Russian Trains, Lurkers, Polish Parties & Finns!

Well the 5 days we spent traversing half way across siberiaproved alot of fun, we dined almost everyday on the finest beef strogonof (a very russian dish) for just uder a fiver each time, but back to the point. The train ride was fantastic, despite mine and the gangs initial worries of five days stuck on a train they soon passed, it seemed that people very soon found out we were english as the word spread, most of the attention we attracted being from younger english speaking Russians, as opposed to the older, drunken lurkers who preffered to slap you annoyingly hard on the back to get your attention!

But yes, the train was fun (minus the facet we passed through six different time zones that proved hell to adapt too), we were the only english people, outnumbered only by russians and the large and very hospitabal group of polish that were also aboard the train. We spent some nights sleeping, others drinking vodka, well rather warm beer (пиво), some singing polish songs and others just chatting away to the people we met. Most of which proved to be very interesting characters indeed. more will be nexplained later.

But after five nights on the train we arrived form Mosocw to Irkutsk, said goodbye to our new found friends, mainly our polish translator friend Kasia, found our hostel, checked into Hazel's little gingerbread house (Hazel being the nickname we gave our russan extreme sports hostess whom fancies a bit of mirko...), were stuffed with pancakes, met up again with Kasia, went for GORGEOUS russian meal before heading for home meeting three other Finns (Whom we were to travel with to Lake Baikal and Olchin Island the next day) Linda, Walter and Nanne. The next morning we were stuffed with yet more pancakes curtousey of Hazel before we were shuffled off via minibus (Kasia also on board randomly) were we everntually arrived at the island and our fishing village hosts house (But only after being stranded without a bus for three hours). We swam in the freezing cold of lake Baikal (supposedly doing so adds a year to your life) before heading back for beer.

Next day it was off for a tour of the island where we were shown all of the sights and even made an apperance on a russian tv documentary before heading back for a sauna (complete with birchleaves) and a ngiht of beer filled, vodka drinking, champaign in my eye night of fun, all rounded off with a very long game of nothing other than the infamous 'The Question Game' (just ask dean, 'how wide...'), all this whilst my swim shorts almost burnt to a cinder... now they come complete with fron ventilation system!!!

Next morning, all feeling a little worse for wear, plus breakfast was as 8am and wed only got to bed at 4, before being once again bundled into a vam after bidding farewell to Kasia and the Finns, (well ubtil our train to Mongolia on the 18th of august, to which theyre in the next compartment). Sleeping most of the return journey we arrived back in Irkutsk and returned to Hazels grotto where we are to spend to more nights before our departure to Ulan Batar, the capital of the land of the Mongs!!!

Wow what an adventure eh!

Speak soon,
Danny & the Gang!
xxx