Four of us set out on what was to be an unforgettable trip around the frozen Lake Baikal in Siberia, Russia. We rode with Huskies, drank vodka, snowmobiled, drank vodka, took an ice hovercraft and communed with the local Shaman. And we drank vodka!
The trip started in Moscow, where we all met up outside terminal 1 of the Sheremetyevo airport and transferred across to terminal 2, where we caught the flight to Irkutsk. It was scary and exciting at the same time, we were the only non russians in the airport and aboard our plane, but we were well looked after, and we arrived in Irkutsk the next day, ready for our adventure.
We were met by Alexei, our guide for the next week, in what appeared to be a portacabin! It turns out the main Irkutsk airport is in the process of being rebuilt, and we came into a temporary baggage reclaim. We were immediately struck by how different everyone looked, and how much we stood out with our brand new extreme weather gear. I don't know if this is unique to Russia, but a lady was standing at the door of the portacabiin, matching the luggage tags the passengers had with those on the bags. That way no-one could leave with something that didn't belong to them!
Outside the terminal we met our lovely driver, Genadi, who would pop up, smiling and happy, throughout the trip. He was really the most lovely man. His little red bus had curtains all around the windows, and although it was small, because there were only of us, we had plenty of room. Our first stop was the Cafe Cosmos, as we were all in need of something warm, especially me as there was no veggie food on the flight (Niet vegetarian!). I think I can speak for everyone when I say Russian food does not have the best reputation, I fully expected to be eating bread and beetroot all week and going home a stone lighter (I wish!) but we were pleasantly surprised. We tucked into a plate of delicious potato pancakes with sour cream.
We stopped at an open air museum on the way to Listvyanka, it was called Talsty, and it was dedicated to how people used to
live in Siberia. Full of old wooden houses, schools and farms, it was hard to see how the way of living had changed in the area. Most people still live in that style of house, except for city dwellers, and apart from electricity and cars, the lifestyle is still pretty similar. It was a great little museum, and there was a chance to buy some souvenirs, actually we did not know it but it would be the last chance to buy them until we returned to Irkutsk in 7 days.
We made a few more stops on the way to our hotel. First was at the view point where the river Angara left the lake, and it was our first taste of truly freezing cold air. There was a clear point where the lake began to freeze over and the river began. Next we stopped at a small but interesting museum (I can't remember the name) and we were able to see some of the seals that lived in the lake. Unfortunately they were trapped in a tiny little tank, so it made us all a little sad, they should be free! Interestinglythe seals are the only freshwater seals in the whole world, and there are around 35,000 of them living in the lake. We were just a little too early for the baby seal season, when the mothers come up onto the ice to give birth. The guest book at the museum is just inside the entrance hall, so if you ever go there, don't forget to sign it and say you want to seals to be set free! Next stop was Listvyanka and 2 days were spent there before beginning our trip to Olkhon island and back.
We were given Russian names on the trip. Hadyn became Gena, Luise became Lisa, Lorraine became Laira and Kelly was Kappa. Since we all called each other by these names, these are the names that will be used on this site.
Written and created by Kappa (Kelly Connaghan 2008)
The term Siberia has a very long history. Its meaning has gradually changed during ages. Historically, Siberia was defined as the whole part of Russia to the east of Ural Mountains, including Russian Far East. According to this definition, Siberia extended eastward from the Ural Mountains to the Pacific coast, and southward from the Arctic Ocean to the border of Russian Central Asia and the national borders of both Mongolia and china
and it was our first taste of truly freezing cold air. There was a clear point where the lake began to freeze over and the river began. Next we stopped at a small but interesting museum (I can't remember the name) and we were able to see some of the seals that lived in the lake. Unfortunately they were trapped in a tiny little tank, so it made us all a little sad, they should be free! Interestingly
the seals are the only freshwater seals in the whole world, and there are around 35,000 of them living in the lake. We were just a little too early for the baby seal season, when the mothers come up onto the ice to give birth. The guest book at the museum is just inside the entrance hall, so if you ever go there, don't forget to sign it and say you want to seals to be set free! Next stop was Listvyanka and 2 days were spent there before beginning our trip to Olkhon island and back. 
