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SVEZHY VETER Travel Agency
426008 Izhevsk Karla Marxa 288a
mail: 426033 Izhevsk
p.o.box 2040 Russia
tel: +7 (3412) 450037, 613080
+7 909 064 69 95

Trans-Siberian Tours

Tour # 1: Moscow - Beijing
Tour # 2: Moscow - Ulan-Bator - Beijing
Tour # 3: Moscow - Irkutsk - Ulan-Bator - Beijing
Tour # 4: Beijing - Moscow
Tour # 5: Beijing - Ulan-Bator - Moscow
Tour # 6: Beijing - Ulan-Bator - Irkutsk - Moscow
Tour # 7: Beijing - Ulan-Bator - Irkutsk - Moscow - St.Petersburg
References from our clients

Tour # 1
Moscow - Beijing

1^st day (Sunday)	Welcome to Moscow, the capital of Russian Federation Check in at the hotel 3* Free Time Excursion "Moscow Metro stations"
2^nd day (Monday)	General City Tour (Red Square, St. Basily Cathedral, Lenin’s mausoleum, History Museum, Moskva River bank with the Kremlin views, Christ-the-Saver Temple, Novodevichy Monastry, Moscow State University, Sparrow Hills, Poklonnaya Mountain, Triumphal Arch, Kutuzov Avenue, New Arbat, Boulevard Circle, Pushkin Square, Tverskaya Street, Manezhnaya Square) Lunch In the afternoon - Tretyakov’s Gallery
3^rd day (Tuesday)	Tour to the Kremlin and cathedrals Additionally tours to Armory Chamber and Diamond Fond in the evening departure for the train station departure for Beijing by train # 004 Moscow - Beijing at 21:32
4^th - 8^th day	on the train Moscow - Beijing
9^th day (Monday)	arrival in Beijing at 14:31 tour to the Temple of Heaven transfer to the hotel 3*
10^th day (Tuesday)	Tour to the Great Wall Ding Tomb and Sacred Road with lunch
11^th day (Wednesday)	Visit Forbidden City and Summer Palace with lunch
12^th day (Thursday)	Check out from the hotel Free Time Transfer to the airport / train station

Prices

Tour type - Nice and Simple (Russian visa support and train tickets only)
1st class - USD 919 per person
2nd class - USD 600 per person

Tour type - Universal (Russian visa support, train tickets, hotel accommodation 3*)
1st class - USD 1190 per person
2nd class - USD 871 per person
Single supplement - USD 233

Tour type - Comprehensive (Russian visa support, train tickets, hotel accommodation 3*, guided tours, transfers)
1st class - USD 1818 per person in group of 2 people
2nd class - USD 1499 per person in group of 2 people

*Seasonal and group discounts are applicable.

Contact us by e-mail.

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Tour # 2
Moscow - Ulan-Bator - Beijing

1^st day	Arrival to Moscow Transfer to the hotel 3* Check in at the hotel Moscow Metro Excursion
2^nd day	General City Tour - 4 hours (Red Square, St. Basily Cathedral, Lenin’s mausoleum, History Museum, Moskva River bank with the Kremlin views, Christ-the-Saver Temple, Novodevichy Monastry, Moscow State University, Sparrow Hills, Poklonnaya Mountain, Triumphal Arch, Kutuzov Avenue, New Arbat, Boulevard Circle, Pushkin Square, Tverskaya Street, Manezhnaya Square) by car Tretyakov’s Gallery - 3 hours Night at the hotel 3*
3^rd day	Tour to the Kremlin and cathedrals - 1.5 hours Optional - Excursion to Armory - 1.5 hours Free time Night at the hotel 3*
4^th day	Check out from the hotel Optional - Excursion to Kolomenskoye - 2 hours Transfer train station Moscow - Ulan-Bator Train #006, 004 departs on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 21:35 - 07:30, on the way 100 hours 55 minutes
5^th - 8^th day	on the train Moscow - Ulan-Bator
9^th day	Arrival in Ulan-Bator Transfer to Terelj National Park (70 km) Check in at the Ger camp. Lunch at Ger camp. Walk around national park Visit Turtle rock Visit Nomads Horse riding for 1 hour return back to the camp Dinner at the camp Night at the Ger camp
10^th day	Breakfast. Free time for walk around the camp. Lunch at the camp. Transfer to Ulan-Bator . Check in at the hotel Zaluuchud Visit Choijin Lama monastery No dinner Night at the hotel 3*
11^th day	Breakfast City tour (4 hours), including Gandan Monastery + Zaisan Hill + museum of Nature + museum of Mongolian History Lunch at the restaurant of the city Free time. In the evening visit Mongolian National Performance No dinner Night at the hotel.
12^th day	Breakfast Check out from the hotel at 12.00 Free time Transfer to the train station. Ulan-Bator - Beijing Train #024 departs on Thursday, Friday (the train goes on Fridays since 11/06 till 15/10) 08:05 - 14:05+1 Ulan-Bator - Beijing Train #004 departs on Sunday 07:15 - 14:04, on the way 30 hours 49 minutes
13^th day	Arrival in Beijing Transfer to the hotel 3* Tour to the Temple of Heaven Night at the hotel
14^th day	Tour to the Great Wall Ding Tomb and Sacred Road with lunch Night at the hotel
15^th day	Visit Forbidden City and Summer Palace with lunch Night at the hotel
16^th day	Check out from the hotel

Prices

Tour type - Nice and Simple (Russian visa support and train tickets only)
1st class - USD 897 per person
2nd class - USD 635 per person

Tour type - Universal (Russian visa support, train tickets, hotel accommodation 3*)
1st class - USD 1362 per person
2nd class - USD 1100 per person
Single supplement - USD 320

Tour type - Comprehensive (Russian visa support, train tickets, hotel accommodation 3*, guided tours, transfers)
1st class - USD 2380 per person in group of 2 people
2nd class - USD 2118 per person in group of 2 people

*Seasonal and group discounts are applicable.

Contact us by e-mail.

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Tour # 3
Moscow - Irkutsk - Ulan-Bator - Beijing

1^st day	Arrival to Moscow Transfer to the hotel 3* Check in at the hotel Moscow Metro Excursion Free Time
2^nd day	General City Tour - 4 hours (Red Square, St. Basily Cathedral, Lenin’s mausoleum, History Museum, Moskva River bank with the Kremlin views, Christ-the-Saver Temple, Novodevichy Monastry, Moscow State University, Sparrow Hills, Poklonnaya Mountain, Triumphal Arch, Kutuzov Avenue, New Arbat, Boulevard Circle, Pushkin Square, Tverskaya Street, Manezhnaya Square) by car Tretyakov’s Gallery - 3 hours Night at the hotel 3*
3^rd day	Tour to the Kremlin and cathedrals - 1.5 hours Optional - Excursion to Armory - 1.5 hours Free time Night at the hotel 3*
4^thday	Check out from the hotel Optional - Excursion to Kolomenskoye - 2 hours Transfer train station Moscow - Irkutsk: (Moscow Time) Train #002 (on odd dates)21:25 - 01:14 on the way 75 hours 49 minutes
5^th - 7^th day	on the train Moscow - Irkutsk
8^th day	Arrival in Irkutsk Transfer to the hotel 3* Check at the hotel City tour 2 hours
9^th day	Transfer to Listvyanka, Lake Baikal Check in at the hotel "Baikalskie Terema" Walk along Baikal lake, observation of the rise of Angara river Optional - lake cruise, sauna, testing fish dishes at the hotel restaurant.
10^th day	Transfer to Irkutsk Free time Optional - visiting art museum Transfer to the train station Departure for Ulan-Bator Irkutsk - Ulan-Bator Train #362 (daily) 16:50 (Moscow Time) - 06:20 (local time) on the way 34 hours 30 minutes
11^th day	on the train Irkutsk - Ulan-Bator
12^th day	Arrival in Ulan-Bator Transfer to Terelj National Park (70 km) Check in at the ger camp. Lunch at Ger camp. Walk around national park Visit Turtle rock Visit Nomads Horse riding for 1 hour Return back to the camp Dinner at the camp Night at the Ger camp
13^th day	Breakfast. Free time for walk around the camp. Lunch at the camp. Transfer to Ulan-Bator. Check in at the hotel Zaluuchud Visit Choijin Lama monastery No dinner Night at the hotel 3*
14^th day	Breakfast City tour (4 hours), including Gandan Monastery + Zaisan Hill + museum of Nature + museum of Mongolian History Lunch at the restaurant of the city Free time. In the evening visit Mongolian National Performance No dinner Night at the hotel
15^th day	Breakfast Check out from the hotel at 12.00 Free time Transfer to the train station. Ulan-Bator - Beijing Train #024 departs on Thursday, Friday (the train goes on Fridays since 11/06 till 15/10) 08:05 - 14:05+1 Ulan-Bator - Beijing Train #004 departs on Sunday 07:15 - 14:04, on the way 30 hours 49 minutes
16^th day	Arrival in Beijing Transfer to the hotel 3* Tour to the Temple of Heaven Night at the hotel
17^th day	Tour to the Great Wall Ding Tomb and Sacred Road with lunch Night at the hotel
18^th day	Visit Forbidden City and Summer Palace with lunch Night at the hotel
19^th day	Check out from the hotel

Prices

Tour type - Nice and Simple (Russian visa support and train tickets only)
1st class - USD 1755 per person
2nd class - USD 1054 per person

Tour type - Universal (Russian visa support, train tickets, hotel accommodation 3*)
1st class - USD 2347 per person
2nd class - USD 1646 per person
Single supplement - USD 380

Tour type - Comprehensive (Russian visa support, train tickets, hotel accommodation 3*, guided tours, transfers)
1st class - USD 3530 per person in group of 2 people
2nd class - USD 2829 per person in group of 2 people

*Seasonal and group discounts are applicable.

Contact us by e-mail.

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Tour # 4
Beijing - Moscow

1^st day	Arrival in Beijing Transfer to the hotel 3* Tour to the Temple of Heaven Night at the hotel
2^nd day	Tour to the Great Wall Ding Tomb and Sacred Road with lunch Night at the hotel
3^rd day	Visit Forbidden City and Summer Palace with lunch Night at the hotel
4^thday	Check out from the hotel Transfer to train station Beijing - Moscow (trough Mongolia) Train #003 departs on Wednesday 07:40 - 14:12, on the way 5 days 11 hours 32 minutes
5^th - 8^th day	on the train Beijing - Moscow
9^th day	Arrival to Moscow Transfer to the hotel 3* Check in at the hotel Moscow Metro Excursion Free Time
10^th day	General City Tour - 4 hours (Red Square, St. Basily Cathedral, Lenin’s mausoleum, History Museum, Moskva River bank with the Kremlin views, Christ-the-Saver Temple, Novodevichy Monastry, Moscow State University, Sparrow Hills, Poklonnaya Mountain, Triumphal Arch, Kutuzov Avenue, New Arbat, Boulevard Circle, Pushkin Square, Tverskaya Street, Manezhnaya Square) by car Tretyakov’s Gallery - 3 hours Night at the hotel 3*
11^th day	Tour to the Kremlin and cathedrals - 1.5 hours Optional - Excursion to Armory - 1.5 hours Free time Night at the hotel 3*
12^th day	Check out from the hotel Optional - Excursion to Kolomenskoye - 2 hours Transfer train station

Prices

Tour type - Nice and Simple (Russian visa support and train tickets only)
1st class - USD 1019 per person
2nd class - USD 928 per person

Tour type - Universal (Russian visa support, train tickets, hotel accommodation 3*)
1st class - USD 1364 per person
2nd class - USD 1273 per person
Single supplement - USD 270

Tour type - Comprehensive (Russian visa support, train tickets, hotel accommodation 3*, guided tours, transfers)
1st class - USD 2072 per person in group of 2 people
2nd class - USD 1981 per person in group of 2 people

*Seasonal and group discounts are applicable.

Contact us by e-mail.

Tour # 5
Beijing - Ulan-Bator - Moscow

1^st day	Arrival in Beijing Transfer to the hotel 3* Tour to the Temple of Heaven Night at the hotel
2^nd day	Tour to the Great Wall Ding Tomb and Sacred Road with lunch Night at the hotel
3^rd day	Visit Forbidden City and Summer Palace with lunch Night at the hotel
4^th day	Check out from the hotel Transfer to train station Departure for Ulan-Bator by train #02407:40 - 14:15+1
5^th day	Arrival in Ulan-Bato Transfer to Terelj National Park (70 km) Check in at the ger camp. Lunch at Ger camp. Walk around national park Visit Turtle rock Visit Nomads Horse riding for 1 hour Return back to the camp Dinner at the camp Night at the Ger camp
6^th day	Breakfast. Free time for walk around the camp. Lunch at the camp. Transfer to Ulan-Bator. Check in at the hotel Zaluuchud Visit Choijin Lama monastery No dinner Night at the hotel 3*
7^th day	Breakfast City tour (4 hours), including Gandan Monastery + Zaisan Hill + museum of Nature + museum of Mongolian History Lunch at the restaurant of the city Free time. In the evening visit Mongolian National Performance No dinner Night at the hotel.
8^th day	Breakfast Check out from the hotel at 12.00 Free time Transfer to the train station. Ulan-Bator - Moscow Train #005 departs on Tuesday, Friday 13:50 - 14:28, on the way 101 hours 38 minutes
9^th-11^th	On the train Ulan-Bator – Moscow
12^th day	Arrival to Moscow Transfer to the hotel 3* Check in at the hotel Moscow Metro Excursion Free Time
13^th day	General City Tour (Red Square, St. Basily Cathedral, Lenin’s mausoleum, History Museum, Moskva River bank with the Kremlin views, Christ-the-Saver Temple, Novodevichy Monastry, Moscow State University, Sparrow Hills, Poklonnaya Mountain, Triumphal Arch, Kutuzov Avenue, New Arbat, Boulevard Circle, Pushkin Square, Tverskaya Street, Manezhnaya Square) by car Tretyakov’s Gallery - 3 hours Night at the hotel 3*
14^th day	Tour to the Kremlin and cathedrals - 1.5 hours Optional - Excursion to Armory - 1.5 hours Free time\ Night at the hotel 3*
15^th day	Check out from the hotel Optional - Excursion to Kolomenskoye - 2 hours Transfer train station

Prices

Tour type - Nice and Simple (Russian visa support and train tickets only)
1st class - USD 819 per person
2nd class - USD 651 per person

Tour type - Universal (Russian visa support, train tickets, hotel accommodation 3*)
1st class - USD 1284 per person
2nd class - USD 1116 per person
Single supplement - USD 320

Tour type - Comprehensive (Russian visa support, train tickets, hotel accommodation 3*, guided tours, transfers)
1st class - USD 2302 per person in group of 2 people
2nd class - USD 2134 per person in group of 2 people

*Seasonal and group discounts are applicable.

Contact us by e-mail.

Tour # 6
Beijing - Ulan-Bator - Irkutsk - Moscow

1^st day	Arrival in Beijing Transfer to the hotel 3* Tour to the Temple of Heaven Night at the hotel
2^nd day	Tour to the Great Wall Ding Tomb and Sacred Road with lunch Night at the hotel
3^rd day	Visit Forbidden City and Summer Palace with lunch Night at the hotel
4^th day	Check out from the hotel Transfer to train station Departure for Ulan-Bator by train #024 07:40 - 14:15+1
5^th day	Arrival in Ulan-Bator Transfer to Terelj National Park (70 km) Check in at the Ger camp. Lunch at Ger camp. Walk around national park Visit Turtle rock Visit Nomads Horse riding for 1 hour Return back to the camp Dinner at the camp Night at the Ger camp
6^th day	Breakfast. Free time for walk around the camp. Lunch at the camp. Transfer to Ulan-Bator. Check in at the hotel Zaluuchud Visit Choijin Lama monastery No dinner Night at the hotel 3*
7^th day	Breakfas City tour (4 hours), including Gandan Monastery + Zaisan Hill + museum of Nature + museum of Mongolian History Lunch at the restaurant of the city Free time. In the evening visit Mongolian National Performance No dinner Night at the hotel.
8^th day	Breakfast Check out from the hotel at 12.00 Free time Transfer to the train station. Departure for Irkutsk Ulan-Bator - Irkutsk Train #363 daily 21:10 - 07:35 on the way 2 days
9^thday	On the train Ulan-Bator – Irkutsk
10^th day	Arrival in Irkutsk Transfer to the hotel 3* Check at the hotel City tour 2 hours
11^th day	Transfer to Listvyanka, Lake Baikal Check in at the hotel "Baikalskie Terema" Walk along Baikal lake, observation of the rise of Angara river Optional - lake cruise, sauna, testing fish dishes at the hotel restaurant.
12^th day	Transfer to Irkutsk Free time Optional - visiting art museum Transfer to the train station Departure for Moscow Irkutsk - Moscow Moscow Time (Irkutsk is 5 hours ahead Moscow) Train #001 (on even dates) 13:32 - 17:58 on the way 76 hours 26 minutes
13^th -14^thday	on the train Irkutsk - Moscow
15^th day	Arrival to Moscow Transfer to the hotel 3* Check in at the hotel Moscow Metro Excursion Free Time
16^th day	Otional: General City Tour - 4 hours (Red Square, St. Basily Cathedral, Lenin’s mausoleum, History Museum, Moskva River bank with the Kremlin views, Christ-the-Saver Temple, Novodevichy Monastry, Moscow State University, Sparrow Hills, Poklonnaya Mountain, Triumphal Arch, Kutuzov Avenue, New Arbat, Boulevard Circle, Pushkin Square, Tverskaya Street, Manezhnaya Square) by car Optional - Excursion to Armory - 1.5 hours Night at the hotel 3*
17^th day	Tour to the Kremlin and cathedrals - 1.5 hours Optional - Excursion to Armory - 1.5 hours Free time Night at the hotel 3*
18^th day	Check out from the hotel Optional - Excursion to Kolomenskoye - 2 hours Transfer train station

Prices

Tour type - Nice and Simple (Russian visa support and train tickets only)
1st class - USD 1740 per person
2nd class - USD 1030 per person

Tour type - Universal (Russian visa support, train tickets, hotel accommodation 3*)
1st class - USD 2352 per person
2nd class - USD 1750 per person
Single supplement - USD 380

Tour type - Comprehensive (Russian visa support, train tickets, hotel accommodation 3*, guided tours, transfers)
1st class - USD 3515 per person in group of 2 people
2nd class - USD 2805 per person in group of 2 people

*Seasonal and group discounts are applicable.

Contact us by e-mail.

Tour # 7
Beijing - Ulan-Bator - Irkutsk - Moscow - St.Petersburg

1^st day	Arrival in Beijing Transfer to the hotel 3* Tour to the Temple of Heaven Night at the hotel
2^nd day	Tour to the Great Wall Ding Tomb and Sacred Road with lunch Night at the hotel
3^rd day	Visit Forbidden City and Summer Palace with lunch Night at the hotel
4^th day	Check out from the hotel Transfer to train station Departure for Ulan-Bator by train #024 07:40 - 14:15+1
5^th day	Arrival in Ulan-Bator Transfer to Terelj National Park (70 km) Check in at the ger camp. Lunch at Ger camp. Walk around national park Visit Turtle rock Visit Nomads Horse riding for 1 hour return back to the camp Dinner at the camp Night at the ger camp
6^th day	Breakfast. Free time for walk around the camp. Lunch at the camp. Transfer to Ulan-Bator. Check in at the hotel Zaluuchud Visit Choijin Lama monastery No dinner Night at the hotel 3*
7^th day	Breakfast City tour (4 hours), including Gandan Monastery + Zaisan Hill + museum of Nature + museum of Mongolian History Lunch at the restaurant of the city Free time. In the evening visit Mongolian National Performance No dinner Night at the hotel.
8^th day	Breakfast Check out from the hotel at 12.00 Free time Transfer to the train station. Departure for Irkutsk Ulan-Bator - Irkutsk Train #363 daily 21:10 - 07:35 on the way 2 days
9^thday	On the train Ulan-Bator – Irkutsk
10^th day	Arrival in Irkutsk Transfer to the hotel 3* Check at the hotel City tour 2 hours
11^th day	Transfer to Listvyanka, Lake Baikal Check in at the hotel "Baikalskie Terema" Walk along Baikal lake, observation of the rise of Angara river Optional - lake cruise, sauna, testing fish dishes at the hotel restaurant.-
12^th day	Transfer to Irkutsk Free time Optional - visiting art museum Transfer to the train station Departure for Moscow Irkutsk - Moscow Moscow Time (Irkutsk is 5 hours ahead Moscow) Train #001 (on even dates) 13:32 - 17:58 on the way 76 hours 26 minutes
13^th - 14^th day	on the train Irkutsk - Moscow
15^th day	Arrival to Moscow Transfer to the hotel 3* Check in at the hotel Moscow Metro Excursion Free Time
16^th day	Otional: General City Tour (Red Square, St. Basily Cathedral, Lenin’s mausoleum, History Museum, Moskva River bank with the Kremlin views, Christ-the-Saver Temple, Novodevichy Monastry, Moscow State University, Sparrow Hills, Poklonnaya Mountain, Triumphal Arch, Kutuzov Avenue, New Arbat, Boulevard Circle, Pushkin Square, Tverskaya Street, Manezhnaya Square) by car Tretyakov’s Gallery - 3 hours Night at the hotel 3*
17^th day	Tour to the Kremlin and cathedrals - 1.5 hours Optional - Excursion to Armory - 1.5 hours Free time Night at the hotel 3*
18^th day	Check out from the hotel Optional - Excursion to Kolomenskoye - 2 hours Transfer train station Night train to St. Petersburg Moscow - St. Petersburg Train #002 23:55 - 07:55 "The Red Arrow"
19^th day	Arrival to St. Petersburg Transfer to the hotel Check in the hotel 3* Optional – excursion to Russkiy Museum Excursion to Russkiy Museum - 3 hours Night at the hotel 3*
20^th day	City tour (Aleksandro-Nevskaya Lavra, Nevskiy Prospect, Temple Saver-on-Blood, Kazanskiy Temple, Admiralteystvo, Palace Square, Vasilyevskiy Ireland, St.Petesburg University, Petropavlovskaya Fort, Summer Garden, Avrora) 3 hours on foot In afternoon - Excursion to the Hermitage and Winter palace - 3 hours Night at the hotel 3*
21^th day	Check out from the hotel.

Prices

Tour type - Nice and Simple (Russian visa support and train tickets only)
1st class - USD 2005 per person
2nd class - USD 1197 per person

Tour type - Universal (Russian visa support, train tickets, hotel accommodation 3*)
1st class - USD 2737 per person
2nd class - USD 1929 per person
Single supplement - USD 450

Tour type - Comprehensive (Russian visa support, train tickets, hotel accommodation 3*, guided tours, transfers)
1st class - USD 4041 per person in group of 2 people
2nd class - USD 3233 per person in group of 2 people

*Seasonal and group discounts are applicable.

Contact us by e-mail.

Recent references from our clients:

Antonie and Magdalena Venter.
St. Petersburg - Moscow - Irkutsk - Ulan-Bator - Beijing - Shanghai - Hong Kong.
17.07.2014 - 12.08.2014

Trans-Siberian Tour

My name is Antonie Venter from Pretoria, South Africa. It has been a dream for many decades to do a Trans-Siberian Tour by train. This dream became a reality in July/August of 2014. My wife and I did a lot of research and read many presentations and offers from a few travel agencies and numerous comments from former tourists.

We studied the comprehensive tours of SvezhyVeter Travel Agency and saw one that fitted our needs. We also read positive feed-back and the manner in which our initial enquiries were handled by the agency, persuaded us to make use of Svezhy Veter. We needed more destinations during our tour and decided to add more international cities before and after their tour package. During the six months of research that stretched from January to June 2014, we bombarded SvezhyVeter TA with all sorts of enquiries and requests. We were lucky to engage with a very helpful young lady in their organisation. She attended to our communications in a very courteous manner. We stay in the opposite hemisphere and she managed to win our confidence over time to entrust SvezhyVeter Travel Agency with quite a considerable sum of our savings.

The effort and risk was worth our while. On the said time all the vouchers and tickets were send electronically to us. The outstanding ones were handed over to us by our tour guides at the various places. It was with great expectation that we boarded our plane and we were on our way to our first destination, Saint Petersburg. This was our first visit to Russia and from the very startwas quite impressed with the uniqueness of this big nation.

Our outgoing tour guide was fully trained in the Russian history and she made our City Tours very interesting and pleasant. The driver was equally professional and drove the comfortable vehicle very graciously through the busy streets of St Petersburg. The mini hotel next to the Fontanke river was rather snug and suited our limited budget needs very good. Our third class train tickets to Moscow were complemented with spotlessly fresh bed linen and made this experience quite pleasant.

Overwhelming Moscow awaited us the next day and a driver met us on the platform and took us to the well-known Cosmos Hotel. The room was of great standard and the cuisine equally good. The city tours and introduction to the subway trains were again done by an extremely helpful young tour guide. Her dedication to her job was rather moving which in turn made the few days in Moscow quite an unforgettable experience. There is only one way to describe our Russian drivers: professional. Never did we feel uncomfortable in the rushing traffic.

We were transferred to the train station and after more than two hours of waiting found our wayto the train platform. The much longed-for Trans-Siberian train tourthen started. Each carriage had two attendants who looked after the needs of the travellers but mostly kept the carriage clean and tidy and dust-free. We travelled second class and the train is rather old. Fresh linen ensured a rather comfortable resting place when tired. The trip is an unforgettable experience with hundreds of cargo trains and many other passengertrains rushing past, coming from both directions.

Our Irkutsk tour guide awaited us on the platform and without hassle took us to a comfortable vehicle with yet again a capable driver. In view of the fact that it was rather too early to book into the cosy "Victoria" hotel, we went on a city tour through the capital city of Siberia. The best part of these city tours is that it makes you conversant with the city and the geography of the surroundings of the hotel and the need-to-know stores and fresh produce markets.

The next day the guide/driver team took us to the Baikallake and spend much time to make our tour through Listvyanka,the little town next to the Baikal, very pleasant. She made a special effort to persuade the boat captain to bring us into close contact with the other side of the lake that was quite famous in the days of the early Trans-Siberian railway. Our overnight stay in the homely Baikalskie Terema hotel made us forget the day’s physical efforts. This was yet again a perfect choice by SvezhyVeter to include this into our Baikal experience. The next day we could walk and do what we want to make this a memorable trip.

We were again collected by our skilled driver who drove us back to Irkutsk train station. Our tour guide in the end proofed to do her job extremely good when she entrusted us to the train carriage attendant and finally greeted us when we departed for Mongolia. She was really a great person and we enjoyed her a lot.

Roughly 36 hours later we arrived in UlaanBaatar Mongolia. Again a much talented guide awaited us on the platform and assisted us to the car. We drove straight to the Terelj National Park, 70 km out of the cityand checked into a Ger camp. It was a very fine selected camp situated in the hills covered with lush vegetation for all the herds of cattle, horses and the long haired humped Tibetan ox, the Yak. Again SvezhyVeter had good insight to take us to this specific spot because after discussions we had with other tourists, we came to the conclusion that there are other much less scenic camps around UlaanBaatar as well.

Our city tour again was a great success. We are of the opinion that our very educated tour guide contributed to the success there of and she did not overlook her responsibility to buy tickets for the three of us to attend a ninety minute long Mongolian National Performance in the UlaanBaatar State Theatre. Very early the next morning the guide/driver team collected and delivered us with no hassle to the train station.

The immigration procedures on both sides of the border with China were quite lengthy and the changing of the undercarriages, due to the difference in rail track width, contributed to the six hour border process. Again we were glad to see our guide on Beijing station. She was no exception in her dedication and duties as a trained tour guide. SvezhyVeter yet again included all the well-known scenic places and destinations of importance that can fit into three days of city tours and suggestions for spending our free time city walks. Beijing is a huge city and yet again our transfer to the train station went smooth and we felt quite relaxed. By now we became use to the high standard of our tour arrangements by Svezhy Veter.

The twelve hour train journey, to cover the 1200 kilometres to Shanghai, indicates that the modern train did it effortlessly on the smooth track and with the many train stops in between reached quite high speeds. When welcomed by our personal tour guide, we were somewhat surprised to meet a young man waiting for us at the exit of the train station. He was also well equipped with information on ShangHai’s history and places of importance. Although fatigue sometimes loomed, the well organised efforts of SvezhyVeter kept us going and on the look-out for more fun.

The last train journey to Hong Kong was a pleasant surprise and we are almost certain that SvezhyVeter knew that by this time we would enjoy a luxury 1st class train compartment just for ourselves equipped with armchair and washing facilities. The almost soundless ride sometimes made us think that the train was not moving. On the other hand it was travelling at rather high speed.

We elected to do our own thing during our three day stay in Hong Kong. However, when SvezhyVeter’s driver and guide finally pitched up exactly on time to transfer us to the Hong Kong International Airport, we were so impressed and filled with gratitude that all our tour arrangements and appointments were so faultlessly done by SvezhyVeter Travel Agency. At almost all destinations did we get far more than what we have expected. We became so attached to the tour guides and almost regarded them as part of us. Some really blended in so beautiful with us and almost became very good friends. Our last greetings with them were always "somewhat emotional". These people really did an outstanding job. I would really like to recommend them and if somebody is desirous to do the same tour, to appeal to SvezyVeter to specifically request their tour guidance and service.

August 2014

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