Ekaterinburg, Irkutsk and Lake Baikal

We woke in our run down expensive hotel and went down for breakfast. The plan for the day was to find a cheaper, nicer place to stay. We headed into town to find an internet cafe to get directions and after trying 3 different addresses for the same place (and a trip on a trolleybus - our first!) we eventually find a cheap, clean hostel. We headed back into town and went to a museum of photography which had pictures from the surrounding area as well as some arty ones and some from the soviet period. We then headed back to the hotel to pick up our bags, grab some food and headed to our new accommodation. We arrived, settled down and then a dutch guy arrived who was doing a similar route to us but a lot quicker - only 1 week in each country. Too fast for us!!!

The guy who ran the hostel cooked us breakfast in the morning and Sam found out he had left Europe for the first time without even realising it! The border was 17km West of Ekaterinburg and we passed it on the train as we arrived - we are going to try and find it tomorrow. We head into town and look for the Romanovs burial site (the Russian Tsar and his family who were brutally assassinated at the turn of the century). There was a memorial cross and a brand new church. To go in the church Amy had to wear a headscarf and a tie around skirt - she only finds out about the skirt from a friendly old Russian lady who speaks no English but proceeds to give Amy the one she herself is wearing. Amy now looks like an old school washer woman - hee hee. We walked over to a cinema with a famous sculpture outside before heading to the museum of the history of Ekaterinburg. Inside it was split into 4 different sections - 1 on the history of the building, one on war implements, one on childrens fashion from the soviet era and one on newspaper cartoons from just after WWII. We went to eat lunch and went to look at the museum of Architecture and Industry - we found it but it was gutted, not even any walls. It started to rain and we found a cafe to have tea with the sparrows and went to look for the jewellery museum. The lady told us it was closed with no explanation so we went to find the minerological museum. A fantastic place that has many cabinets of extraordinary rocks from the Ural region. The museum had to be opened especially for us and the curator turned the lights in the cases on and off as we walked round effectively directing us round without saying a word.

With breakfast this morning we get a weird film about drags queens that starred Robin Williams before heading to the travel centre to get a taxi to the Europe Asia border. The driver was very nice but spoke no english so we tried the phrasebook and it made him laugh. In the afternoon we went to the fine arts museum where there were lots of cast iron sculptures, one which had won a prize at a paris art show. In the evening we had planned to meet some fellow couch surfers in a pie shop. They were all very nice and told us about the local cabbage pie which we had to try - it was surprisingly good. They suggested we go to a sky scraper which we could go up and enjoy the view and another guy drove us there and explained how to get up. The views were amazing but very cold so we didn't hang around.

The last day in Ekaterinburg and another film with breakfast. This time it was Mrs Henderson Presents which looks like it might be a good film but rather than waste the day we head into town to a memorial to the soldiers that died in the Afghanistan war called the black tulip. After we headed for a cemetery which reputedly has Mafia graves. We had a look round but it was so overgrown we couldn't find much. We had lunch then headed to stone park where Sam took some Arty Farty pictures before heading to look at the circus building and old TV tower. We couldn't get near the tower as it was disused and falling apart so we headed back to the hostel to use the internet and pack our bags. We said our goodbyes and headed to the station to catch our train. A lady called Ulyana was in our cabin who showed us pictures of her life and dogs on her laptop before bed.

We woke up on the train to find a note left from Ulyana. We had breakfast and laze a bit until a lady gives us a menu for lunch which she attempts to translate. We end up with the only item she can translate - beef and potato. At the next station 2 Russian guys joined us in our cabin who are a boss and employee, both called Losha. They speak enough english to communicate and soon we are comparing photos, learning new cards games, drinking champagne, reading each others newspapers, eating smoked fish (surprisingly tasty) and explaining our travel plans. This is all set to a background of trance music. They are great train hosts, even going as far as taking us round a station at midnight to shop us a fountain all lit up. We also hear a rumour our train has hit a bear but not sure how reliable that is.

Another day on the train with lots of coffee, card games, reading, endless landscapes and tramps rifling through bins. At one station Losha gets off to buy us all ice cream. Cant wait to get off and have a shower.

Woke up on the train - AGAIN! Feels like we have been on it forever. We say goodbye to the Loshas and Losha #1 gives us a box for Amy's jewellery. Unfortunatley we have nothing to give in return but exchange photos and say our goodbyes. We dont realise the train is late and we go and stand by the doors. When it is time to get off we find Natalie and her boyfriend Victor waiting for us at the station. They are very friendly and explain we are waiting for 2 more people. 4 Finnish people turn up - 2 come with us on a tram to Natalies house and the other 2 go to a hostel. We get tea and biscuits while we discuss our plans. We decide on a walking tour of Irkutsk with Summer and Vila, the 2 Finnish people. We hit the central market which was a bit seedy and slightly dodgy in parts then walk to the river to find a statue of Alexander 3rd, founder of Irkutsk. We end up in an English pub for lunch. Sam goes to a cash machine to get some Roubles and the man infront of him took so long that the security guards came over. One had an automatic rifle strapped across his chest - Scary! Summer and Vila went to the station to buy tickets while we headed into town to try and find a fur hat. We headed back to Natalie's with a bunch of flowers - yellow, her favourite colour we think. When we get back her Dad had made us tea - Mutton soup and a layered fish salad. After the meal Natalie's Dad showed us pictures of him when he worked in America and then got out a bear claw to show us before going into the wardrobe and bringing out his gun collection. He has an AK47 and a hunting rifle which he let us pose with, and even gave Sam a live bullet to keep. Afterwards we play card games which end with games of extreme snap, 2 piles of cards 2 metres apart and you have to dive for the other pile. Fun fun!!!

We had breakfast with Natalie and the Finnish guys packed their stuff and headed off to Olkhon Island. We decided to go to Taltsi museum of wooden architecture. A kind woman asked the driver of the bus to stop at the right place and we got off. It was raining and continued to rain the whole time we were there. It was an open air museum but fortunately there were some indoor exhibitions in heated rooms. We caught the bus to Listvyanka on the shore of Lake Baikal, the largest freshwater lake in the world with water drinkably pure (apparently). We went to a cafe to get tea and pancakes before walking to find a ship graveyard. We take some pretty pictures of the lake and look round a small souvenir market before catching the bus back to Irkutsk. We set off and the bus driver is a maniac - wrong side of the road on blind corners etc. Luckily we make it back safely and go back to Natalie's for Pilmeny dinner. Spaconi Noiche (Good night).

We woke up early to catch our 6 hour bus to Olkhon Island on Lake Baikal. We say goodbye to Natalie and her Dad and head to the bus station. When we get to the station we get harrassed by a private bus driver who wanted to charge us more to get us there later - Crazy! The bus was packed full of tourists and the roads got bad and then worse until they were just a dirt track. We passed some Russians herding cattle on horseback before getting to the Ferry. The bus continues on the dirt road before stopping outside the hostel when we get a room with meals included. We go for a walk to see the Shaman rocks and met the Finnish boys. We go to the beach for a very brief swim in the lake before Amy heads back to get warm and Sam goes for a walk along the white sandy beach and back through the woods. In the evening we go to see a concert of a Russian Pianist playing classical tunes and a little Russian folk music. We leave and go to join the Finnish guys in a banya - a Russian sauna. It is a very surreal experience getting naked with 2 boys and 2 girls you have only known for a day (Amy didn't get fully naked). Summer told us about a Finnish tradition of making wishes into the water and throwing the water onto the stones so we gave it a go before going outside to stand in the cold. After the banya we went to the clifftops to take pictures of the stars which come out remarkably well before heading to our very warm room - wood stoves are amazing!

We got up really early to watch the sunrise at the top of the cliffs. We took some logs meant for the stoves and had a fire to keep us warm. It was soon time to catch the bus back to Irkutsk as we had to catch our train to Mongolia. As we get near Irkutsk the bus gets pulled over by the police and we expect the worst. However the driver has a bit of a chat with the officer and he lets us go. We meet Natalie again who takes us to a very nice Russian cafe and we chat for a bit before she has to go to a French lesson. We meet her again later at the train station to say our goodbyes. We are sad to leave her - she has been a fantastic host and is an amazing person. Luckily she is moving to Australia in February - just in time to meet up again. We have a dutch couple in our cabin this time and the whole carriage is filled with tourists. We chat a bit then go to bed.