Often in plaskartny or third class we would be stared at amidst a chorus of gossip before a young person was found who spoke some English and could ask questions. In one such instance a young girl came and sat opposite us. "Hello," she said. "Where are you from?" We told her we were from England which she translated to the crowd gathered who began nodding. "What are you doing here?" she asked. "We are on holiday" we replied. "Why?" we were asked, and would be asked time and time again. We had no answer other than "We like it here," a response met with confusion, but approval. She was the same age as me (twenty three) but was already married and planning a family. When we asked her why she was planning children so soon she simply replied, "It is what is expected".

The other passengers were friendly but abrupt. Plaskartny is not a tourist experience, and all of the other passengers we encountered were simply carrying out routine journeys. Huge piles of food such as bread, cheese, sausage, olives, seeds and cakes were brought on board by our Russian passengers who never visited the restaurant car. We followed their lead and stocked up prior to journeys for what we termed our 'Russian picnics'. We visited the restaurant car on the final train from Ulan-Ude to Mongolia which served Mongolian fare. Again we were greeted with general amazement but politeness.

The choice of what to eat was a challenge. I read some Cyrillic letters, but we could not decipher the menu, so we simply pointed to an item on the menu. It turned out to be Buzz (Mongolian meat dumplings) which, thankfully, were reasonably priced and tasty.

Reading signs is a problem you will encounter from the beginning. Even in Moscow there are no English signs (or even Roman alphabet translations) on shops, restaurants, metro stations or maps. Some knowledge of the Cyrillic alphabet (which is used for both Russian and Mongolian languages) is essential.

Of course, as an alternative to travelling in plaskartny, you can book package tours of the Trans-Siberian, but these are expensive and mean you will be in second or first class with a large group of tourists from your home country, will have the restaurant car booked out to yourselves at certain times of the day, have little or no freedom in the gruelling itinerary and almost no chance of meeting any locals.

In fact, it's these very tour groups which have made spontaneous travel in Russia practically impossible in peak season (June-August) as tour companies buy up entire carriages months before tickets even go on sale. Instead I recommend booking train tickets at realrussia.com and organizing your own accommodation and visas.

All stops on the Trans-Siberian must be booked and you cannot just hop off and on. If you want to go from Moscow-Irkutsk stay a few days then go from Irkutsk-Ulaan Baatar these are two seperate train journeys and must be booked seperately. It's complicated but booking them yourself means you choose how long you want to spend in each place. Yes, it's more difficult, but it is absolutely worth it.

For most visitors to Mongolia the first stop will be the capital, Ulaan Baatar. The Soviet legacy can be clearly seen here, as the USSR ruled Mongolia for seventy years. Walking around Ulaan Baatar, with its depressing Soviet style blocks, you can be forgiven for forgetting you have left Russia at all.

Visit Ganden monastery to see the center of the amazing revival of Buddhism since the Russians' departure in 1980. This working monastery contains a huge statue of the Buddhist god Vajradhara built in 1683. Mongolian Buddhists come here to pray, leave money, spin prayer wheels and light incense.

Sukhbaatar Square, in the center of the city, contains a monument to the Mongolian revolutionary hero and is often the site of activity, such as sporting events or weddings.

Close by is the Mongolian National Song and Dance ensemble, a dazzling nightly show incorporating some of the most important spiritual and religious traditions of the Mongolian people. Drawling singing, throat singing, tsam mask dancing, shaman ritual dances and the national great orchestra all serve to introduce the visitor to Mongolia's rich culture. This spectacle means more to the Mongolians than just a performance of indigenous folklore. Soviet occupation almost completely destroyed Mongolian language, religion and the nomadic way of life. It is only recently that they have been able to celebrate their heritage so openly.

A large rock hidden deep in Terelj actually houses a tiny cave in which Buddhist monks hid during Soviet occupation. It is now a prayer site and people come to leave money and gifts. A visit to Turtle Rock, so named because of its shape, offers spectacular views. From here you can hike to the Buddhist meditation retreat Aryapala. To do this you must cross the 'Bridge to Heaven', a very rickety old wooden bridge which may very well be the bridge to heaven, if you're not careful! There are 108 steps to climb and the baking heat and creaking insects mean you will be relieved to reach the top. Inside the temple it is deadly silent and surprisingly cool. Walk around and view the paintings of the Buddhist gods before admiring the views outside. The rocks surrounding the temple have been carved into Buddhist sculptures.

Every year Ulaan Baatar swells with people moving to the city to find work after a bad harvest. Ulaan Baatar has an estimated 4,100 homeless children, left by desperate countryside families unable to cope. It's polite to take a small gift which should be presented to the eldest member of the family, as well as sweets for the children.

You will stay in a fairly basic gher hut with a bed, a table and a fire. The Mongolian gher or yurt is a tent-like structure made from a wooden frame and covered by wool felt. A traditional yurt is very easy to collapse and assemble again, and it can be transported on any of their domesticated animals (horses, camels, yaks).

Today it will fit nicely on a small all-terrain vehicle. In the gher there is no electricity or running water so you cannot shower. The family will cook for you, and the food is pretty basic but satisfying. Dairy produce and mutton feature heavily as staples of the nomadic diet due to the fact that nomads are periodically on the move and cannot plant or tend vegetable gardens.

The original Trans-Siberian railway track was begun in 1892 at the decree of Tsar Alexander II. It is the second largest railway in the world, built with shovels and picks by men and horses in one of the harshest climates on the planet. The men worked from sunrise to sunset in sub zero winters and unbearably humid summers. Word got round, it seems, as convict labour was slowly introduced. 15,000 convicts and exiles helped build the railway, working time off their sentences in what were seen as better conditions than the Tsars prisons.

Opened in 1900, the railway took eight years to complete (not counting further lines. The Trans-Siberian, as it exists today, was completed in 1916.) After a glittering exhibition in Paris early passengers were a little underwhelmed--the show carriage was far more luxurious than the real thing, and the trains were slow.