Nihao Russia

We arrived in Irkutsk 30 hours after we started, although a large amount seemed to have been spent stationary. Geographically we were still in Asia but culturally this was definitely Europe. The people were mostly white, although had those rather indefinable features that are definitely Slavic. The frenetic energy of Asia had dissipated- no more endless neon signs or street stalls. No KTV. The architecture was now either composed of rather cute wooden buildings with carved liniments, or European influenced brick buildings with facades coloured in pale greens and yellows. Irkutsk is around 350 years old and the concrete monsters have mostly been kept out of the centre.

We emerged out of the station at around 8:30. Early mornings in Siberia are fairly cold and there was mist and dew everywhere. I led Mum to a minibus and we got on. I hesitantly said “

Lenin Street

?” to the bus driver and he replied in Russian. I picked out “Lenina” and was reassured. We trundled over a bridge and into the city and got off at the 3^rd stop. Following my instructions, we wandered around the back of a building and I found a small sign for our hostel. Success.

After checking in we caught another minibus to the main bus station. At least that had been the plan but when it came to a halt not near a bus station it was evident something had gone wrong. The driver didn’t speak a word of English and my Russian is about the same standard so I pointed at our map. After jabbering at us he waved at someone who came over and led us to another bus. It turned out we’d got the bus in the wrong direction and eventually arrived at the bus station in time to see the bus to Listvyanka fill up and leave. We went inside and bought tickets which involved the seller writing 12.00 on a piece of paper and me trying to pay 12 roubles, which wasn’t right, and then 1200, which comically wasn’t right either and then realised 12 was the time.

We waited in a fast food restaurant across the road before it was time for our bus and we were off to Listvyanka. Which is where the deepest lake in the world, Lake Baikal, is.