Trans Siberian - Irkutsk to Ulaanbaatar

22.10.11 - The weather has continued to amaze us, and we woke to another blue sky sunny day as we left Olkhon. As we waited for our bus back to Irkutsk, the first snowflakes started to fall and we all watched as they came down in flurries. Fortunately it didn’t last, as we needed to get off the island, so getting snowed in wasn’t part of the plan!

We made it back to Irkutsk and said goodbye to our Swiss friends before heading to Admiral Hostel, where we received a warm welcome from Alexander and were made to feel right at home. There was another mix of travellers there, British, Belgian, Polish and Swiss all with their own stories to tell and travels to share. I know we are travelling slightly off season, as the majority of people either travel June – September, or in the dead of winter for the ‘true Siberian’ experience, but I’m still surprised by the lack of tourists along the journey. We are literally meeting a handful of people every few days, a couple here, 2 friends there, but as you wander around the cities we stop in, tourists are few and far between. Probably helps to explain why we are constantly stared at by the Russians, who can’t seem to fathom why we want to visit their country in the first place!

23.10.11 - We spent our last day in Irkutsk at the Central Market, Chinese Market, visiting the Soviet tanks and rockets, and re-visiting the stunning churches on the riverbank. Along with a dodgy lunch (microwaved hamburgers…..yuk!) and a fabulous coffee and cake (which made up slightly for the lunch!).

Our train to Ulaanbaatar was leaving at 4:30 in the morning, so we headed off to bed and waited for the alarm to go off in only a few hours.
At the station, we met Lisa and Lyn, a British mother and daughter travelling together to Beijing and the carriage attendant has moved them into our carriage so now we have a few more people to swap stories with.

24.10.11 - This morning, we woke to find ourselves travelling about 20 metres from the beautiful Lake Baikal again. As we continue to fly past this gorgeous natural wonder, it puts it into perspective just how large Baikal is. I really appreciate the days we spent at Olkhon, as it gave us a chance to rest and relax, and enjoy the natural beauty of the island, a nice break from wandering the city streets and visiting churches, galleries and monuments.

Despite what they say about Russians, we met some fantastic people here who tried their best to help us and make sure we had a good trip. From Alex, the Irkutsk local who bought us lunch on our way to Olkhon, simply because he wanted to; to the bird man, who despite his stinky birds, gave me 100 rubles when he saw me counting my change trying to work out our money (I think he thought we were broke….I tried to explain, but he just wanted me to take it!!).

We will shortly be crossing into Mongolia, and just like that, our Russian journey is over. 3 weeks and we barely touched the surface. From The Hermitage to St Basils, the Beatles monument to Lake Baikal, Russia has lots to offer travellers, and provided you can take the angry looking faces, the sometimes unhelpful assistants, lack of English and the long distances with a smile on your face and an open mind, you will have a wonderful time here.