The next day we left for Irkutsk and Lake Baikal. Unfortunately, the scenery was shrouded in smoke from the forest fires that plague the area this summer. The route to Irkutsk more than 450 kilometers, but the road was fairly good. So we were able to reach our destination in just one day's ride.

Our first visit to Irikutsk was not much of a sightseeing trip. The city was like a ghost town by the time we settled in and went out to see the sites. It was a Sunday evening, but the sun doesn't go down till after 11 at this time of year. So we were out after everyone had gone home. On top of that, our hotel was overpriced and not too comfortable.

We got an early start for our trip to the jewel of Siberia Lake Baikal and its highlight, Olhom Island. Most of the way was well paved, but the final 70 km was a mixture of sand and washboard dirt roads. The only way to Olhom by motorcycle is the ferry from the port of MPC, and the boat runs only about once an hour for the 15 minute trip to the island. At least it was free...

We stayed two nights at a place called Nikita's Homestead at the village of Hojurt. Our home for that time was a room in a two-story wooden building with a view of the lake. Our relaxing two days saw us with a Russian sauna (banya) and three square meals daily. The banya is heated by a wood-burning stove and has a barrel with boiling hot and freezing cold water. We didn't see any, but we heard stories of banya right on the lake where the locals run right into the water after getting heated up. Mind you, that the deepest lake in the world freezes over completely in the winter. It is not a good place to swim even in the summer.

Our first day on the island was pretty overcast, and the smoke from the forest fires blocked most of the scenery. A rumbling thunder storm on the second day brought rain that cleared out the smoke. It was only in the evening of that day that we finally could grasp the scale and beauty of Lake Baikal.

We got our first fish in a long time with our final diner on the island. The white-meat fish was straight out of Baikal. It might have been the same fish that the locals were selling smoked all along the lake's inhabited areas. It was a refreshing change from the pelmini and borsch we had almost every day.

Our way back to Irkutsk was easier than the trip to Olhom. The previous days rain had hardened the dusty road, making for a smoother ride. We got back to Irkutsk early enough to see the town when there were still people out. It was like a completely different city than before. Now we could see why people call Irkutsk the Paris of Siberia.

Source of the text: http://www2.gol.com/users/chrisl/travel/siberia5.htm

Chris Lockwood and Daisuke Yokoe waiting for the ferry from Olkhon island. Summer 2003. Photo by Jack Sheremetoff