More News from Abroad

ZipMedia's Roving Correspondent, Patsy123 sends us this report:

Hi All. Update since last email. Enjoyed the rest of our time in Moscow. It was not at all how I expected. Very bright, clean, cheerful, spacious.

After four night & three days on the train sleeping (or attempting to) reading, window gazing, chatting, eating & stretching legs on bleak exposed platforms we alighted at Irkutsk to pouring rain. We were picked up along with other travellers & taken to our home stay by Lake Baikal. The lake was spectacular, the oldest & deepest lake in the world, the only one with freshwater seals.

Only problem was that apart from one afternoon, the entire area was shrouded in mist & rain. We had a trek up the mountain planned with a guide (us & the other travellers) but they all chickened out but me cos of the rain. so, I had my own Siberian guide. We did half a day then headed back for hot soup instead of the planned picnic.

We stayed with the wonderful Rita who fed us to bursting with pancakes, omul the local fish, borsht & other local fare. Then sent us to relax in the banya (sauna) at the bottom of the garden.

Now we are back in Irkutsk for tonight and an early start on the train to Mongolia, the next leg of the adventure.

Hope all is well back in the UK, might get to email from Mongolia, if not then probably not in Beijiing either as the Govt. seems to have clamped down on the internet there.