Siberia. Everything started with dream to see the cleanest crystal ice in one of the most amazing and nicest places on our planet. Lake Baikal is like the different Universe.
REASONS
The idea of this journey had been in my mind for a long time, but the flight to the end of the Land with severe frost, the lack of wintersport activity, enterntainment and proper service seemed to be a doubtfull idea. Moreover, its price could be compared to the flight to comfortable USA. But, dreams must be realized, especially when they can be easily and quickly changed. Baikal has become an extremely popular winter destination with advanced travelers and photographers from all over the World for just about a couple of years. So, we wanted to catch this miracle before it became hackneyed. For example, I wouldn’t like to go there in summer, because there is a huge amount of people. And although I like lively places, I do believe that this place doesn’t seem comfortable with the crowd. In winter, this trip becomes hard. Although, enormous frost and hard wind scare travelers, only in winter there is a unique opportunity to see something unreal due to the solid thick ice on the lake, which allows almost free transportation around the Lake. This ice is amazing by itself. But I will tell about it later…
Another significant reason why we had to go there was a newly issued prohibition of fishing Baikal omul. This extraordinarily delicious and rare fish was the main gastronomical purpose of our trip. It can mysteriously still be met in local menues and markets but this is illegal now.
So, it was obvious that our trip couldn’t be delayed any more.
PREPARATION
I bought the tickets before reading feedbacks and realizing a plan of our trip. We had planned a 3-day trip (from Moscow) and only when we were waiting for a connecting flight from Novosibirsk to Irkutsk, we realized that Baikal was farther than we thought)) It seemed to be just behind the Ural mountains, and it is so small on the World map. But it turned out that the Lake’s length was similar to the distance from Moscow to St.Petersburg (700km). The distance from Moscow to Baikal is 5700km one way, but the last 300km by land take almost one light day. Oh, those Siberian scales! In other words, 2 days, out of a 3-day-planned trip were spent on transfer from Irkutsk to final destination and back, acclimatization and small walks. 1 full day almost without jetlag was left and we devoted it for the excursions, gastronomical and landscape delights. Cool!)) Anyway, the whole day was ahead and we were fresh and full of energy. In order to optimize our time we decided to take an individual off-road tour, all the more so there were no any other entertainments. Sledging on inflatable airbags, kerling, diving and even golf on ice can be organized only on the tourists’ personal initiative, using their own gears. We didn’t consider skating, puting up tents, making fire and cooking fish soup in the biggest skating ring in the World, because of severe 20 degrees frosts, and gasty Siberian winds. That’s why we had enough time to see and enjoy everything we came for.
It wasn’t easy to find a compitant guide in advance, because internet is almost anavailable in this remoted wild area. Besides, I was espessially interested in the details of our Great Ice Trip and the approximate variants didn’t suit me. That’s why all the conversations weren’t successful. But via Irkutsk I managed to organize our transfers, programs and to find experienced guide uncle Sasha. He is a Baikal native, who worked as a fisherman in summertime, and in winter he specialized in individual tours, having an old off-road car. He was amazed to see the guests from Central Russia and said that he couldn’t recollect the time, when he guided the Russians: yesterday were the Spanish, tomorrow will be the Swiss. When he looked at me he said that I was lightly dressed, although, once one girl from Honkong came with bare legs. Cautionesly I put on the second further coat over the first one. Yes, we mistakenly dressed as it was a resort.
THE DAY-X
Our tour was some kind of fantastic. Numerous ice grottos, conglomerations of transparent sparkly icefloes, icy columns, branched shimmering icicles and clifs decorated with enormously high ice splashes. Bank rocks and walls, packed in a thick icy shell were made of such transparent ice, that it seemed not to exist, but suddenly its edges started glowing in the sun. Just a small amount of everything described above can be seen in the photos. Yes, severe Siberian winter creates impressive decorations to unique Baikal ice, which can be observed by hours, if clothes allows.
When you step on this ice for the first time it is like you step into the open space. You are standing stunned, realizing that under a metre of the cleanest crystal ice is an abyss (the depth of the Lake is approximately similar to the depth of the Grand Canyon, for comparing). You are sitting and watching freezing rows of small bubbles in the thickness of the ice. Deep cracks look like as if organza ribbons are frozen into the ice. All of these are so fascinating, that you lie down on the ice. Then you want to start taking pictures of everything, but realize, that the phone was frozen and turned off long ago and you feel completely frozen too. You stand up and go to the car, but it turns out that it is hardly possible to step because of slipperiness…
From the side, with uncle Sasha’s view, it seems funny: the people get out of the car, look under their feet non-stop. Then they look around with open mouths, then squat, then start crawling, wallowing, then suddenly stand up and learn to make steps. Then they running back and forth, waving their arm, like children. Somebody screams, somebody laughs, somebody falls down. But sometimes they settle on the ice in horror. The fact is that Baikal is “breathing” and new beautiful cracks emerge due to temperature differences or to Earthquakes, which are quite often here, about 300 times per year. This phenomenon is often accompanied by such a loud rumble, that it more like thunder. Before the early April this is harmless, but still scary.
We drove over 140km, 80 of which were on the ice. In general it was huge mirror-smooth surfaces, in which the sky was reflected. Sometimes we saw wavy ice. If the sun was shining it seemed like water. We also saw frozen wide gaps, conglomeration of huge ice. Which was squizzed from the surface by the water temperature differences. But the most horrible experience was driving on separate ice white floes (white, because they were frizzing while the snowfall). This white floes were fastened together by the cleanest transparent ice, through which the dark endless depths could be seen. Due to this contrast it seemed that white floes were floating separately. Uncle Sasha’s confidence, supported by huge experience and knowledge, vanished our fears. That’s why having a local guide is highly important. Of course, you can take a comfortable jeep from Irkutsk, but only prays can help you then.
The old off-road car amazed us completely. It was produced in 1979, but the technical condition of it was excellent and driving through wild forest seemed unreal but the car and the driver managed to show good capability. I wouldn’t like to be a driver then. Uncle Sasha said that almost nobody asked to drive this car, except for the English.
During our Great Ice trip we hadn’t met similar cars. In general, there are cars, which are bigger, for group tours (mostly with Chinese tourists). We had met the group of people, who discovered Lake on skates, motorbikes, quad cycle, bicycle with spikes. The road sign, which stayed on the mirror-blue ice of the Lake seemed especially surreal and unusual. It was an official ice-road there in winter, but on this place in summer ferries go.
We had learned and seen a lot of interesting details during this trip. The time passed so quickly and excitedly, that now, looking back, it seems as if it was a night dream. Of course, we made many mistakes because of the lack of time for preparations. Our clothes, boots, phones hardly manage to pass this trial. But on the other hand, we made the main choices correctly: the guide, the car, the destination and eventually the weather happened to be excellent. And I am especially thankful to my husband, who agreed to fly with me, despite the fact that he had a bad cold. In Siberia his health improved quickly and I am very glad that we both enjoyed it there. Dreams must come true! :)