Due to Popular Demand

I have been informed by one of my two readers that it has been one week, time for a new post. And I concur, but since Irkutsk is not exactly a hotspot for wireless connectivity, I'll have to post from an internet cafe without my pictures. So for the momment, I will skip China (although it's written on paper).

We just got back from Listvyanka, the closest Lake Baikal town to Irkutsk. It was about 1.5 hours away by bus and pretty cool (and pretty damn cold too). We stayed at the best value place yet, 500 rubles a person got us a place with the hostel through the baikal complex. It was really a hotel, not a hostel, brand new wooden 3 story building with new private attached bathroom and shower (sweet sweet privacy). My brother and I ate smoked omul and kababs by the lakeshore and wondered why Irkutsk sucked so much.

We're back in Irkutsk now through =(, just checked into the Baikaler Hostel. After having walked the city about 10 times the first day we got here looking for sold out hostel after sold out hostel, the town has lost much (but not all!) of its charm. The staircase to the hotel is scary and smells of old urine with a sprinkle of fresh feces. The rooms are ok though, looking forward to moving to the next town.

As soon as we get a place with an internet connection I'll upload some pictures and download the episodes of House (and maybe Prison break) that I've missed as well as update the rest of the trip since I've already written it longhand as well as the tale of the missing fellow traveler from Ulan Bator who I am currently unintentionally live action re-enacting the movie Lake House with at this internet cafe.

p.s. I'm thinking of updating wikipedia to include the fact that it is cold in siberia during the winter.