Lake Baikal

Sooo after all the nonsense that occured, we were ready for our snowmobile experience on the frozen lake Baikal. It was a pricey activity so we really hope it would live up to expectation. Our guide picked us up from our accommodation and drove us to her tour agency headquarters. There, we changed into the snowmobiling gear they provided that really did seem like Russian military gear. It was big, bulky but seemed like it would do the job. After getting into gear and getting the briefing on the usage of snowmobile, we were off. Being a two-seater snowmobile, we were paired up. Sheng Yang was with me and Siddarth was with David. Siddarth drove first while Sheng Yang drove first for our pair. We proceeded in a single file and went through a forest to the lake. The ride through the forest was pretty beautiful as we saw the forest covered in snow as we zoomed past. It was pretty bumpy sitting at the back but the beauty of the forest was worth it. There was some tough parts as we both scaled a mountain and came back down one. The steep slopes made it tough for SY, while i simply enjoyed the ride. When we reached the lake, we stopped for a short break, during which we admired the beauty of the lake, while playing in the snow as well taking tons of photos :D.  We took off soon after and went through the lake to our lunch location. This meant we were going through flat ground for the first time. Hence, we started speeding at up to speeds of 60 – 70 km/h. It was so exhilarating, i had never been at the steering wheel of a vehicle at such a speed. Soon we reached the house for a welcome break and a warm lunch. Much to our surprise, the lunch turned out to be one of the best meals we had in the entire trip. Hot potatoes, homemade jam, hot soup, one large smoked omul per person, salad and some great homemade biscuits. It was so delicious, we completely devoured the food and gorged ourselves. I remember being so satisfied by the meal. After the hour long break, we got back on the vehicle and headed to see some congelation black ice as well as ice formations. It was really an experience of a lifetime. I had never seen anything like that and i doubt i would ever see anything like that ever again (maybe an exaggeration). After ALOT of photo taking, we took a long ride back. This ride gave us a chance to have some fun speeding on the snowmobile as well as take in the supreme beauty of the lake. One highlight was the period of time i managed to hit 85 km/h for a couple of minutes. Man, that was such a rush. Soon tho, we were done with the tour and headed back to our accommodation. On reflection, i do believe the tour was worth it, an experience we would not have if we did not choose to spend the money. On a whole, Lake Baikal was simply amazing. During the planning phase, i had my doubts about Irkutsk and Baikal in general but my doubts were completely squashed by these 3 days. Simply Brilliant.