Around Baikal by train Bashny.Net

For tourists on Lake Baikal Russia is represented not only by traditional matreshka, balalaika. An unusual attraction: a ride along the largest freshwater lake in the world by train, the historic part of the Trans-Siberian. Circum-Baikal Railway, once the most difficult and expensive part of the "steel belt" Russia today has lost its strategic purpose, but has not been dismantled, like many other outdated railway lines. From it made excursion route that leads foreigners in a real delight.

In this feature a lot of natural beauty, unusual and most interesting train railway in Russia. And new experience: feel like a foreigner in his own country, and without going beyond it, to be in China.

42 photos via livejournal





1 To prepare the tour thoroughly. Special company sells tickets, rent a bus, a boat, and the actual train itself from the Railways. With occupancy is no problem: every day is going to tour more than three hundred people, five of these buses. Lake Baikal, of course, lucky, and the flow of tourists here hundreds of times more than the average for Russia.



2:00 bus ride from the center of Irkutsk and Lake Baikal. Even a cracker to nature, as the author of this magazine, once again marvel at the beauty of these places. Above the lake are always special clouds.



3 While a large group of tourists looked into the distance, I found the seal very close to shore. She then showed its face above the water, then dive again. And, in my opinion, humming softly.



4 Before the railroad need to get buses and ferries: sounds absurd? Well, so, from the village of Listvyanka to Port Baikal no other vehicles except water. As they say in Chukotka - We have a complex transport scheme. This justifies everything. You can not simplify. But from a tourist point of view, even fun, ride a bus, sailed on a boat ... and the locals are not so many suffer.



5 At the entrance to the bay are on the moors very first cruise ships, once converted from tugs.



6 And in the port we were met by a kid with ice cream. He looks at vostorzhёnno guests slightly slanting eyes: Asian tourists waving the boy answered.



7 Foreigners come here not only for nature. More color for thereby, in search of which I myself usually am. Eye compatriots nothing special sees the village as the village, across the country such.



8 That train. I was expecting anything, but not this! Ordinary train that is attached to the diesel locomotive "Circum-Baikal Railway" was built back in the locomotive era. They say that usually goes rail bus, and occasionally a real locomotive. But then you can not guess: train because train.



9 Platform in the modern sense here either. Therefore, to the door of the charge of ladders. Amazing sharpness was the man who invented it. Color, barely begun, do not retreat, foreigners delighted with the Russian know-how, are photographed on the stairs.



10 But inside the train differs from the usual train about the same as a truck differs from subcompact. Shop altered to "coupe" for four people, each passenger will get a piece of the table.



11 So many uses for its intended purpose. I got a place next to the family of three people: my grandmother, my mother and little daughter. If you have time to think about that on the train ride only foreigners, it is not so: about a third of domestic tourists. My neighbors were ardent admirers lifestyle fictional Gargantua and Pantagruel. All of their three-dimensional luggage seems to take food. Пряники-кексы-огурцы-сыр-яйца-курицагриль-сосиски-яблоки-пирожки…это only the part that was destroyed for "breakfast". Mother and grandmother are constantly remembered in vain some aunt Valya, Irkutsk cousin, which they spent the night. Like, Aunt Val little put. I found it difficult to be around people constantly chewing, keep the conversation I could not: the diet. Because, leaving fellow traveler to indulge in gluttony, I went to look at the other passengers.



12 Going into the next car, I discovered that it is full of Chinese people ...! Next, too. And in one ... Reaching the head car, I had no doubt that the Chinese also machinists, train captured, and we're on our way towards the Mongolian border!



13 The joke, of course. In fact, it is the tourists from China make up 70% of the total tourist traffic on Lake Baikal. Not surprisingly, they fly just three hours from Beijing to Irkutsk. They go everywhere Russian girl guides, interpreters in Chinese. Even if Asians spoke English, we have it still would not help. Europeans a little bit, but they are. Met with the French, Swedes and Swiss. But Europeans is usually independent tourists usually not so young couple. And they also helped to look at their country through different eyes. Need to see how they are looking at guides and maps. Affects the size, sincerely admire the fact that for us is banal and zamylennye. Red Square and the Kremlin is really beautiful, but we do not notice. Foreigner focuses on beautiful dominant, he will not see dirt and devastation, only if it does not stick to him under his breath. And we live in this. That's the whole difference. When you travel alone, are simply reversed.