NERPA

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Ok, this is going to be a long one. I apologise for neglecting this blog for the past week. In my defence... nah, I just kept putting off. Sorry!

17th October. It wasn't the best weather when we (I picked up two Germans at the hostel) headed to Listvyanka, a small town on the shore of Lake Baikal. It was foggy and rainy. We got the tram to the bus station and then got on a marshroutka (like a minibus that follows a certain route) their were only five of us on the bus when we set off, but we only went as far as the marshroutka station round the back of the market and we moved onto another minibus filled with people.

The bus took a little over an hour (and set off about forty minutes late), but we couldn't see much out of the windows. The road passed through forest and followed the Angara River right down to Listvyanka (about 70km outside of Irkutsk).

We couldn't see much of the lake, there was a low lying fog which limited our view. I went down the steps down to the shoreline, there were tables that you could rent by the hour, something I imagine is very popular in summer, but it was too cold and wet. The three of us headed into a hotel to have a hot drink. We were shown into the 'VIP' cafeteria and served tea in plastic cups.

Next to the hotel there was a market selling the usual tat you come to expect. There was a cat that kept jumping up on everything and knocking things over. The women were chatty, but we were the only customers there and I wasn't buying so I was left pretty much alone.

After my companions had purchased their souvenirs, I headed up the stairs and into the Nerpernarium (hehe, Nerpa, Nerpa, Nerpa). The Nerpa is a seal that lives in freshwater, they don't have ears, and have massive eyes compared to their heads. The show was pretty cool. It was a small tank, but filled with toys. They danced, they painted, they played musical instruments with their noses, they played basketball and football, hugged each other, saluted, and sarcastically clapped their trainer, all to a funky soundtrack.

We got the bus backly shortly after the Nerpanarium. It was too cold to stay and enjoy the scenery. There wasn't much scenery to be enjoyed. Bloody snow.

Back in Irkutsk, I made my way to a map shop, but they didn't have the map I wanted, which was a shame.



18th October.

I got on the train to Ekaterinburg at 4 (local time) and was located in Kupe (coo-pay), second class. My bunkmates this time were four Russian men, two of whom got off at Krasnoyarsk, and the other got off at the same time as me in Ekaterinburg.

Although it was a long train, it didn't feel very long. I spoke with my comrades about hunting... which is not a topic I usually talk about and thus did not have the vocabulary to hand. Another topic we discussed was 'holidays' (which I was much better prepared for😊 One of the guys showed me ALL of his holiday photos, from various places in the world going back a few years.

It passed the time.

The gentlemen (for they were gentlemen) were very good to me. One kept making me cups of tea, they offered me food (I offered mine back, CABIN PICNIC!!!) another insisted on translating everything for me, even though I always tried to answer in Russian (I think he was enjoying practising his English). And by nine o'clock we were all tucked into our bunks and listening to the snoring.

At Krasnoyarsk, two of them got off and a young woman got on, though she went straight to the restaurant car to find champagne... I didn't work out why, but she came back a few hours later saying that they didn't have champagne, only vodka.

I spent most of the day in the cabin with my tea-man. We played cards (Durak, the game with no name, whist... a bastardised version of whist), worked on a Rubrik's cube, listened to soviet disco, and made small talk. Russians are very good at small talk. They begin immediately and (I hear from my non-Russian speaking acquaintances) will continue even if you tell them you don't understand Russian, asking lots of questions and expecting you to answer. But bless them, they are beyond friendly, and it is wonderful.

Spent a lot of time writing in my diary... most of which is illegible. Thank you rocky train. They don't go fast, but they are bumpy.

We were still in taiga. My comrade asked if England had forests. I said yes, but that they weren't like these ones. I'm pretty sure the whole of England, probably Britain, could fit inside one of these forests.

The woman got off at Novosibirsk and a new man got on, but I didn't meet him until the morning. His name was Borat. I tried not to laugh. He had quite a good grasp of English and wanted to talk about London. He was very interesting and looked a lot like Joe Dempsie. He got off an hour or so later.

20th.

Arrived in Ekaterinburg and departed the train with my friend. We eventually found the woman who had come to meet me (I had sent an email in hope, but hadn't gotten confirmation before I lost internet access). She was very lovely and took me to my hostel.

I say hostel. KGB Hostel is not a hostel, it was wonderful (not that hostels aren't wonderful). This was a flat. I had the whole place to myself for most of the time I was there. A kitchen, under-floor-heated bathroom, double bed, wonderful. Of course, the outside was like a gulag prison, but the inside was amazing.

Ekaterinburg is possibly my favourite city so far. The architecture was beautiful. The people were lovely. My favourite part, though, was the graffiti. There was a monument to The Beatles which included a mural of a typically English street, featuring a blue police box. The wall was covered in names of bands and lyrics, but around the blue box the tone changed dramatically. Dr Who quotes, in both English and Russian, were scribbled around it. There were pictures of angels and wolves. And someone had sallotaped a piece paper with the instructions to open the door (as per the Tardis).

A little further along the river, there was a sewer tunnel running into the river with a sign above it reading 'Ekaterinburg Turtles' in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles font. Over the bridge and you come across the love padlocks locked onto the metal. Lovers (from what I could tell it was mostly those who had just gotten married) buy a padlock, inscribe their names on it and attached it to the bridge, then throw the key into the river. There are locks of all shapes and sizes, some have been coloured, some are hearshaped, some are more hardy, practical locks. And my favourite, a pair of engraved handcuffs.

I managed to see both a ballet and an opera during my stay. They weren't exactly top-notch, but I had an enjoyable two evenings.

I've just gotten off the train from Ekaterinburg, and am currently in my hotel room across the road from the train station... which, unfortunately wasn't the train station I arrived in. Ah, well. I met a lovely Uzbek taxi driver who was very chatty.

Photos to follow.

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Comments

[D MJ Binkley]

Hello Heather
I stumbled onto your blogs today and have enjoyed reading about your trip. Love the conversations and your impressions. Hope you will add more photos. I enjoy your longer blogs over your shorter ones. What a great experience. Happy travels.