Travelog

This diary tracks our progress along the Silk Roads, with episodes appearing in date order, most recent first.  You can get to earlier entries by turning pages at the bottom of the screen.

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Category: Travelog

We've been staying on Olkhon Island on Lake Baikal for a few days.  The book said it was a place of subtle beauty, but we felt it was more like over-the-top, slap-you-around-until-you're-dizzy-from-it beauty.  In fact this might be a short article because I've got loads of photos to upload.

We stayed at Nikita's Homestead, which was a great hostel, and they looked after us unbelievably well, even coping with my odd diet for 3 meals a day, and producing kittens and new books to read on demand!

We went to the North Cape and saw nerpa, and we saw the shaman rocks on the island, and went to the mainland to a shamanic sacred spring, and met some of the local Buryat people.  We also tried riding some of the local horses, and I hired a bike for a bit and had a look at some of the island.  We met some great people (you all know who you are!) and generally had such a fabulous time we didn't want to leave, but we have our train tickets to Ulan Ude....

Don't forget to look at the flora and fauna photos!

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Day 12 without tobacco.  No one has died as a consequence, and I even seem to have regained some of my sense of humour, although I have started dreaming about smoking.  Rolling papers prancing around in ever-increasing numbers a la Fantasia.  I never knew before that 'there was an old lady who lived in a pipe'.  Or that log cabins could be made out of giant cigars.   That's what comes from staying on what is supposed to be one of 5 shamanic energy centres across the world, and contemplating in front of the Shaman Rocks (see piccys).

Actually Olkhon Island is incredible.  I know none of you will believe me, because I'm so fickle and say this every time, but this place really has been the highlight of the trip so far.  Its difficult to describe why - all I can do is to urge you to go if ever there is a chance.  One particularly odd experience for me was to stand at the shores of this vast lake (636km) as if it were a sea, but see no tide and smell no salty tang in the air.  The water is so clear they reckon in parts you can see 40m down; this wasn't the case around the island becasue of some pollution from the human population, but nonetheless it was incredibly pure stuff. 

Unlike the beer.  I thought that the night before we were due to go horse-riding. it would be a good idea to sink a vat of some 8% Russian beer while playing Munchkin with our new-found Irish friends until the early hours.  Predictable results in that I had to quit horse-riding early as I was about to pas out with the dizzyness of it all.  Disgraceful behaviour and it did not get me into anyone's good books.

Finally it seems that I am destined for media stardom, having been discovered at last!  A telly crew turned up on the island and after a quick chat had miked me up faster than you can say 'the camera loves you, dahling'.  No idea what I said due to the the afore-mentioned demon brew but I am assured it was all highly entertaing stuff.  They certainly kept me talking for an uncomfortably long time, and said they would email me when the broadcast is due.  I shall let you know as there will also be a web-cast!  I really must have a word with wardrobe though...

 

 

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This is going to be a bit random because it's early, I've not had much sleep, and to be honest I can't think very well. 

We've just come off a 39hr epic journey from Altai to (almost) Lake Baikal.  We travelled pleb class (platzcartny), in a VERY HOT carriage with 52 other people.  The carriage is divided into sections with 4 bunks on one side of the walkway and 2 on the other.  We went for a quick walk when the train stopped last night (1 lap of the station) at about 11pm and it had cooled down to 23O outside the train - was definately hotter inside.  I've just managed to get to the loo in this cafe, (they lock the train ones anywhere near civilization) and it's lovely to have clean paws again - I'm amazed how grubby they get without doing anything really.

We stayed for a couple of nights in Barnaul.  Marina and Natalie let us use a spare flat, and we had a great evening out with them in a traditional Russian `traktir' - the closest thing there is to a pub, but really a bar/restaurant.  They were really lovely to us, both with pretty fluent English, which made life easier, as in Altai Republic the only person we met who spoke any English was Micha the surgeon.

Siberia is really beautiful, it has been taiga we have been travelling through mostly - open birch woodland with  some pretty pine trees and so many wild flowers it's almost unbelievable - huge sheets of orange, purple, white, yellow, blue and pink against lovely clear green.  No red flowers, tho, which is interesting.  Lots of bright pink roses, paeonies (something like P. anomala) patches of dainty yellow day lillies, huge swathes of the bright geum orange flower that I don't know, mixed with airy sprays of buttercups and dense patches of bright purple salvias and white anemony looking flowers.  So frustrating as although the train doesn't go fast, about 40 mph, it's still too fast to photograph flowers!  When we find somewhere with usb AND we have the card reader on us we will upload the piccies.

We have applied for our Mongolian visas this morning, which was a doddle, and hope to arrange to go to somewhere wild on Lake Baikal for a few days while it is processed.  Mosquitos are taking the form in my mind that capybara are in Andy's though - at least 12 feet long and all out to hunt me down.  I itch in so many places, which is sad because it makes me want to not go out in the evenings.  I will try to hunt down some serious anti-mozzie weaponry today, along with an international phone card.  We may well be out of touch for a few days, but we want to be back here on the 26th to collect our visas.

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Happy summer solstice to you!  We spent it by completing a (for us) record train journey, taking 39 hours from Barnaul to Irkutsk, the nearest city to Lake Baikal.  It was a fun trip as for budgetary reasons we travelled 'platzkartny', where instead of being in a 2- or 4-berth compartment the whole carriage is open with around 50 bunks.  Sleeping was of course less easy but I found it good to be surrounded by the hubbub of everyday Russian life.  The big highlight was when some of the journey wasn't just cruising through flat taiga - we actually climbed a hill and could see further than the pines and birches10 feet away!  In fact we could see for miles as we were in the foothills of a central Siberian mountain range - a rare thing - and as it was approaching sunset the views were pretty magickal. 

This morning we went to the Mongolian Consulate and applied for our visas - the process was painless and the staff efficient and helpful.  I'm soooo looking forward to being in Mongolia, seeing the Naadam festival, and leaving cities behind in favour of wide open spaces.  Mind you, it is not at all bad here in Irkutsk - the place seems very nice and we hope to springboard from here to Lake Baikal for a few days while the visa gets processed.  There is an island in the lake, Olkhon Island,  that looks pretty special, especially its famed shaman stones - maybe we'll get to stay there?

Day 7 without tobacco, feeling less murderous...

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4 days without tobacco.  Aaaarghhh.