Irkutsk

Stopped here for a few days on our Trans-Siberian trip back in 1994. We dipped our feet in Lake Baikal and visited a “traditional siberian village” theme park.

Lost a few bucks playing roulette in our hotel casino, amongst the local gangsters and hookers.

The mental image I’d always had of Siberia was that it was a frozen wasteland, so visiting in the summer was a bit of a let down.

We got stuck in Irkutsk over night. Aeroflat, the national airline of the Soviet Union, ran out of fuel. So we were stuck there. It was beautiful though!!

And Baikal is the largest lake on the Earth. You can drink unprepared water from the lake, eat omul and stay healthy. There are also plenty of myths end legends among the extraordinary things about Baikal and this area: shamans, sacred places of the gone nations, amulets. Now the area actively turns in a spot of international tourism. I’ve been at Baikal and in Irkutsk for my vacations in 2005.