To Russia With Love

Thankfully we met Irena and several other friendly and personable Russians over the last year because based on our travels through Russia, we would be led to believe that the Russians are not a particularly friendly people. It started with our 11 hour wait to get across the Mongolian and Russian borders. In 11 hours we managed to travel about 3 kilometres. I was told we had a speedy crossing. Hmmm! No strip or body cavity searches to break up the boredom.

We arrived in Irkutsk around 8:00 and were whisked away to Lake Baikal where we were spending a one night home stay with a local Russian family. Our room was tiny but the beds were soft and verrrrry comfortable. No door on our room, just a curtain and the toilet was outside. It was not as bad as it sounds. Our stay included all our meals and Galena did not disappoint. She was our Russian home stay host. She took it personal if we did not finish all the food that was put in front of us. Not a problem as it was all very tasty, made from many local ingredients. One especially tasty dish was the omul fish which is found only in Lake Baikal and is recommended that it be eaten with several glasses of vodka to avoid stomach problems. The hangover is optional.

Lake Baikal, Siberia is the deepest fresh water lake in the world. The lake could provide the drinking water for the entire world for at least forty years. It is so clear, you can see down over a 150 feet although it is over one mile deep in some spots. Did I mention it is also very cold, a balmy 8 degrees the day we arrived. It is said that if you swim in Lake Baikal you will increase your longevity by 25 years. Sounded good to me. Did I mention it was 8 degrees. I started my swim by a slow stepping immersion process. I had reached my calves when I started to have second thoughts about the need for an extra 25 years. I thought about it too long however as I lost the feeling in my feet and collapsed into the lake. I thrashed about for a few hours (perhaps only seconds) and struggled quickly out. My skin burned for several minutes after. The sensation was not unlike the feeling you get from frost bite. The boys disappeared and were not seen for some time. Luckily having children is not high in my priorities at this moment in my life.

The next day we were up early to catch a ferry across the lake and a train ride along the edge of the lake and back to Irkutsk where we overnighted in a hotel. The train ride was a slow but scenic trip. We stopped and visited several villages as well as a small protected bay where people picnicked and swam in the warmer (9 degrees) water of Lake Baikal. All in all, a nice way to spend a relaxing day. Did I mention that we had a cute personal guide that shepherded us for the entire trip. Got her to smile once or twice.


Irutsk is a modern looking city with lots of cafes and pubs to keep it interesting. We did not leave till the afternoon so we had several hours to explore the city. Tourism is just starting to evolve here with most staff having graduated with honours from the French school of tourism which believes the no matter who you are, you should be treated poorly and ignored as much as possible. Not a smile to be found anywhere. The three and one half day train ride to Moscow was starting to look good.