Dec 13, 2010 - Pass the Vodka!

We rolled out of Ulaanbaatar mid-evening and settled into the rhythms of life aboard a train, loads of card playing, reading and pointless chatter to while away the hours. This trip would be two nights and seeing as how we had a border crossing to deal with early on the first morning everyone opted for an early night. We woke the next morning at the Mongolian border post where we sat for what felt like a couple of hours before anyone came to look at our papers. Eventually our passports were taken, our customs declarations made and our...

Jun 1, 2010 - Listyvanka and Lake Baikal Russia

Left the train 7.45am and was driven into Irkustk - women are the height of fashion here. We have to be registered in Russia within 72 hours of arriving in the country. We were registered at a hotel in Irkutsk and also left our bags there whilst we looked at the sights. Quite cool here - about 15 deg. Headed out to Listyvanka and Lake Baikal - a beautiful place - staying in Nikoli B & B - building internally all wood. No shoes allowed. Walked to Lake Baikal - we were told that 3 weeks before our arrival it had been frozen over - it is the...

Jul 7, 2008 - 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...

Mar 29, 2008 - Listvyanka am Baikalsee

Ankunft wie geplant - 7:25 Uhr - nicht geplant war das Schneegestoeber und der Huehnerstall, von und in dem wir empfangen worden. Vielleicht haengt dieses Provisorium mit dem Flugzeugunglueck 2006 zusammen, wo eine Maschine unserer Airline bei der Landung verunglueckt, in mehrere Gebaeude gerutscht ist und ueber 100 Menschen starben. Bei meiner Recherche hatte ich gerade gelesen, dass es sogar die selbe Flugnummer war. Gut, dass ich es erst jetzt gelesen hatte. Wir hatten uns einen lokalen Guide und Fahrer fuer den Tag gebucht. Leonid und...

Feb 17, 2008 - Litsvyanka & Lake Baikal

Description Litsvyanka is a collection of Siberian huts/houses along the main road running along a bit of Lake Baikal. Lake Baikal was one of the most amazing natural places I've ever been in my life. It's the largest and deepest fresh water lake in the world, holding 1/5 of the world's non-frozen water. It only freezes 10ft thick in the winter, but its thick enough to drive huge trucks across. There's one reasonably sized hotel, and that's about it. Of Interest... Arrived in a mini-bus with a few other friends from the hostel and we rented...

Jan 23, 2008 - Lake Baikal (Listvyanka)

Soo today we went to Lake Baikal, which is the biggest lake in the world and also happens to have a perfectly scenic surrounding of snow capped mountains. At this time of year, with Siberia's mild weather, the lake was almost completely frozen. We visited a small town on the shores of Lake Baikal, Lystvyanka and walked around there as well as on Lake Baikal. The lake being so big we noticed that it also had tides, so when the tides was going out, the ice would start shifting outwards and leaving spaces where water was just coming up and...

Sep 13, 2006 - Listvyanka & Lake Baikal, Siberia

This is an incredibly beautiful and peaceful place where the air tastes clean and simple village life is lived in wooden houses. I stayed in a homestay with an ethnic Siberian grandmother whose English was superb and her cooking even better. Went for a hike up into the mountains with a local guide and two Aussies Paul and Greg, also on the Trans-Sib trip. We got to an isolated beach and had lunch, it really was beautiful there and so relaxing. Lake Baikal is the world's biggest freshwater lake and you can drink straight from it. There is...

Jul 22, 2006 - Lakeside in Siberia

Siberia comes from a Tatar word meaning 'sleeping land', and if it was a country in its own right, it would still be the biggest nation on earth. The real purpose of the Trans Siberian, when it was carved through this hostile environment in the 19th century, was not to move people around, but to allow the incredible mineral wealth of Siberia to be brought to market. Siberia is a region rich in oil, gas and timber resources, but there is a contrasting lack of public wealth, as the majority of profits are directed without recourse to Moscow....

Jun 5, 2006 - Lake Baikal, Russia

Yesterday we went on a hydrofoil trip to the lake for the day. We ummed and arred about staying overnight but eventually decided that we were too comfortable where we were and just went for the day. We went to a tiny village of about 50 houses and walked around for the afternoon, which was a Sunday before catching the hydrofoil back. It was very picturesque, qith many wooden houses with "gingerbread " type decoration around the windowsills and eaves. The main industry is fishing ansd the local shop sold freshly barbequed local fish for us...