Irkutsk and Listvyanka, Russia

Tuesday to Saturday, 3 to 7 October 2006

Irkutsk is sometimes described as the "Paris of Siberia". We are not sure why as we have yet to see a single beret or baguette. Perhaps it's because the pitched battle between the crowd and the maniac taxi drivers in front of the train station looks like they're trying to re-create the storming of the Bastille. Having opened up a flank to get to the tram stop and managed to squeeze ourselves into the fourth sardine-tin that passed by, one lady started pointing and screeching at us when she spotted our backpacks. We understood none of this but the other passengers seemed to think that this was nothing out of the ordinary. This tirade went on for about a minute until she had vented enough commuter-fury and resumed quietly reading her newspaper. A very Parisian dressing-down for us!

Apart from this, Irkutsk is a pleasant place to stay and feels very different from big Russian cities like St. Petersburg and Moscow. Alot of the houses are still old-style Siberian log cabins and we do a "homestay" for one night with a Russian family. The lady of the house is called Gala, proudly telling us that this was the name of Salvadore Dali's Russian wife. The room we stay in is surreal enough: it is ruled over by a cat which stubbornly refuses to be moved, and has a loud droning acquarium with some very inquisitive tropical fish. So the night was spent in alternate staring matches with the fish and the cat. Gala does a great breakfast though, complete with monster Russian blini pancakes, so all is forgiven.

To see more photos click here.

We also spend a few days at Listvyanka, a village 60 km from Irkutsk which looks out onto Lake Baikal. The lake itself is fairly remarkable - it is larger than Belgium (which may not be saying much), and on its own, could provide drinking water for the world for the next 20 years. Definite table quiz material. The village is very scenic but there is not a huge amount going on - in fact, there is a real Fr. Ted Crilly Craggy Island feel to the place: on more than one occasion we have passed a local standing idly by the roadside staring at small rocks and returned an hour later to find them still at it.

We stay in a log cabin hostel and bump into alot of tourists - everyone we meet now is doing the same route: Siberia, Ulan Bator and Beijing. These include Jean, an English lady in her late sixties, who is doing the Trans-Siberian trip on her own. She is a real character, has a great booming Home Counties accent and tells us about all the "simply splendid" people she has met on her journey. She toured Ireland once in the 1960s in a Spitfire convertible so we don't think Siberia should pose any challenge for her.

Until our last night in Listvyanka the weather is balmy 0 degrees celsius. Then a storm whips over the lake, the temperature drops 10 degrees, the power cuts out and we see our first snow in Siberia. I wouldn't like to be here in December - temperatures go down then to -50 degrees celsius.

We return to Irkutsk to stock up on Pot Noodle and get on the train to Ulan Bator on Saturday night.

To see more photos click here.