Lee and Clare, The road home

Irkustk

11^th October 2003

We have finally arrived in Irkustk (just). We've come straight to the Internet cafe from the station because Lee lost the bit of paper where we wrote the address of where we are staying and we have to look it up.

Well we've left autumn far behind us now. Winter is here. For about 20 hours of our train ride there was snow on the ground (made for some interesting scenery of course!) but there is none in Irkutsk, though it is seriously chilly here. We reckon about minus 10. Lee's rabbit hat is coming in handy! There was snow here a couple of days ago apparently. Our heads are swimming a bit after being on the train for so long - 32 hours, then coming out into the freezing air, and carrying our packs all the way here, then sitting down in this warm spot and staring at the screen.

We had a very cool time in Novosibirisk. We should have said that the friendly people that we met on the train were a mother and 22 year old daughter who spoke English and translated (both lawyers). We wondered after if you would have worried about us setting off with strange people?? We went and stayed with them in their apartment along with dad and 18 year old brother, spaniel and big fluffy cat. They were so nice to us, cooking us lots of Russian food, including borsch, salads, Russian ravioli, raw bacon fat and lots of shots of vodka - we finished off a bottle before we started our second course between 5 of us. Then we went and had a sauna! Lee had to have a shave because the girl said to us, in the funniest quote ever, that she thought we should have a sauna because she thinks we haven't washed for a week. Funny!!

For two days Catalina showed us around her city. Her friend drove us around for the morning, then later her dad picked us up and took us to Aca-something (the scientific place you e-mailed about Lisa). On the second day we shouted them to the ballet at their huge theatre (the biggest one in Russia) there and took them out for dinner to say thank you. The ballet was two words, second work locks, first word bol. It was just a little local one. You could really see the difference in quality between that and the Bolshoi.

The train trip was fine. We did more looking out the window at the snow, no more orange leaves, no more leaves at all in fact. Also lots of sleeping and reading. Been buying food off the platforms along the way. Last night for dinner was big gherkins and potatoes and kind of potato dumpling thing. Lunch today - more potatoes with kind of salami sausage thing. Haven't had dinner yet and we haven't found the place where we are staying (it's 9.30pm!) so we better head off.

Lee and Clare