Of the many routes of the great Trans-Siberian Railway in the far east, my path took me from Saint Petersburg to Beijing via Mongolia. Taking the train nonstop is possible, but we stopped several times along the way, which increased the complexity of the trip. Months of preparation combined with the organizing efforts of The Russia Experience combined with a whole lot of luck made for one of the smoothest and most hassle-free trips I have ever taken, despite the new and faraway territory I set out to cover.

Ever since I first heard about the existence of this railroad several years ago, it stuck in my head. It was ambitious, unique, and covered ground that I might otherwise never get to again. So when I finally had the opportunity to take a long vacation on not too tight of a budget, this idea jumped to the top of the list. I started looking into it and the more I read, the more excited I became. I figured out pretty fast that I wanted to end in Beijing and not Vladivostock (the historical terminus to the Trans-Siberian), partially because it is not easy or cheap to get a flight out of Vladivostock and partially because I wanted to check Mongolia off of my "countries I have visited" list.

I had at least one friend who had done the journey and I scoured the internet and read several blogs (on sites like mytripjournal.com and travelblog.org) from others to learn more. To my relief, I found one who had specifically used The Russia Experience. For all that their website was professional and long-standing, it was reassuring to hear a third-party account. My friend used Monkey Shrine and had only good things to say about it, but I liked the dates better at the former. I very nearly chose Real Russia (and they were very responsive to my queries) but, in the end, I picked the tour that I had been drooling over for years.

How do you prepare for a trip like this? Once I had put down the deposit, put real money into the venture, that is when the momentum started. Arguably the most important step (at least the only one that can really stop you completely) is getting visas. U.S. citizens require a Russian visa and a Chinese visa that need to be arranged before you enter the country. (Unlike citizens of most other countries, Americans do not need a Mongolian visa.) In order to get a Russian visa, stricter than most, I needed to have both an "invitation" which was provided by The Russia Experience and know my exact dates, which required having flights reserved. I did this as early as possible (even though the processing time per visa is a surprisingly short week or two.) I recommend using a travel agent for flights when booking a trip like this which, by its cross-continent nature, requires multiple airlines. I fare-searched online for hours, on several discount sites, and a travel agent beat my lowest fare by $700 in five minutes. And apparently, this is a common experience. (I did not quite qualify for a 'Round the World ticket, even though I was technically going around the world. It was also more expensive when I managed to compare it.) Once I had my airline tickets, I had to figure out the process of actually getting a visa. Luckily, the internet has a wealth of information. I learned that:

• You cannot apply for either of these visas by mail. You must go in person or use a third party company.
• Coloradans need to apply for a Russian visa in San Francisco and a Chinese visa in Chicago (every state picks "the closest" consulate.)
• The Russian consolate in San Francisco does not start accepting visa applications until 45 days before your entry date (unlike the usual 60 days) which made me a little nervous. I really wanted the visas out of the way as soon as possible since, if you don't have those, you are stuck. Waiting until mid-March to send out the applications (with my passport - yikes) was a bit excruciating when everything else was all paid for and ready to go.
• The Russian consolute REQUIRES you to fill out the application (Longest Application Ever) on one certain website and print it out. Glad the site was never down...
• It's expensive!

After some shopping around and considering, I decided to go with CIBT, which the tour company recommended (even though it was not the cheapest) and which could take care of both visas in one shot, unlike many of the other places which were for specific country's consolates. Worth the money. They had fantastic instructions, some which clarified the confusing applications, and I got my visas as fast as I could have hoped for with everything correct!

Once I had my dates chosen (I added an extra day in Saint Petersburg, an extra day in Moscow, and needed an extra day in Beijing to make my flight), flights booked, tour paid for, itinerary received, and visa applications sent out, then it was time for the more mundane shopping.

I flew from Denver, going through the full body scanner for the first time (ugh) though at least the line was short, to Washington DC (where I filled my big water bottle) and then boarded the flight to Copenhagen. International flights are always comparatively nice as far as space, entertainment and food are concerned, but I still failed to sleep. I saved the bottle of water they provided, wanting to have a supply upon entering Saint Petersburg since I read that the tap water there is known to have Giardia. On both flights, I had an aisle seat; both 25C coincidentally. And the flight over the Atlantic had *exterior cameras*! I could watch the take-off seeing the forward runway, how cool is that? Anyway, shortly after exiting the plane, there was a sudden and surprising security checkpoint! (It seemed to be just for this flight? Very weird. Are people coming from Washington D.C. dangerous?) They gave me the most invasive patdown I've ever had and were Very Strict about the liquid requirement! I had to get rid of the water bottle from the last flight and thought I might have to throw away my $10 Nalgene bottle! But, luckily, the lady was kind enough to dump the water out and bring the bottle back to me (perhaps because I was so unhappy.)

So I was thirsty in Denmark (since they took all my water.) While waiting for my flight gate to come up on the board, I bought water at the one tiny convenience store in the concourse. Amusing part was when I ran my ATM card (crossing my fingers it would work) and it said "Godkendt" on the screen. I think it means "Approved" in Danish, but I felt important. On the flight to Saint Petersburg, I sat next to an older Russian couple who had been living in Philly, and whose son might move to Denver (small world.) They were super nice. They also bundled up in coats before exiting the plane; the only smart ones. We had to take a bus to the terminal and it was cold and windy waiting for it.

Customs. After the long, complicated process of getting a Russian visa, and after some of the stories I'd heard, I was prepared for a lot of stern questions, bag searching, or just a long drawn-out bureaucratic process. Nope. The lines to the passport check (in a plain room that vaguely smelled of cigarette smoke) moved relatively quickly. All the relevant signs were in English. The strict-looking woman I handed my passport to didn't even speak to me. I actually lingered after she gave me back my passport because I was *sure* it couldn't be over yet, but she gave me a Look that meant I was done. I found my bag right away and pretty much walked right out. And found the driver holding a sign with my name immediately. Wow. Much smoother than I was expecting. Might have just gotten lucky.

And here I am in Russia!!!