Okay – so possibly our posts are getting boring and too diary-like, but its really just so we remember. Also I’m noticing lots of spelling and other errors. I’ll blame the autocorrect on my iPhone and my editor (V). The phone is a great tool but I do miss Word! On with the show….

It appears that there is not much to do here at lake Baikal – no complaint. Yesterday I spotted an observatory marked on the tourist map and after a wander through the market we headed uphill in search of science toys and hopefully a mad scientist or two.

We could sense that we may have been trespassing but there were no locked gates and the rabid looking dogs seemed safely confined – we continued up into the thick forest. Our guide – a crazy looking black dog that had been with us since the market – seemed to know where he was going. It began to feel like an episode of Lost as we rounded a bend to see a towering structure rising from the trees. At the base was a rusted caravan (obviously an old monitoring station) and its relatively new counterpart. We could hear voices inside but from behind a rusted and locked gate could not tell if they were squatters or astronomers. We made our presence known but did not get any response, so no cool Soviet telescope to gawk at.

Back in ‘town’ we watched a brave local take a dip in the lake. Even with all his blubber he only lasted seconds. The entire lake freezes over in winter and the last traces of ice melted a couple of weeks ago. We dipped our hands in to check – yip – freezing cold !

The afternoon was spent turning prawn pink (in my case) and lobster red (for V) on the sundeck at the lodge while listening to a pleasant yet talkative Canadian. He is retired and as a young man spent most of his time as a soldier in Europe keeping an eye on the reds. Now he was travelling first class through Russia, Mongolia and China. Have to admit we were a little jealous of his tales of the number 1 train.

We took an early dinner in the town market. Great, simple and cheap – albeit the staple of fried rice with beef and a pork kebab. The sun, full tums and beer left us sluggish and extremely content. V bought a pile of delicious cherries at a stall and we dawdled back to the lodge.

Today – Day 2 in Baikal
Managed to do almost nothing for the first time in ages. 2 full days in Baikal is too long unless you want to go on the lake looking for the fresh water seals. We had grand plans of a hike up to a viewpoint overlooking Port Baikal but halfway to there we gave in to the strong icy wind. We sat on the pebble beach and watched the world go by. Briefly encountered an English couple who started in South America 7 months ago and travelling in the opposite direction to us are 2 weeks from a flight home.

Travel Tip

– 1 full day at lake Baikal is enough. It may be impressive (7km deep etc) but is just a big pond. At least you won’t feel bad doing nothing.
– Not easy to find Internet but we found an open Wifi point just outside the hotel that is supposed to look like a lighthouse. If you loiter too long you may get a security guard peering at you from the balcony.

– Posted from my iPhone