We've left Beijing behind, but not the Olympic spirit. When we rolled into Mongolia's capital Ulaan Baatar on Sunday afternoon following our first overnight train journey, the country was celebrating its first ever Olympic gold medal. Wrestler Tuvshinbayar Naidan's face stares down from posters and billboards around the city, while restaurants have put out signs urging people to come in and toast his victory. He's set to become a national hero – and by Mongolian standards, that could result in an entire product range.Mongolia's other national hero, Chinggis Khaan (also known as Genghis Khan) has lent his name to too many consumer products here to name. So far we've spotted Chinggis Khaan vodka, beer, several restaurants, a Chinggis Khaan golf course (where it costs $150 US for a round of golf!) and my personal favourite, the Chinggis Khaan chess set where the king is Chinggis himself.Ulaan Baatar as a city has a hint of Africa about it - it feels like what Kampala, in Uganda, will become in a few years time. There are small wooden stalls by the side of the road where you can buy everything from mobile phone sim cards to bananas, the roads are covered in dust and the heat can be oppressive. Listening to the Mongolian language, you really feel like you're on the crossroads of Russia and China.After spending a day in the city we escaped the urban sprawl to Mongolia's countryside, where we stayed in a ger camp (a community of traditional felt tents) for three nights. Perhaps it wasn't a great idea to go horse riding for six hours on our first day there - we're still feeling the pinch in some unmentionable places today – but the journey through rolling hills and sheer cliffs was pretty spectacular. And those nuggety little Mongolian horses sure can run. It was well worth the odd saddle sore.So we're jumping back onto the train tonight, where the four of us will basically sit on each others laps for two nights. I'm being too harsh – it's actually quite fun. We have a small train compartment with two bunk beds, a fold-out table and a radio.The trans-Mongolian route follows the same one used by the tea caravans between Beijing and Moscow in the 18th and 19th centuries. While Mongolia's trains run on the Russian 1.5m gauge, China uses the standard gauge. As a result, all of the train's wheels have to be changed at the border between China and Mongolia. We crossed over in the middle of the night, guaranteeing that we didn't get much sleep. The whole process took about five hours, during which time we sat on a train platform and sampled some of China's finest lagers, all at duty-free prices.Our itinerary means were being eased into rail travel. Our 1600km journey from Beijing to Ulaan Baatar was an overnight journey, followed today by a two-night journey to Irkutsk in Russia and then the monster - a three-night trip from Irkutsk to Moscow. The Chinggis Khaan vodka will surely come in handy on that trip.Odd spot: After pea ice-cream, comes tobacco scented air freshener. I found it sitting in a toilet cubicle in our ger camp. Now you can get that ciggie smell indoors even after the introduction of the smoking ban!