HELSINKI - IRKUTSK

Irkutskissa ollaan neljan juna yon jalkeen! Oikeastaan viiden. Ensin Tosltoi junalla Hki:sta Moskovaan, siella oltiin aamusta iltaan ja illalla 21:25 lahti juna kohti Baikalia.

Paatettiin lahtea pietarin bussin sijaan Tolstoi- junalla yotamyoten suoraan Moskovaan, kun keli oli taysin kaaottinen. Lunta tuli vaakatasossa ja busseissa ja pikkubusseissa varsinkin oli melko kehnon nakoset renkaat.

Junassa tutustuttiinkin sitten Jukkaan ja Kirsiin, Helsingin yliopiston jonkun matka ry tsydeemiin matkan jarjestajiin. Ne oli menossa moskovaan 24 ulkomaalaisen kanssa.

Aamulla meinattiin aiheuttaa instant burn-out venalaiselle lipunmyyjatadille kun yritettiin ostaa lippuja Trans siberia junaan. Lippuluukun loytaminen kavi yllattavan helposti, noin 5 eri kassaa ja n. 2km kavelya edestakasin.
Liput saatuamme paineltiin keskustaan metrolla. Kaytiin syomassa ja ihmeteltiin idan suuruutta. Yhdelta nahtiin Kremlin luona jukka ja kirsi. Ne oli saanu dumpattua ulkomaalaisensa ostoksille moskovan shoppailu paratiisiin. Jukka oli lopun paivaa meille oppaana kaupungilla ja hyva opas olikin. Puhu erittain sujuvaa venajaa ja tunsi kaupungin kuin omat taskunsa.
Kaupungilla palloilun jalkeen mentiin J & K:n hotellille ja maa ja Jori saatiin kayda suihkussa. Ilman sita junamatkasta olis tullu tuskanen.
Parin vodkapaukun jalkeen lahdettiin juna-asemalle. Ostettiin evasta mukaan ja ehdittiin junalle hyvissa ajoin.

Juna oli oikein viihtyisa ja siella tutustuttiin venalaisiin sotilaisiin, jotka oli komennettu siperiaan, Chitaan. Ne oli kasi kapiaista Sasha & Slava ja sotapoika Gole ja nelja muuta. Ne oli tosi ystavallisia ja avuliaita. Pantomiimi toimi oikein hyvin ja muutama sana venajaakin tuli opittua. Aamulla Irkutskiin tultaessa Sasha pisti Golen siivoamaan meidan Cupeen ja kaikki tuli asema laiturille kattelemaan, hyvastelemaan ja toivottaan hyvaa matkaa.

Amulla pilkkopimeassa ei loydetty netista kattottua hostellia. Paivanvalossa kaytiin kattoon niin se oli pieni sininen teras ovi talon sisapihan sisanurkassa. seinaan oli maalattu spraylla "HOSTEL" ja ovessa oli ovikello "Backpackers". Seuraavaks yoks mennaan sinne.
Irkutskiin jamahdettiin siis vahintaan kolmeksi paivaa kun viisumeita myonnetaan vasta maanantaina ja mongolian viisumiahan meilla ei viela oo.

Huomenna (sunnuntaina) mennaan bussilla Baikkalille. otan tietysti virvelin mukaan. Lodettiin kalastusvalineliike ja sielta oli tietysti saatava uistin!
USB- kaapeli jai tietysti hostellille, joten laitan kuvia vahan myohemmin.

Saturday, November 11, 2006

HELSINKI – IRKUTSK

Here we are in Irkutsk after four nights on a train. Actually five... First on the long distance train Tolstoi from Helsinki to Moscow, spent a day there and then at 9:25 p.m. a train to Baikal took off.

Instead of the bus to St. Petersburg we decided to take the Tolstoi train by the night straight to Moscow, because the weather was completely chaotic. It was snowing horizontally and the buses, especially smaller coaches, seemed to have quite lousy tires...

On the train then, we got acquinted with Jukka and Kirsi, the travel guides of travel-something-society-shitstem of Helsinki university. They were on their way to Moscow with 24 foreigners.

In the morning we almost caused an instant burn-out to a russian ticket sales lady when trying to buy tickets for the Trans-Siberian train. To find the right ticket sales booth was surprisingly easy, about 5 different cashiers and approx. 2 kilometres walking back-and-forth.

After getting our hands on the tickets, we took off to the downtown with the metro. We had a bite to eat and wondered the greatness of the orient. At 1 p.m. we met Jukka and Kirsi by the Kremlin. They had managed to dump their foreign group to the shopping paradise of Moscow... Jukka guided us around the city through the rest of the day and a fine guide he was. He spoke excellent russian and knew the city like the back of his hand.

Then after hanging around the city we went to the J&K:s hotel room, where I and Jori had a chance to shower. Without that the train trip would have been pain. After a couple of vodkas we took off to the train station. We bought some provisions for the road and made it in time easily.

The train was very comfortable and soon we got to know some russian soldiers who were ordered to Chita, Siberia.

They were two officers Sasha and Slava and a grunt Gole and four others. The soldiers were really friendly and helpful. We got along very well with some miming and also learned a few words of russian. In the morning when arriving to Irkutsk, Sasha had Gole to clean our cabin and all of them came to the platform to see us off and wish us well.

It was pitch-dark so we couldn’t find the hostel we had looked up in the internet. On the daylight we went to see it and found a small blue steel door in the inner corner of a building. Sprayed on the wall was the text “HOSTEL” and on the door there was a call button “Backpackers”. Going to spend the next night there. We’re stuck in Irkutsk for at least three days because visas are not granted until Monday, and the visas to Mongolia we still do not have...

Tomorrow (Sunday) we’re going to take the bus to lake Baikal. Naturally I will take my fishing rod with me. We found a fishing equipment store and of course I had to get a lure! Unfortunately I left my USB-cable at the hostel, so I’ll post some pictures later.