Country number 17 rolled into sight on Trans Sib train 2, bound for Irkutsk. A long wire fence, an austere obelisk and oppressive watchtowers marked our arrival in Russia, where officials have even bigger hats and power complexes than their neighbours. We were building up train tolerance gradually – 1 night from Beijing to Ulan read on ..

In two weeks – 11 days of which were on trains of varying speed and quality – we crossed the landmass of Asia and finally regained our own little continent of Europe. This feels like a real achievement, the distances are simply vast: 5,500 kilometres on the last train leg alone. As opposed to flying read on ..