Irkutsk

Finally a city with a distinctive non-European feel. It is not entirely Asian, but all aspects of it carry more of an Asian vibe then all the ones I've seen so far.
To contradict what I just said I have just finished dinner in a Czech-ish restaurant with my two new Australian friends. They actually brew their own version of Pilsner Urquell here.. Unfortunately not resembling the real Pilsener Pilsener at all.

The plan for the next few days was so packed I had to cut down on some of it. The long and langweilich train journey plains tricks with your mind and makes you think that you can hike some 60 kilometers of mountainous terrain in a day. Not really possible especially when you need to get a ride there in the first place. So I won't trek around the famous Circumbaikal train route - not going through tens of hundred years old tunnels and bridges. Ce la vie.
On the other hand I'm off to the Olkhon island to see one of the five places of true shamanic energy - according to the indigenous Buryat people, who are a race of heavily Mongolian origin, and who's main religion is the ancient shamanism. I have actually met two Buryats on the train to Irkutsk offering me a stay with their families but not looking very trustworthy, I have turned their possibly innocent offer down.

But first I am off to the nearest Baikal accessible little town -

Blow the horns! I have just recieved the splendid news of my beloved sister giving birth to a 3.55kg 52cm tall cute little girl! May she grow to be a beautiful, sociable, intelligent and in-every-way very lovable woman!

- to do a little warm-up trek since I have to come back to Irkutsk to apply for my Mongolian visa on Thursday anyway. And then off to the Island for the weekend.

I will catch up with you then. (There is a cool story of my secret entry into a closed Russian town to be told too! So stay tuned!)