Twenty-three days into the trip, we are crossing Russia while Fogg has managed secure an elephant, rescue a princess and arrive safely in Calcutta. Our adventures have not been comparable.
To be fair, Fogg never had the opportunity to cross Russia by rail. The Trans Siberian Railway did not start properly until 1891 and was not completed until about 1904, when the loop around Lake Baikal was completed. Prior to 1904, ferries were used to shuttle passengers across the lake. Apparently the most terrifying portion of the entire Trans-Siberian journey was the tunnels around Lake Baikal. The reason is partially because the Russian railway passenger was unfamiliar with tunnels and, more likely, the number of landslides affecting passage through said tunnel.
Best not to dwell on that…
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