(half) around Lake Baikal 
What you absolutely must see, if you live three years in Siberia? Of course - Lake Baikal. Many superlatives swirl around this body of water: the deepest and oldest lake, the cleanest water (despite the pulp mill?), A sacred place with positive energy.
So was it again in June 2010: Into the Trans-Siberian to Ulan-Ude and on. Where is that? Yes, actually listens to the name of the capital of the Republic of Buryatia, which extends east of Lake Baikal, and certainly not Russian. When we arrived after two days and nights by train (at last) in Ulan-Ude, offered to us but the familiar sight of a Russian town of moderate size. Only then we noticed the many Asian-Mongolian faces - a clear contrast to other Russian cities - smiled at us kindly. Although the population of the Buryat people in their traditional settlement area, they control again with some independence from Moscow, only 30 percent of residents set, we had the impression that - talking loudly in groups, happy strolling through the city - certainly dominate the streetscape. As a further absolute specificity, we met here on a small pedestrian zone where you could comfortably watch in street cafes strolling by the passers-by (!) - Up by about 22 clock all sidewalks be folded up.
Also in relation to the accommodation we had ventured into new territory: We had a room in a just a year earlier Hostel opened found - for Russia, a whole new phenomenon which has emerged especially in the vicinity of Lake Baikal to young Europeans convenient to provide shelter, which began with Russian naturalists to create an environmental trail around the lake.
The student son of the house had equipped the old wooden house with three bedrooms, a bathroom and a (summer) kitchen for international guests, after the family had moved to an annex in the back. It was he who provided us practical help for visits, while his mother spoiled us with fresh pastries for breakfast and a simple washing machine service. Cara and Julius of the family connection was particularly numerous in loving care for the house cat and a small, blind dog who had found refuge.
From this base, we visited the first day of an ethnographic museum just outside the city, pointing to a very large territory in graphic form, the forms of settlement of all in the eastern Baikal region, local tribes and ethnic groups. Striking was there for us once again the similarity of the Siberian natives with our idea of "traditional" Indians. Regardless of the climate, the early Siberians lived as nomads in tents - in the summer of birch bark, in winter covered with animal skins. To what extent the statement of our Russian guide-booklet Believe should be paid to that fact could find the first traces of settlement of this kind in Siberia, from where have dared to indigenous tribes then the "jump" to America, we can not judge.
The second day was devoted to a further highlight of the region, we visited the Buddhist monastery Iwolga, which, situated in complete solitude of the desert outside the city, was the only Buddhist organization during the entire period of the Soviet Union "in operation" . Today we saw how many religious institutions, a period of growth and serves as a Buddhist university and intellectual center, with contacts to Tibet. Besides we were in the minibus many Buryat road, which passes through their now traditional Buddhist religion, with some shamanistic overtones, to practice open again. We were given a Lama, who tirelessly led us exclusively through the site and honestly struggled to dedicate ourselves to the principles of his religion. Unfortunately, we had the - underestimated icy steppe wind and then had to cancel the field trip early to us quickly warm up at a makeshift café something - even in the summertime.
The next morning we started in a minivan on the way to the west, to finally see the lake itself: In the town of Baikalsk entirely from the Southern tip of Lake Baikal, we joined for five days on a Russian tour group from Novosibirsk. This had us quickly the usual Russia again: Housed in a small hotel with the beautiful name "Ujot" (coziness), which had but just missing a zentermeterdicken in view of the dust on the pink plush sofa beds, a kitchen staff every morning with Bassem surprise to the 20-member tour group responded that actually wanted to again have to set breakfast time by 10 clock (!) warm tea, to training pants clad older ladies of the group who had proclaimed an obvious competition for the trashy holiday photo. That's how we love and Russia!
Together, we now had five days pre-planned trips on foot, by bus and of course a boat trip on Lake Baikal, to the old, now disused railway line, which ended on the bank. Even middle of the last century here in the winter, the tracks were laid across the ice to continue at least a few months, the trip to the East. Now serve the disused railway tracks and tunnels impressive than walking route for backpackers freaky.
like last year during our vacation we went Altai also learned that Russians on holiday are very outgoing and open. Especially with the father of a son in Julius' age, we became friends closer to us, with us his fascinating work as an artist special. While we enjoyed after several hours of walking the picnic at a lake or waterfall, he hastened to set up his easel in order to make as many sketches. Only after his return to Novosibirsk, he worked them out to complete paintings and we were lucky, an exhibition of his work in September at the museum to admire in Novosibirsk can be: We had more than once under the impression that one or the other, indicated figure in the red recognize T-shirt.
We also made the first encounter with "the" fish of Lake Baikal: the omul.
While he "smoked warm" and the less pronounced fish fans of our family tasted very good, he was almost the only element - in addition to a couple of pale potato pieces - in the typical Russian "ucha" (fish soup) may not be very attractive. But for lack of alternatives, and regardless of the critically-looking fish eyes could overcome even the only just become a vegetarian for Cara, auszulöffeln the soup around the fish.
were now also the first summer temperatures dropped to about 8 degrees, so that was a hot meal in any form in any event a pleasure. In the town of Baikalsk
is also those legendary, at times of environmental activists shut down, now under the direction of oligarchs but again put into operation in pulp mill, which allegedly works in a closed circuit, completely environmentally safe. However - so assured us all Russians-and totally uneconomic.
As the rest of the group went by Trans-Siberian railway on the return trip to Novosibirsk, we sat down once again for several hours in a minibus that took us to Irkutsk. There we gathered for another large taxi to undertake the journey to the island of Baikal. We had now been through some scenic surprises in Siberia, but this put everything into the shade: After a few tens of kilometers, typical taiga forest abruptly stopped any vegetation. Before us stretched only rolling brown-yellow steppe landscapes that stood out very picturesque occasional individual shrubs.
A small - free! - Car ferry took us from the mainland to the biggest island of Lake Baikal. With the landscape changing the climate and the same: A heat of nearly 40 degree heat for soothing the audience first, but then was not entirely harmless.
On this island, we were the first ever time on Russian soil placed in a hotel, in our opinion an appropriate price-performance ratio had. A Buryat family had used the family-owned lands in order to first create a simple log cabins ensemble with outdoor toilets, and this last year is a very proper style, extended entirely of solid wood-made hotel. Starting with the very tasteful decor of the rooms, the omnipresent scent of cedar to the unobtrusive but very attentive service of the Buryat maid we felt spoiled here grand.
While the simple but tasty meals together with the "log cabin guests, we were able to know a Russian family with three children To learn that we met regularly from now on to the evening volleyball game. Then they brought us home first, then we and so on, until we drank several times per evening tea or sweet wine, and - had eaten dried omul - of course. This family lives in a still "closed" city, which can be found on any map, and also by anyone with the exception of first-degree relatives - can be visited. The reason lies in a nuclear power plant, in which our friend is working as an energy expert. For a family with so many children, this unusual non-existent town but the advantage of excellent supply of kindergartens and schools, as well as sporting and cultural education - and just leave the sponsored rides in a "clean" area.
The island itself offers Olkhon of beautiful sandy beaches (water temperature: 8 degrees) of pine forests with secluded lakes to quilting quality hills all possible landscapes.
In one stepped out from the Russian Trott family with an extremely good knowledge of German, we could even borrow suitable bikes, durchzuradeln to us over the sandy bottom of the "village" in the next forest. After it had exhausted in the face of the heat after an hour our water supply to only trusted Klaus from the shadows of the forest steppe on the next hill out.
We rested Meanwhile, in the immediate vicinity of a bull's skull, which had been used no doubt for shamanistic rituals.
is at all an ever-present element of shamanism Olkhon. Not only on the so-called shaman rocks, a sanctuary, to be entered only in positive mental health, but in many other places are the small cloth strips to see the locals tie to stakes to connect with the spirits in contact. Try all other religions, to take on Olkhon foot, have failed.
At another Cara and I took days to a riding tour in part to the whole day - went through the treeless steppe landscape, until we finally did catch on a lake - with still 40 degrees. A somewhat corpulent Russian advanced age, who had obviously been sitting for the first time in my life on a horse lay down immediately on her stomach on the floor with the promise, then never get up again. But of course we saddled back up and now the soon ran Caras horse that sweeps on the way suddenly without warning was made to gallop in the native pasture to drive, even quite acceptable to progress.
Klaus and Julius, meanwhile, were having a "Uasik," the Russian form of an SUV en route to the northern tip of about 70 km long island. While Julius enthusiastically enjoyed every pothole, Klaus labored to translate the remarks of the Russian driver for two passengers tourists from England and Portugal into English. Each
tired in his own way, we enjoyed dinner in a surprising presence of a silver wedding couple who celebrated the festive occasion in just the two, but all in attendance to cognac, vodka and - invited omul - of course.
From what we've seen in Siberia, has left the island Olkhon certainly an extraordinary impression.
But after five days we left here from our tents to drive one more time Irkutsk - this time for three days, which should give us an insight into this city. Unfortunately the time was characterized by steady rain rather atypical, so that we have the streets lined with preserved wooden houses had to happen pretty quickly.
Again, we stayed in a hostel, which was less familiar and more influenced by changing international audience backpack. Fortunately we had a six-run dormitory reserved for us alone, and You must not stay in the ever-booked 12 rooms. Here, met a lot of Asian tourists, especially Japanese and Koreans, with Europeans (we had brought from the Portuguese and British Olkhon same) and world traveler from Switzerland and America. Cara was able to try out their first year of distance learning school acquired English skills equivalent to native speakers and Klaus pursued jointly with an Englishman, the England-Germany World Cup game in the soviet sphere of qualified comments hosts. was brought
One night a young Japanese bloody beaten and robbed all the cash from a disco to the hostel, we did come to mind that we are despite all the international flair in the depths of Asia.
Another two-day Trans-Siberian trip - and corresponding amounts of Chinese Fast Food Hits "Doschirak" - brought us back into the familiar civilization Novosibirsk.
And the lake?
In view of water temperatures around 8 degrees could be overcome only the bravest of us, just a bath to risk "for the record." Of course, the dimensions were impressive: In a north-south length of over 600 km, we could not even imagine the other side. Also during our stay we had to Olkhon tend to feel on an island in a sea of being, because in a freshwater lake.
remarks of a travel guide that the lake everything that is fed to him once, never again hergibt, we could confirm from personal experience: During a boat trip to the Baikal swallowed first a cap of Klaus and then a small car, had played with Julius and a boy traveling with. Whether they were destroyed from the little fish at once, which supposedly decompose any organic material directly, we were unable to verify at a water depth of 1,600 meters, unfortunately.
