Listvyanka and Lake Baikal

Greetings from the shores of Lake Baikal! After disembarking from the train and arrving in Irkutsk (where we last wrote a blog entry) we've been up to a few bits n bobs which we thought were worth sticking up. After so long without an update, two come along at once - just like the ol' London buses. Irkutsk was pretty cold, but enjoyable - a lot more relaxed than Moscow, and far friendlier. As our guide Leonid commented; 'Moscow, its a different country...'

After visiting the sights of Irkutsk, including the trans-siberian builders monument, we were picked up by the formentioned Leonid and driven off the our wooden cabin hotel on the shores of Baikal. Truth be told, although from the outside it looked a bit classy, inside, 'twas a bit shonky. 'Rustic' in a faux-modern way... Still, Baikal itself was incredible - although we're hoping to put photos up, pictures can't capture just how vast the lake is. The first evening we spent a few hours wandering up and down the lake, which in places is up to a metre thic, but nearer the shore, around 10cms (5 cms, apparently, can hold a man and a motorbike) The ice is so clear you can see to the bottom, and they claim that it is safer to drink than bottled water. After eating our first properly decent meal of the trip - Omul, a fish found in Baikal, we looked forward in anticipation to the next day - the snowmobiling day.

Sunday came, and we dragged ourselves from our stupidly-hot room (and bathroom, which was warmerthan the Banya sauna we were to later use) to meet up with Costya, our non-English speaking instructor. This wasnt a problem,as after we were kitted up, he showed us the snowmobiles, and gave us a comprehensive safety briefing: muttering 'accelerator, brake, da?' We nodded, and he zoomed off for us to follow. We were taken up into the Taiga forests, past the Huskie dogs used for sledding (and apparently Phil and Jen, mentioned earlier, although only Al saw them!) and onwards into the valley surrounding Listvyanka. After an hour and a half, we arrived at the Rangers Station for our lunch. This consisted of Pelmeyni, a raviolli-type dish filled with beef, and served in broth - really good. It was also interesting to speak to our guide about the changes over the past decades in Listvyanka. Although our Russian and his English were limited, he frequently mentioned 'perestroika' - meaning 'new thinking', or a renewel of ideas. This comes from former Soviet Premier Mikhael Gorbachev and his attempts to reform the Soviet system (and act, along with 'glasnost' or 'openness', that ulitmately led to the collapse of the Soviet Union). For generations, his family had been involved in shipping on Baikal, but he is the first generation of his family to benefit from the new Russia and the influx of tourists. Anyway, after lunch and 4 vodkas (for good measure) we set off towards the frozen lake.

Out of a brilliant day, this was undoutably the highlight. As Costya sped off on the perfectly flat surface, we realised this was our chance to put the snowmobiles through their paces, reaching speeds of just under 70mph, well over 100kmph. It's hard to describe the rush or hurtling along at that speeds over nothing more than frozen water. After seeing a Ranger herding wild horses on the ice, we headed back for the final leg. Now we were used to the speeds, handling and movement of the snowmobiles, we were flying up the hillsides and round the bends. Al had a passenger, picked up on the way, clinging on, but as he was quite the gentleman , he refused to slow down for his new guest.

Eventually returning back to base camp, we were sad it was over, yet had had a fantastic time. After another brief ice-walk around Listvyanka, we had dinner (perhaps the first time since we've been away we've had 3 good, solid meals!) and hit the hay, ready for out departure back to Irkutsk in the morning.

This morning, we woke up bright and early for our traditional Russian 'Banya' or sauna. This involved sitting in a sauna room, before plunging into a cold pool of water pumped straight from Baikal (though thankfully, it was indoors so was somewhat warmer!) This was repeated, amid whippings with branches of Birch (which we were assured was perfectly normal behaviour...) and we left for breakfast, ready to be picked up at 11 by Leonid for a final tour of Listvyanka and a transfer back to Irkutsk.

We're not sure when the next update will be - we've a two night train into Ulanbaator, Mongolia, where we're staying with Nomads, so it's a lottery as to what modern technology there'll be! Nevertheless, we'll try and keep everyone posted about our wheelings and dealings over the next few days.

Take care,

Rob and Al.