For Tharmas

[Gurdur]

There's one book I think you would love, unfortunately it's out of print. However, you may be able to find it at your library, or get your library to borrow the book for you from another library (an inter-library loan). The book partly describes the Trans-Siberian, but more is concerned with the history of the heartland --- mostly the Mongols. It's The Heartland (http://www.amazon.com/Heartland-Stuart-Legg/dp/B000GTAYLA/sr=1-2/qid=1163551638/ref=sr_1_2/002-6009897-8132860?ie=UTF8&s=books), by Stuart Legg.

I'll be in later with more book recommendations, hopefully ones in print.

[Tharmas]

Looks interesting. The trans-Siberian passed within a few kilometers of Genghis Khan's birthplace (said the guidebook).

A surprise to me as well as to most others in our party, men and women, was the extraordinary physical beauty of the people of that area - northern Mongolia / eastern Siberia. They are tall, well-built, high-cheek boned. In a minute I'm going to sound like a racist 19th century anthropologist.

In some ways it seemed we had come all the way round the world back to Alaska…