Just arrived Eastside of Siberia to a good hostel, intense sunshine and economic activity.... Took a wrong turn from the train station (my fault) and were stalked by what must have been rabid dogs. We finally realised our error (Mohsin and Justin pointed out that rivers don't run up hill) and began back in the right direction, past the station and into town where there were less dogs. A good hostel, in a central location - but to be honest there is not too much to do in Irkursk itself (In my opinion) apart from a few classic Siberian style houses which are quaint. We hit the centre of this Wild west style town and found some cheap Borsh, had a walk round and came to the conclusion that we needed to hit Lake Baikal the next day. So Sunday, we hit the lake proper. It is amazing, containing enough water to keep the worlds population for the next 40 years. Its also the deepest freshwater lake in the world and from Listvyanka it had a backdrop of four mountain ranges on the other side, covered in snow. My ramble does not do it justice so the photos have to be seen (when we get the chance to upload them). Monday we took another trip out to the lake with the hostel owner and highly recommended tour guide, Jack, and he gave us all the spiele and took us along a procarious path by the cliffs. I dont really know what Im writing, there simply isnt enough time to write a first class blog but hopefully Mohsins next blog will give you a different insight into our journey.
Rob
Lots of new photos: Irkutsk is as it looks - polluted, Siberian (big skies), full of Russian military tradition and partly historical. But the better part of the area was Lake Baikal, an hours drive away.
Irkutsk
We took a cheap and procarious minibus from central Irkutsk to Listvyanka, on the lake. I have to note that a baby projectile-spewed its rusk on me on the way (maybe that says something about the driving). First impressions of the lake were amazing - the mountains, the crystal clear water. And then we saw alot of rubbish on the beach and some in the water - plastic bottles, broken glass, dead dogs. Alas the beauty of the place made it all easy to forget, and we walked through the village picking up some freshly smoked fish. A bit leathery but when in Rome. The next day, Jack gave us the official tour which included exploring an uncompleted buidling site right on the Lake and a cliff trek. I put a coin in the fish and spun it, making a wish, which will of course come true. Jack then showed us his dream house he was building close to the Lake, which wasnt part of the usual tour, so we were obviously special. The last part of the day was a walk up a ski slope, avoiding ticks (thats the reason for multicoloured socks over trousers), to an observation point over Port Baikal.
Listvyanka on Lake Baikal
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