We're in Irkutsk (Siberia), a town that the Lonely Planet describes as "seedy". Well sod you Lonely Planet! I think it's intensely agreable actually. Here are a couple of first impressions:
We got here by train, obviously. It took fully 3 whole days and 4 nights from Moscow and we're still only half way across Russia! Rather large really. On the train we encountered some lovely people, who took a great interest in the penguins and spoke English and even a bit of Mandarin! Sasha and Katia (see pic) - salutations to you both!
We also encountered a horde of drunken Russian army Lieutenants and a woman of quite staggering vindictiveness. Each carriage on trans siberian trains has a provodnitsa or attendant, who checks tickets when you get on, cleans the toilets and carriages, dispenses bedding etc. Ours was variously known as the Ayatollah, the Poinsonous Witch, the Moodswing Madam etc. Doing almost anything untoward (going to the toilet at the wrong time, opening the window, standing on the carpet at the wrong time etc) would inspire her to deliver a volley of abuse in Russian, even though she must have known by the end of 4 bleeding days that we had no idea what she was saying! I don't have a picture I'm afraid. I probably would not have lived to be writing these words had I attempted to take one. To be fair to her, she did keep the toilets in a useable state and brightened up when we offered her cake. One army guy we spoke to reckoned she was an alcoholic. Who knows...
Anywho, we're off to lake Baikal tomorrow and I hope to bring you lucky people more pictures of fish in due course! Then it's on to Mongolia and then China. Bye for now chums!
Oh, by the way, there's now a pic of the penguins in Red Square up on my last post...
2 comments:
Always ignore Lonely Planet's opinions. In Buffalo they advised me to "avoid Chippewa street with its trashed frat boys and sorority girls". I obviously ignored that and walked into a bar with a dozen girls dancing on the bar, $1.50/beer, frat boys playing beer pong and tons of girls all over the place. It. was. wicked.
We send our salutations to you both too, read your reports of the trip!
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