Legenda Baikala Hotel Irkutsk

4 nights completed and looking back all went smoothly. Vasay and Llena ( Russian for Helen) are as good as gold, although stay in the cabin far too much and watch continuous re-runs of the naked gun series.<br><br>We settle into a routine of waking around 10am, tiding ourselves up before a pot noodle meal, buffet car for a beer and then back for an afternoon chat before hitting the buffet car again. No matter how many times we go back into the buffet car, our man who runs it does not crack ...

... standing dropped got thrown out of the station by the police after they dropped their booze and spilt beer and broken glass everywhere.<br><br>We got on the train, it was way nicer than expected. The Russian Travel Agent who'd booked my ticket really made me think it was going to be a total 3rd class mess but it was almost better than the Baikaler from Moscow.<br><br>The train trip was along the lines of:<br>Departed Irkutsk 9 ...

... sprightly at 71, en-route to China to seek herbal treatment to help her recover from cancer and, as a retired English teacher, delighted to practise her language skills; <br> A foursome of student football fans, thinking nothing of a 3-day-each-way train trip to cheer on their home team, playing away. With their smattering of English they asked if I like punk music (not since the 70s), if I liked Rambo films (not ever) and which was ...

... checking out the places I'm passing though. I noticed also, there are kilometre markers at the side of the track, so you always know exactly where you are :) The scenery can get a little tedious to be honest, there's only so long you can look at silver birch trees, the last day was more interesting, more rugged landscape and lots of twists and turns.<br><br>Igor, our charming provodnik (conductor, each carriage has it's own) serves lunch, always ...

... from the toilet, we thought. What we hadn't bargained for was 'Mr Starey Russian man'. Mr Starey Russian Man (MSRM for short - efficiency at all times- the Communist way) was one of our compartment companions, along with an older man who was actually very sweet ( he spent half an hour showing Kate his full collection of photos on his digital camera, most of which were of atrociously framed portraits hung on William Morris wallpaper .. smile and nod Kate, smile and nod). What ...

... was the usual Russian two-bed apart, furnished as a bright family home and to Carol's delight, had a flush toilet and a bath. <br><br>The centre of Irk is not very large and not much of interest to see. It is a mixture of new pro Soviet Russia and the old drab Russia. Most interesting were the very old wooden buildings. These were 1,2 or 3 stories high with very ornate wood carved surrounds to the facia. But all the wood has now turned black with age and their previous ...

... and 3 nights on the Moscow train - we got on at Yekaterinburg you may remember - this fabby hotel is like a very upmarket R&amp;R joint. The train became a bonding experience for our little band of English speakers and we arrived in perfect weather. Yesterday however, it tipped down but not enough to dissuade Dave, Kate and me from doing our siberian trek which included staggering views and a hot ...

... Moscow, but to no avail...<br><br>Taxi - surely a taxi driver should know where the internet lives? <br>We found a taxi and asked for the internet, he said that he could help, told us the fare and took us on a 15 minute drive, curiously going in circles, either trying to make the drive seem longer to validate the cost, or perhaps unsure of the location. He eventually pulled up outside a building that had all of its shutters closed, and starting ...

... seriously lost in Yekaterinburg to the point that I was just going to book a hotel room for the night and try and find my hostel the next day. But all ended well and got back to the hostel at 2330 five hours after I had started heading back. Upon my arrival back ...

... is poor, a Russian woman will still fall in love with him if he makes her laugh, if he makes her smile, if he makes her feel like the most beautiful girl in the world."<br><br>I turn to her and shake my head. <br><br>&#8220;So you&#8217;re calling me fat and ugly?&#8221; I say.<br><br>&#8220;Yes,&#8221; she responds. <br><br>The heart sinks. The dimples are gone.<br><br>&#8220;And&#8230;&#8221; she pauses, smiles and says, &#8220;you ...