keep the carriage at South East Asian jungle temperature.

Ulan Ude was a great stop this morning. Bright, sunny and freezing cold. Actually the words “freezing cold” do not adequately describe how cold it is, seriously cold – I would guess -15 to -20 degrees. It’s an official train 004 dress code order – ushanka ear flaps will be worn down..

People look a bit different here – not so much European and Eurasian with darker skin and rounder faces – to me they generally seem happier too – despite the temperature everyone seems in good humour, except my second carriage guard “Mr Green”, but he’s not a humorous person..

The platform is littered with fruit, nuts and stacked supplies that the Mongolian traders are shipping over the border as “hand luggage”. I’m sure that Michael O’Leary would have an apoplectic fit if he ran Russian Railways!

We have swapped crews and locomotives again and are now making slow but steady progress up hill towards the border with Mongolia which we will reach at about 17.00 (local). This means I’m dining “at home” tonight as there will be several hours of border games, which I will report on later. The scenery is quite amazing as we leave behind the rivers and forests and climb hills toward the flat plain that forms the edge of the Gobi desert.

Leaving this blog now as I feel the need to play air guitar slightly wildly to “Animals”! I have shut my compartment door, and hope no one catches me doing this.

Lots of platform food action here – beer, weird dried fish and chilled dumplings – we must be getting more Eastern if the food is anything to go by. The mode of transport for these mobile “shops” is by sledge between the platforms!
A chilled out afternoon chatting and reading. There are a couple of Londoners getting off from our carriage in Irkutsk tonight – that’s about midnight train time, but locally in time for breakfast (with no chance of sleep). Adam (also overlanding to Singapore, but via Laos by bus) suggested that I invest in some hostage insurance for such trips in the future, especially if I am going through Central Asia next time. I have made a note to self – contact a company called “Black Book” on return, assuming I am not taken hostage first. I suspect he has it though as his father happens to be the chairman of a well known multi national company – and does not want to have to pay the ransom money!
The sun is now slowly setting in a spectacular fashion, I can’t stop taking snaps of it.

My Beijing time zone says it’s not long until beer o’clock, so I will shortly put on my gloves and head torch for the journey backwards four carriages to the restaurant I know as “Little Russia”.

On that subject, getting between carriages is an art that I seem to be getting quite good at – the trick is never to let go of the door handle of the carriage you are leaving until you have the next handle in your hand. Does that sound like a possible ancient Chinese proverb? However my technique does not prevent the snow accumulating in my standard Russian train issue Crocs though..

Bye for now!