Big beautiful Baikal

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My time in lovely Irkutsk has come to an end. Tonight I take the 4 day train to Moscow. I spent yeserday afternoon at lake Baikal. It was like a dream. I stepped of the bus and walked around the stalls of people selling smoked fish. As I was heading toward a cafe a guy took me oby the arm and almost forced me onto his tour boat. It was great! I stool outside in the chilling wind as we cruised around the Southern part of the lake. Baikal is so big is looks more like the sea than a lake. And it was so cold it was hard to imagine any creatures able to live in such frigid water. Apparently 80% of the wildlife in the lake is special to Baikal and can only be found there - including some Baikal fresh water seals. It's an incredible place!
The boat trip was nice and I almost enjoyed watching the Russian tourists onboard with me in their oversized fur hats more than the boat itself. The captain, an older man named Sergei, let me sit in the captain's room and watch the men driving the boat. I had a nice tea and muffin in a cafe after the trip and met Sofie, a Greek girl staying at the same hostel, on the docks waiting for the bus back to town.
Gerry and I were so happy to check into the hostel. There was a great mix of 7 other travelers who arrived at the same time we did and we spent all evening sharing traveling information and talking. I will be a little sad when we part ways tonight. Luckily Sofie is on the same train as Gerry and I tonight. Fun times ahead. I'll be walking about the Red Square in a matter of days...hmmming the tune to Dr. Zhivago!

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Photos

Siberian landscape
love the barn shaped houses!

Irkutsk Station
waiting on the night train to Moscow

Comments

[Liz]

Just checkin in again for my dose of jealously! ;) Iiiiiii na!