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Lake BaikalJul 7, 2008
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Lake Baikal
| We're staying in a guesthouse right near Lake Baikal in Russia. The facts about this lake just boggles the mind: - Lake Baikal is the world's deepest lake - it contains nearly one-fifth of the world's fresh, unfozen water - more than North America's five Great Lakes combined - the water is so clear that you can see as far as 40m down - 80% of its flora and fauna is found nowhere else on the planet - in winter it freezes over so solid that it becomes a road for trucks - the lake is formed by rifting tectonic plates and is actually getting deeper The days were cool when we were there, but the sun was shining so we saw the lake in good display. A few of us went for a walk up a hill where there were 'supposed' to be good views. Once near the top we passed a gate and around the corner we got the surprise of our lives. A huge dog (perhaps a german shepherd but I didn't stick around to find out) started barking menacingly and running directly for us. For a fraction of a moment we waited expecting the chain around its neck to stop the dog's advance, but when it just kept on coming for us we turned around and high tailed it out of there. When a woman came out we felt a little more assured that the dog wasn't going to chew us all to death, and it gave our Aussie guide a chance to go back and retrieve his missing thong that he left behind in the chase. So we didn't get to see that view, but the next day we went with the group up a hill and got great views of the lake and the hilly surrounds. |
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