Beaten by sticks . . in a bathhouse . . read on!

Trip Start Jun 23, 2007
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Trip End Jul 25, 2007


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Sunday, July 8, 2007

So, I was beaten by sticks, in a 230 degree steamy bathhouse, by a man. . . damn, this blog just got interesting!  Jen, Jayme, Rupert, Ann, our "honcho" Kostya and I experienced the traditional Russian "banya" or bathhouse on our last night at Lake Baikal.  The Russians being Russian aren't satisfied with just cooking themselves in a ridiculously hot sauna followed by a douse of gasp-inducing cold water.  Nooooo, they also add beating each other across the back, legs and feet with birch and fir boughs!  Just for good measure.  And they repeat the process three times, although the beating only happens once. 

While at Lake Baikal, we also took a brief and VERY cold dip in the 45 degree water.  Baikal is the deepest lake in the world - 1627 meters!  Due to its location and depth, there are a plethora of endemic species, the most famous being the nerpa freshwater seal.  Over 80K of them live in Baikal's waters.  Another is the omul, a decent tasting white fish found in just about every dish in the area. 

Check out the pictures and note the variety of colorful window shutters.  The Russians believe that decorating your shutters will keep out the evil spirits.  They also typically use green, blue and white colors, representing rebirth, dignity and purity respectively. 

Siberia! Gotta love these cultural experiences!  I can't believe I'm here!
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