Irkutsk and Lake Baikial

Europe » Russia
December 20th 2004

Published: December 20th 2004

Edit Blog Post

ChrisHughes

Wooden houses, Irkutsk

Lots of the older houses here are made of wood, probably as its easier to cut down some trees than dig through the ground for stones.

Well ive been awfully busy, wondering about Irkutsk and a couple of days at lake baikial, which didnt dissapoint. eventually, I arrived at the lake at 3pm and walked about the fish sellers around the port (if you can call it that) in Listvyanka which is a village of 2500 people on the lakes edge. I was expecting to be dumbfounded by the lake but it was completly covered in mist, i couldnt see more than a couple of hundred meters into the lake so i wasnt best pleased, stayed in a little room that one of the locals rents out it was very siberian, came with genuine outhouse (which was, for a sheltered chap like me, quite shocking) had to stoke the fire to stay warm and generally be very country. The next day was a much better lake viewing day and i walked all along listvyanka and up a hill, the lake is most impressive, (1637 meters deep, 1/5th of the worlds fresh water) and as you can see, quite striking.

My mongolian visa comes through this afternoon and i shall head off tomorrow morning as the circumbaikial railway is supposed to be quite the sight (100 bridges

Park, Irkutsk

this park is next to the "island of youth" which is a pretty cool name for an island if you ask me

and 30 tunnels or something) so it would be a shame to sleep through it.

Additional photos below

Photos: 22, Displayed: 22

Sunset

The sun going down in Irkutsk

Missile!

Remember i thought novgorod was planning a coup? well it seems that Irkutsk is planning something similar! there were a load of army trucks and cannons and that sort of thing. i felt like james bond taking these photos by the way.