Irkutsk Hotels
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Revolving a day back around the world - From
there I will be one day
younger... and if I can't
get used to the idea,
maybe I'll just have to do
it again the other way...
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Visiting Irkutsk and around - or trying !
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On my first day I had slept until 5 in the afternoon before walking around Irkutsk. The buildings in the city center, near the Angara River, are quite low, and give the feeling of a small town, which is not the case, as it extends far to the east and south.
In the center, the roads and pavement are definitely in a mess, and everyday I could see at least one person tripping and falling on the ground !!!
Old and new cars, buses, minibuses, trolleybuses, trams... and lots dust. Could the far east here look like the far west there?
One interesting feature is the wooden houses, very common in the city center. They are not in very good condition, but they do radiate something. Wood is a prime construction material in siberia, as all you have there is pines that stand straight from top to bottom!!!
On my second day in Irkutsk, I was awake at 3 in the morning, due to the jetlag. I waited till 5 to get up, and after walking+traming+walking I got to the hydrofoil terminal, hoping to get a boat to Lisvianka and Bolshe Koty, on Lake Baikal shore. The boat service had not started, it was too early in the season...
So I asked and found my way to the road to Lisvianka, and there it took time to figure out if I was in the right place to get a bus/minibus. After 45 min a minibus showed up, 2 russians boarded, and then told me there was no room left for me. Thanks...
Ok, nevertheless, I had to do something with my day, so I decided to visit that convent north of the city. I was a bit dissapointed at first, but finally I got to sit and listen to beautiful songs during the religious service: one man and three women in a top quality performance. I did some recording, but I'll have to modify the format before I can upload it on this entry.
Back to the hostel, I met Angelique from Holland, and we went together searching for a tour to lake baikal the next day. Another failure, as we spend one hour looking for a travel agency without finding it... In the end, looking up tours on internet, we had confirmation that there was a trail for hiking between Lisvianka and Bolshe Koty, so we decided to go the next day without a guide.
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