Four days on a train, and you get pretty comfortable. I settled in nicely to that life. We filled our days with reading and eating and drinking and talking. One of our group members brought his laptop and we would have movie night every evening at eight. Not a bad plan! But, then again I wasn't sharing my compartment with a Russian Secret Forces Army Man, like our groupmates!
The Siberian countryside was beautiful, with rolling green hills and wide rivers - but it all starts to look the same from the window of a train.
So I was happy to arrive in Irkutsk, where we transfered to Lake Baikal, the largest freshwater lake in the world. It was beautiful - and freezing (5 degrees C) which we found out a few minutes after arrival, in our first and last lake swim!
We hiked up to some gorgeous overlooks and took a boat ride around the water. All exciting, but the highlight of Siberia was the Russian Banya!
The Homestead where we were staying just built their sauna, and we were only too eager to participate. There are three rooms in the banya, one with the coals and benches which is burning hot. The next with the freezing cold water buckets, to pour over yourself of course. And the last, which has a picnic table where you can sit and snack between steamings!
We started in the coal room for five minutes, then out to the cold water, then to the table. Again, coals, water, table. The last time you enter the coal room - someone is to come with you and beat you first with birch branches, leaves intact, and then pine branches! After six months of traveling with people, there is nothing more rewarding than beating them with sticks!
We all survived, and thoroughly enjoyed our third cultural "bath" experience.
Today we are headed back to the train and onto Mongolia, bring on that smooth train rock and roll.
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