We arrived in Russia Wednesday morning. From Mongolia, we shared our train compartment (think closet size) with two guys, Josh and David, from St. Louis Missouri. We ended up getting along well, and even had a good laugh when they took the label from their Vodka bottle and wrapped it around our bottle of mineral water in hopes of, as they put it, tricking an unsuspecting Mormon.
Four days without a shower and three smelly guys had its toll, and I decided I should pay a visit to the local hairdresser. She must have been a drill Sargent in Lenin's army, and Cliff could only look helplessly through the glass while she barked out commands while cutting my hair (none of which I understood). But 6 inches came off, and I feel a lot cooler.
We stayed the night in a hotel near lake Baikal which is the world's deepest lake and contains nearly one-fifth of the world's fresh unfrozen water. We both decided to take a dip and nearly froze to death. We spent the remainder of the evening in a Russian bath house--a banya. They heated the room to 70 degrees C, gave us mint scented water to pour on the rocks, a felt hat to keep our head from overheating (Cliff's even had a Russian star on it!) and birch branches which we were to thrash ourselves to "increase circulation." We loved it, and especially enjoyed the local fresh fish they brought us eat while bathing.
I think we will have another long stretch on the train, but will post pictures next time from Krasnoyarsk.
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5 comments:
I'm not surprised that you decided to take a dip in the lake after your trip to the ice hotel earlier this year.
I don't know if I'll ever be tough enough to survive a Blair vacation....
I am pleased to hear that every thing is going well with your travel through Russia. Dad
That lake must of done something serious to your heads if you are willing to go into a room that is nearly 160 F. It may not cause water to boil, but I'm sure you could have fried your breakfast while you sat.
Margo, you are a brave, brave soul getting your haircut in Russia! I've seen some of those women and I would never let them around my head with a sharp object! :-) So glad you were able to go to lake Bikal...I remember teaching about it in Geography and thinking that it sounded like a really interesting place!
Continue to be safe and enjoy your travels! Take lots of pictures, too!!!
Hi guys,
That lake and sauna bath sound pretty sweet. Glad your having fun.
much love, Adele & Bill
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