Siberia

In front of the Irkutsk Lenin statue - there are a lot of statues like this, of Lenin, in Russia

We started out in the capital of Mongolia Ulaan Baatar and onto a 36 hour train ride to go to Irkutsk the capital of Siberia (part of Russia). We got off the train two days later in Irkutsk. It was about 8:00 when we got off the train  and it was only 4 degrees outside quite normal for Siberia as in winter it drops down to -50. It was a very nice town and there was one bit of it that was a whole street of old wooden buildings only made out of logs. For us it was a more modern day hotel room. Irkutsk isn’t that big a town and it is really just one big circle - out the front of it is a beautiful river which is so clear you can see the bottom about twenty metres away. It is filled with little restaurants but in Russia most of the menus are not in English at all and that is a big problem when you are looking for somewhere nice and decent to eat. By the end of the day Irkutsk reaches about 20 degrees and that is a nice temperature. All in all it is a nice town. Also it neighbours the worlds biggest lake, Lake Baikal. Lake Baikal is called the Sea of Siberia by some locals and has it’s own unique species of Fresh Water Seals – they look a bit funny!  

Part of the Irkutsk Birthday Parade - local legend and dress

Waiting for Dad to take another photo