MikeandYuliya

I woke up... read more

This morning we were supposed to be on the pier at 11 am for a day boat trip. We set our alarm for 9.30, thinking that hour should be more than enough to get there. Wrong! We should have made special allowance for morning dumbness - if you aren't a morning person (which both Mike and I aren't) things take twice as long in the morning and seem really complicated. Another thing was that Mike's foot was hurting, so we needed to make stops for rest. By the time we were at the village it was almost 11. When we got to the pier, we saw the boat - it had already left the pier! I don't always handle disappointment well so of course I had a little cry and a mini-tantrum, but after the place ... read more

When we woke up and I crawled outside the tent, my breath caught in my throat the second time this trip. Across the lake there were mountains and cliffs brilliantly lit by the sun, the blue water of the like was shining and perfectly clear but for white seagulls floating here and there, waiting for fish. Then they would fly and stop moving their wings, and sort of hover in the wind. The ever-present wind on Baikal means that it is never too hot - even if it is 30C. The further you get from the lake, the hotter it gets. But the wind can also get too strong - and that is quite uncomfortable, temperature-wise for one, and also because of the need to secure everything you use. When we got to the beach, we ... read more

The journey to Olkhon is not a short one. Thanks to our host, we had tickets reserved and only had to show up at a bus stop by the Central Market. The market is awash with strawberries - apparently, the climate in that area is favorable for growing strawberries, so there is plenty of them. Of course I had to run and get some - and by the time I was done, our mini-bus, or marshrutka (coming from the word marshrut - route) was there. We ended up at the back row, cramped and uncomfortable, so the ride seemed to last ages. We stopped after 2 hours at a road-side cafe and ate some pozy - Buryat dish, a large dumpling filled with minced beef or lamb. Usually two or three of those thing are enough ... read more

Russian trains are nothing like other trains. Journeys take days. A train trip is a part of your holiday - after all, you spend a lot of time reading or playing cards. There is a number of traditions that Russian people follow when traveling by train - even the most smartly dressed people usually change into a track-suit and slippers. As soon as the train departs, people get hungry. They usually bring food with them - roast chicken, boiled eggs, tomatoes and cucumbers and quite often, vodka. At every stop locals come up to the train selling food - most often "pirozhki," pastries with different fillings. There are generally three types of tickets. The first, and the cheapest way to travel is in "platzcart", where a train is separated into compartments, but without doors. There are ... read more