Nikita's Hermitage

  Olkhon Island, Russia
Thursday, June 21, 2007

Lake Baikal

Russian Visa................................$130
Russian Pre-visa Invitation.................$45
Russian Visa Registration...................$5
Train to Siberia............................$50
Train from Siberia..........................$80
Being on an island in Siberia surrounded
by a lake containing 1/5 of the world's
fresh water and not a single working Master
Card machine................................priceless

Many travelers told Ka and I we had to go to Nikita's Hermitage. We agree. Nikita's sits on Olkhon Island in the middle of Lake Baikal. Lake Baikal's size exceeds my comprehension. It contains one fifth of the world's drinking water. One Fifth. And yet there is no running water on the island. (Even Mongolians had running water at Lake Baikal's sister lake, Hovsgol).

For $25 a night, Nikita's provided me a bed, unlimited fire wood for bonfires, free banyas (saunas), and three multi-course meals a day. I couldn't believe it. After two weeks of yak biscuits and tschewey wan, I now ate oatmeal, fried eggs, coffee, tea, bread, and crepes for every breakfast. Lunch usually consisted of soup, fish, some vegetables, and potato salad. We ate similarly for dinner plus a small pastry for dessert. Heaven. I had to chuckle that they gave me a bed in a Mongolian yurt. I felt like I had come home.

Friends from Olkhon Island

I met great people at Nikita's. The first night I shared a yurt with three outgoing and fun French men, Pierre, Jill, and Nicolas. I bonded immediately with a Canadian couple and two British women traveling together, Karen, Matt, Renny, and Sarah. I spent more time getting to know and cherishing the company of one of my train mates, Cristoff, a Netherlands-German. On my second night we partied all night around the bonfire with a group of Russians who wrapped up a week-long seminar spent at Nikita's Hermitage.

mountain biking

I only wanted to do two things on Nikita's: mountain bike and relax. I chose well and highly recommend both. Ka and I lucked out the day we rented bikes. Siberia treated us to incredible weather and we felt spell-bound by the scenery and riding trails. The next day it rained. I had to say goodbye to Ka as he was anxious to end his year long travels and return to the UK via the Trans-Siberian train with only a brief stop in Moscow and St. Petersburg. I spent the day drinking beer with Cristoff, eating, and reading. Bliss.

Because of the rain les francaises spontaneously left a night early and so I had the whole yurt to myself. Cristoff, Renny, Sarah and I weathered the rain all night with a blazing fire in my yurt, drinking beer, playing hearts and laughing.

While Mountain Biking

While at Nikita's I met yet another person celebrating their 34th birthday within a week of mine. Bizarre. Friday, June 22, was the 34th birthday of both a French woman named Sophie and the Australian, Damian, that I met on the train to Siberia. Throw in my and Billgay's 34th birthday and I have now celebrated four 34th birthday's within 3 weeks of mine. Some cosmic force must attract us June 1973 babies to Northern Asia.

Other News
I know that you have been worried about what people must think about a single white man traveling with a Chinese baby so I also bought a bride in Russia.