Baikal

Lake Baikal is a study in superlatives - biggest lake, deepest, oldest, most biodiversity, cleanest...but that doesn't describe the singlemost important thing about this Siberian water reserve.

It's beautiful.

Stunningly beautiful in a way that supersedes all superlatives. It changes color, it dances in the sun, it's crystal clear and you can see across the expanse for miles. I find it absolutely fascinating and peaceful.

It would be much more peaceful if I didn't have the most annoying roommate on the planet. We met on the train from Ulaanbaatar and found out it was just two of us in a compartment designed for 4. A bit of luck at the beginning of a 36 hour train trip. The train itself was fantastic, I love train travel and I love the slow rhythm of the cars going over the tracks. After that journey, I got onto an 8 hour bus ride across the bumpiest road ever to Olkhon island - an island in the middle of Lake Baikal.

And she followed me. I'm not being a bitch, well okay, I am. But do you REALLY need to hum and talk to yourself for more than 8 hours a day? It seems a bit excessive to me.

Now, I'll spend 4 days relaxing here and hiking around the island then it is off to Irkutsk to catch a flight to St. Petersburg.