Blogs from Lake Baikal, Siberia, Russia, Europe - page 10

So I went to Listvyanka yesterday and spent a good 3 hours walking around searching for accommodation. It seemed like it was a ghost town. I was the only tourist in sight and all the suggested accommodations in the Lonely Planet were closed or out of sight. This 60 year old Russian man stopped his van as I was reading the only sign in the town with English (which was advertising a shop and rooms) and said to me: "This is my sign, stay my rooms" Then pointed up the hill, so I was thinking this looks hopeful and walked up the hill. To say the least the area was not tourist friendly. I found his shop, but the woman in it pointed me further up the hill away from the lake. There were only shanties ... read more

So, as we pondered the connection between our two new 'cabin buddies', the train sped on through Siberia. By this time we had reached Lake Baikal, a huge body of water in the region of Irkutsk. We spent most of the second day passing the expanse of frozen, snow-covered water to the north, projecting far beyond the white horizon. On the other side- in the the direction of the Northern borders of Mongolia, North West China and Kazakstan- a long range of snowy mountains, met the sky. It was an impressive sight. We passed the day then by playing cards, taking naps, reading and writing. Together with our Canadian friend Steve, we sat for a few hours playing cards in the empty, smoke-soaked restaurant carriage, which was patrolled by a surly, lethargic waiter, whose right ... read more

Again another lye-in, at this rate I am never going to see this effin lake. The owner came to my rescue though, he offered to take me on a personal tour for 1500 roubles (about 30 quid), at first I said no but then I thought what the hell, it makes it easier, it was expensive but he offered me the same tour for 2500 when I arrived, I think he wasn't doing much. It is expensive being on your own sometimes. Anyway we drove the 60km to Listvyanka village (which in itself sucks arse) but I must admit the lake was fantastic, I didn’t know what to expect but it was frozen, you were no longer allowed drive on it as it was thawing but you could walk on it (which I did), weird and ... read more

January 31, 2008 10,000 Miles !!!!! We are in a small town on the northern edge of Lake Baikal. With a depth of 5,371 ft. it is the deepest freshwater lake in the world, and it is frozen solid. Not quite solid enough the locals say to get across it by jeep to a set of hot springs on the other side but if we stayed a few more weeks it would be - maybe next time. Lake Baikal is not only the deepest freshwater lake in the world but also the largest, holding about 20% of the world’s total supply of freshwater! It is very cold here - 28 below at night here, Celsius (that’s about -19 Fahrenheit). Of course in the sun during the day it warms up to a balmy 8-10 below Celsius. ... read more

The train took me to Siberia... Pure nature, gingerbread houses, kind, friendly people,smoked fish, waited for me at Baikal Lake, the worlds largest fresh water lake . I have checked the Banya ( russian bath )and checked out the awesome trekking routes around the lake : ) I hope you will enjoy the pics.. A vonat elvitt a messzi Szibériába... Érintetlen természet, mézeskalács házikók, kedves barátságos emberek, füstölt hal várt rám a Bajkál tó mellett mely a világ legnagyobb édesvizű tava . Nagyon jól éreztem magam, de ami a legjobban tetszett az a kornyékbeli hegymászás : ) Remélem, tetszenek majd a képek... y el tren me llevo a Siberia... la naturaleza intacta, casitas de madera de cuento, gente muy amable y amigable, pescado ahumado,me estaba esperando en Lago Baikal, el lago mas largo del mundo ( ... read more