Irkutsk and Lake Baikal

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After getting off the train and saying our goodbyes to Julia, we met Costa (21), our next honcho for Irkutsk and Lake Baikal. We immediately got a transfer to a small town by the lake called Listvyanka and pulled up outside our next accomodation - an amazing wooden chalet with a fantastic view of the lake.

After a bite to eat we went on a hike through the Siberian hills and forests next to the lake. It was absolutely beautiful - the snow covered pine trees and the brilliant sunset over the lake were just stunning.

Now this lake is big, veeeeeeery big. It contains more water than all of the North American Great Lakes combined. It is also the deepest lake in the world and contains 1/5 of the entire world's fresh water. It is home to more than 1,700 species of plants and animals, two thirds of which can be found nowhere else in the world and it's also 25 million years old (making it also the oldest lake in the world) - impressed?

After digesting enough statistics to last us til dinner, we made our way back along the icy shores of the lake. Apparently if we had arrived a few weeks later, the entire lake would have been frozen but fortunately we were there in the 'transition period'. That meant that that afternoon, there was only ice about 5m from the shore into the lake; but the next morning there was ice as far as we could see. However, by about midday, the ice had pretty much all melted, and then once again froze the following evening - therefore we got to see it in both states.

Anyway after the walk, Costa asked us if we wanted to spend some time in a Banya, a typical Russian sauna. And so still feeling very icy from our hike in degrees not far from -25C, we enthusiastically agreed - if only we knew the implications of such an agreement. Everything started off fine. We stripped off, got some towels and entered the sauna. Unfortunately though, entering the sauna was like walking into a wall... made of fire. We were instantly sweating but Costa, not content with temperatures similar to the fires of hell, dumped an entire bucket of water onto the coals. There were a few moments when we thought that it had had no effect and that we had escaped a fiery death when suddenly a wave of immense heat overwhelmed us. It was what I'd imagine being in a atomic blast to be like.... but worse. The heat burnt through into (nearly) every oraface, it scorched the skin under our fingernails and barbecued our noise hairs so that even breathing was a Herculean task. Seconds from death, Costa said it was time for a break, to which we rocketed to the exit. Costa then sat us down and we were served some tea whilst we recuperated but to our dismay, he said it was time to re-enter the banya. After suffering the same fate as our first visit to the furnace, Costa said it was time for things to really get interesting before soon wielding a pine branch and motioning for me to lie down on the bench. Reluctantly acquiescing, I tried to prepare myself for what was to come. Costa poured some sort of boiling oil over my body and then proceeded to whip me with the pine branch. Surprisingly it was actually pretty good but the heat was just excruciating. After Costa had whipped us all, we, covered in pine needles, stepped outside, almost fully exposed to the Siberian air and Costa ordered us to make snow angels in the snow. It was actually relieving to lie in the snow out of the sauna but before the trip I would have never picture myself rolling around in the Siberian snows in temperatures close to -30C pretty much naked. However, strangest most of all was the fact that it was actually extremely satisfying.

The next day we were treated with scrambled eggs and pancakes for breakfast before heading out for a walk to the next village. After a 30 minute walk over ice, snow and frozen streams, we reached our destination - a dog sledding centre. I decided to go for a 5km ride in a sled pulled by 8 dogs but after kitting up, I was informed that I was in fact expected to drive the sled. So after being taken in the sled for a couple of minutes by some Russian man, we switched places and he told me to stand on two extremely flimsy-looking sticks behind the sled. After releasing the brakes, we were off at what seemed like 80mph but was probably closer to 20mph sliding through the Siberian forests. The views were stunning and just the general sensation of driving a sled with 8 dogs was fantastic. We were going over ice and rock and sliding up and down different tracks through the trees. We also caught a lot of air going over mounds on the bumpy paths and there were a few times I felt like I was going to fall off the two sticks, which would have probably resulted in some broken bones - fortunately I was spared that fate. The dogs were also insanely cute and obedient and all begged to be taken out for a ride.

After such a brilliant morning, we were spoilt even more in the afternoon. Costa, Rolf, Adam and I decided to go skiing (after all, that's why people go to Siberia, no?). We rented out boots, skiis and lift passes for 4 hours, which in total cost only 800 roubles or 20 of the Queen's pounds. Obviously the place was never going to be an Aspen or Val D'Isere but it did have a great piste and also a brilliant track through the Siberian woods, which easily kept us occupied for 4 hours. Rolf and I spent most the time trying to help Ad learn to ski, which was very entertaining to say the least but in fact he was great and pretty much got the hang of it by the end of the day - not without his crashes though. Luckily none of the crashes left him with much damage until his last one at the very bottom of the piste on the very last run and at the very last moment before we finished for the day. Happy to be nearing the end, he picked up a lot of speed with pretty much no turns and was heading straight for the wall at the bottom. Trying to not smash right into it, he leant over to try and fall onto what looked like soft powder snow but was actually rock hard ice and in doing so, twisted round his neck causing serious whiplash (don't worry, he's fine now!).

So, after an excellent day (for most of us), we headed back and called it a day. The next morning we got up fairly early to get a transfer back to Irkutsk so we could continue our train journey across Siberia and into Mongolia. We spent most of the afternoon in an internet cafe sorting out various things but when everyone went off, Nicola and I decided to stay a bit longer to sort out some Facebook stuff, so we told the others we'd meet them at a particular hotel in 20 minutes. Once we'd finished, we headed out but unfortunately went the wrong way at the very first turn. Long story short, it took us 2 hours to finally find the others and we learnt a valuable lesson - always carry a compass.

After a quick cheese and bacon pancake, we made our way to the train station and boarded our train headed for Mongolia, anxious of who we would meet onboard this time....

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Photos

Chalet
The view from side

On a mountain overlooking Lake Baikal
Picture mid-jump

Ice
Ice on the shore of the lake

Skiing
Sunset at the top of the mountain overlooking the lake