Good old Russia

We fell in love in Mongolia! Head over heels! The country is simply marvelous and the more places you visit the more you want to see. And you soon notice that you could spend a year here and not see half of the things you should. 30 day visa for a place like that is a pure cruelty. It's simply not enough time! When we left Olgyi to drive towards the border we knew that leaving Mongolia won't be an easy thing and that we will probably miss it a lot. We knew there are still a few countries ahead of us, which will definitely be amazing too, but it just wouldn't be the same.

On our way we had to cross the last city, Tsagaannuur. You have probably noticed that I am not a huge fan of Mongolian cities and that is one of the ugliest I have seen. Surrounded by a huge fence it really makes a scary impression. And since we met a British couple, who got their valuables stolen there after being invited to a ger we decided to be a bit more careful than normally. But nothing could have prepared us for what we saw there. Those people went crazy when they saw us. They were running out of houses, jumping in front of our car, trying to stop us and make us follow them. Some of them were chasing us on motorbikes, just to draw our attention. And when we did stop, just to get some fuel a bunch of kids got to us and they actually started begging. I have never seen anything like that in Mongolia! And those children were not poorer then the other ones we saw. They were dressed normally and didn't really seem to be missing much. But they were following our every move chanting “pen, pen, money, money, money, present” for a good 10 minutes. And they were not only chanting, but also hanging on our clothes and even trying to get into the car. I absolutely adore Mongolian children and wanted to adopt at least 10 of them on our way, but I really hated those ones. Even though I knew it's not really their fault, since they were way too young to understand what they doing. But someone had told them to do it and it must have worked with a few tourists if they still continue. But still, after getting to know so many wonderful Mongolian people, who never expected anything and always insisted on giving more then they got from us this was just a huge shock. We did bring along some presents for Mongolian children and we gave away a big part of it, but we were never asked for anything, except for an old 5L bottle, which we wanted to throw away anyway. I just hope this illness will not spread to the rest of the country, but will stay a small problem of the border region.

We left this place as quick as possible, making sure there will be enough distance between our camping place and those begging kids. And once again we managed to find a splendid location on a lake. That is a thing I'm gonna miss the most, the fact that no matter where you go and where you decide to stop you can be sure it will be a great camping spot. And that there will be enough wild animals to keep you company. The only thing missing is wood to make some fire, but well, you can't have everything...

We had to get to a border on a specific day, early in the morning, since our transit visa for Russia was only valid for 5 days and we didn't want to waste any of them. And we actually managed to earn some money waiting in a border line. It turns out that not only 5L water bottles but also 20L jerrycans for fuel are quite popular in Mongolia. We heard that fuel may sometimes be hard to find in the country side and it would be wise to take some extra fuel in the cans, so we bought four of them back in Germany. We used only two and even those we used only once, as we were able to find 92 octane fuel in most bigger cities (95 octane is a really rare thing though). We were pretty sure we won't be needing 4 cans in Kazakhstan neither, so we were even thinking what to do with them, as they take some place and add some weight to our already overloaded car. The solution found us on a border, where people were actually arguing about who can buy them from us.

All formalities went quick this time, mostly because we already knew how it works and which papers we needed to get and since we already filled them out a few times we knew perfectly well what to write, even though all the questions were in Russian. We felt sad to be leaving Mongolia and worrying that we won't like Russia that much anymore. We didn't really know what to expect of the region we were crossing and we were a bit afraid of the roads that await us, which could make crossing to Kazakhstan in 5 days a bit of a challenge.

Well we soon knew we had nothing to worry about. It seems that Russia decided to show us it's most beautiful side at this very moment, just to prove that Mongolia is not the only country that had something to offer. The region of Altai is simply splendid! Mountains, rivers and trees make for a perfect view all along the way. And the road is perfect! The best one we saw in Russia. We stopped in the first city to get some fuel and a new car insurance for Russia and it felt so good to be able to understand local people again. And by the time we stopped to get some food we were all perfectly happy to be in Russia again. Don't get me wrong, Mongolian food was not as bad as I expected, but the choice was pretty limited and nearly almost included mutton meat. It simply can not compete with Russia cuisine, full of many various options, one better then the other. Those are two different worlds.

Leaving the city we met three Russian backpackers hitchhiking their way back to Moscow. Gerrit decided to give them a ride and it all worked so nicely that we stayed together for 2 days, until our ways parted. Camping that night was really perfect. Mountains all around us, a river flowing next to us and enough wood to make fire all night long. We were cooking, baking potatoes, drinking Indian spicy tee and playing cards until we got too tired to recognize the numbers. And by the end of the evening we missed Mongolia a bit less then we did while leaving it.

Driving with locals had quite a few advantages. They were showing us quite a few things we would miss for sure if we were driving alone. And so we had a chance to discover the perfect spots to take pictures and see some extremely old wall pictures, that were better preserved than any I have seen before, although they were in an open air, exposed to rain and sun all the time. But the view I will remember best was a cow along the road, looking quit happy while chewing on a huge bush of wild growing marihuana.

The last stop on our way was Barnaul, where we decided to check our car as we had some serious problems starting it in the mornings. We wanted to check it as soon as possible as the problem seemed to be getting worse with time and because we learned to trust Russian car mechanics and wanted to get the job done here. The thing I like most about them is that they seem to be able to find a reasonable solution to every problem. Nothing is impossible, even if the spare parts are not available. And that is exactly what we needed since we already knew, that taking a starter out of T3 Syncro will be quite of a challenge and getting a new one was out of question.

We found a VW garage and after a moment we knew Karossi is in a right hands. But we also knew it may take a while. All the guys were really helpful and agreed to repair our car on a spot knowing we had to leave the country the next day. A few things were checked, but they all seemed to be in a perfect condition until we were sure it can be nothing else but the starter, a part that is well hidden behind our differential lock and quite difficult to pull out. The fun has just began. I was especially amazed to see how much dust and dirt is getting from underneath our poor car. It was massive clouds of what was soon called “a souvenir from Mongolia”. It took quite a while and an awful lot of effort before we managed to get the source of our problems out of the car. But it was finally out and we hopped we could get it fixed, as we knew there is no way of finding a replacement, especially not in one day. But we put our car in good hands. The starter was cleaned, repaired and tested until we were sure it's working fine again. It was nearly 22 o'clock before Karossi was put together again and we were having a bad conscious for keeping all the guys up so late. They were working really hard on our car, making sure we had something to eat and drink at the same time. And they didn't seem to be loosing their good moods. It was totally dark when we were leaving the garage, being extremely thankful for all the help and support and for the fact that Karossi was up an running again, ready to enter Kazakhstan the next day. And as a souvenir Karossi got new frames for his number plates, as the old ones were broken in Mongolia.

The magical Baikal

We were still a bit dizzy from the birthday party when we were leaving Irkutsk the next day, but the goal was set, we're going to swim in lake Baikal today. We decided to do it in the first possible place to reduce the amount of driving to the absolute minimum. And we decided to continue our journey with Gerrit, as after few weeks of driving alone we could really do with some nice company. The roads were so bumpy and curvy that it was hard not to get seasick, but already the first glimpse at Baikal made us forget all the inconveniences. Impressive is definitely the best word to describe it. Followed by amazing and magnificent. The first beach we found turned out to be a perfect location, so we didn't need to spend more time searching for a good camping spot. We could just grab the towels and go for a swim. And we did. And no, it wasn't cold, it was simply freezing. But it felt great anyway.

The weather in this area is changing quite quickly, jumping from burning sun to rain before you can even notice. But we didn't mind. After 4 weeks of driving a few hundreds kilometer a day we simply enjoyed the fact that we can stay at one spot and finally get some rest. And there's no better place for it than Baikal. So the plan for the next few days was set. Little driving and lot of camping, always along the water. And I can tell you it was a brilliant plan!

We spent the next day in Tunka Valley, which really offered us many wonderful views. I made 150 photos that day and loved every minute of our ride. I was just a bit disappointed with the village that awaited us at the end. Arshan seems to be more touristic than anything I saw in my entire life. And it's this awful type of tourism, meaning plastic souvenirs and popcorn on every corner, all the way to the famous waterfalls. But we did our best to concentrate on the nature, ignoring the people and the plastic surroundings. And it worked quite well, but still we decided to spend a night outside of the place, along the river. And we found a perfect location. Clean, warm water, enough wood for fire and some fantastic views. And when I thought it can't get any better than that Gerrit came up with an idea to bake a bread. It really was a perfect day.

And we got a message from Emma that they found a perfect camping spot on Baikal and are staying there for a day or two, so we decided to join then the next day. And the place was lovely indeed. Private green space with view on the lake and again some nice fire place. Before I came here I was wondering why there aren't any real camping places in Russia. But who needs a professional camping place if you can simply stop your car anywhere on Baikal? No one will bother you, you can make fire when you wish to and instead of an old rusty shower you can take a swim in the world's deepest lake. I wouldn't change it for anything.

And once again we could experience the famous Russian hospitality. There are not that many shopping opportunities in the small Baikal villages, so we didn't have that much food to share. We were even a bit worried if we all will have enough for a nice supper. But then Anton turned up with his family. They were camping next to us and heard us speaking in some funny languages, so they decided to come and visit, bringing along some Russian cookies and home made lecho. Suddenly our supper turned into a real feast! And it got even better when we admitted we haven't tried a local fish yet. Anton's wife, Evgenia came back with 3 of them. We were full before our grilled meat and potatoes were ready at all :) And it really was the best food I got in Russia so far! And once again my limited Russian skilled proved to be enough to spend a lovely evening talking about all important issues. I guess it only needs a good will and some creativity on both sides and then no words are needed. We definitely had fun! And full belly! 

Reunion in Irkutsk

We were happy to find out that the roads were not as bad as we expected, which allowed us to reach Irkutsk in 2 days. Unfortunately due to another time change we arrived late in the evening just to find out that the whole city goes to sleep at 22:00. We were walking through the center hoping to find an open restaurant, but we knew it was a lost case. Finding food between 10 pm and 10 am the next day often is in Russia. And suddenly we saw a fully packed Toyota parked along the street. We couldn't believe our eyes when we saw it's actually a German car. It had to be the guy Emma and Andy told us about. I mean, how many Germans with a Toyota can drive this way at the same time. We looked around but the driver was nowhere to be found, so we decided to leave him a letter with out contact details. We only managed to walk a few meters when we heard someone running down the street screaming out names. It was Gerrit, the guy we heard about and he just got there too. We didn't manage to find a place to grab some food or a beer, so we ended up picnicking in front of the only supermarket that was still open. Back then we didn't know we will actually end up joining forces and discovering Baikal region together.

Reaching Irkutsk so early left us with enough time to apply for the visas before the weekend. We went to the consulate early in the morning, prepared for a long queue and endless paperwork, but we were nicely surprised. We didn't have to wait long and there was only one short form to fill in and a very friendly English-speaking workers who helped us answer all the tricky questions. No invitations, no confirmations from the hotel, no further issues. When we were done they only showed us the price list, with different amounts depending on how long we want to wait for the visa (1, 2 or 3 working days). After our Omsk experience we took the express visa and were extremely happy when we picked it up the next day. And we found a VW garage who checked our Karossi just to make sure he's still in best shape. He is! And they definitely had fun checking it.

Irkutsk itself it's not a bad city, but not an amazing one neither. For some reason the drivers there seem to be even more aggressive than in Omsk, making crossing the street a real challenge. But the place has a few nice buildings to offer. Fortunately we met a very nice Swiss couple who were much better prepared then we were and helped us explore the most important bits. We took a long walk together enjoying the company and for David the possibility to speak his mother tongue again.

We could finally relax. With visa in the pocket, some new friends made and Emma’s birthday party waiting for us in the evening. And we even got a place in the most popular hostel in town where we could finally take a warm shower. It was more luck then we needed and we spend a lovely evening talking, exchanging experiences and having fun. Or at least it was so until I fell asleep in the middle of the party, but I guess that's nothing new to those of you who ever tried to party with me... Soon I'll become an internationally known party-sleeper :)