Irkutsk, part 2 / Olkhon Island, part 1

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Most people, however, prefer to live in apartments like this "Kruschoi" style block unit.
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This building with the royal pomp and exterior columns is a trademark of Stalin's aeshetic dictates.
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As is the case of every Russian city, at the crossing of Lenin Street...
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...and Karl Marx street, what will you find?
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None other than the triumphant Vladimir Lenin!
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The Marxist fanatic with a radical "top-down" vision of society in the name of the oppressed.
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Who knew that one day he would stand side-by-side with international capitalist corporations?
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Later on, I make arrangements to head to Olkhon Island. I am picked up in this old-school Russian Lada 4WD.
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This guy Sasha is the guide...
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...and Dmitry drives the truck. We stop for gas. "In God We Trust" indeed.
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Outside of the urban centers, this is your toilet.
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Believe me, this is one of the nicer toilets in the provences. At least no one has missed the hole!
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Along the way, we stop for lunch. On the menu: fish salad, fish soup, and poza--a pierogi-like food with barely cooked ground meat and grease.
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Driving through the countryside, the unruly cows don't care about your needs. (A very common theme while traveling in Russia.)
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After many hours on the road, we finally arrive at MRC, the port to Olkhon Island.
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The ferry runs every hour, and many people go ahead and set up camp for the wait.
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We are only 10 cars back, so we'll definitely make it on the next trip (or so I think...).
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The boat workers cram everylast car they can on the ship... literally picking this one up to squeeze it on!
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While waiting, you can hike up a nearby hill for gorgeous views.
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Bizarrely, there are some graves at the top of the mountain. In Siberia, you begin to see more Asians due to its proximity to Mongolia and China.
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For a brief hour's wait, its quite relaxing.
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But everything gets fucked up when the boat comes on the opposite side of the dock!
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And the local mafia who pay off the boatmen get first entrance...
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...as the other cars scramble to get into the new line and lose their place (including us)!
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People get tense, and this rough neck cowboy starts punching one of the boatmen. His violent tactic actually works, and he gets on board. (This is a lesson about how to get things done in Russia.)
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We're not so lucky... It is really rare for me to start drinking to quell my anger.
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But I'm really really unimpressed.
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After six hours of waiting, the boat pulls up again to make the 3 km ride across Baikal.
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Because we haven't paid a bribe, the guard lets other cars go first. Will we ever get through?
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After a 6 hour wait, we finally get through! (Last vehicle on the boat.)
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By this time, my utter disgust with MRC is beyond compare.
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Dmitry doesn't really care. He gets this crap all the time.
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Sasha keeps his cool.
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The cows, like the Russians, will get in your way just to spite you!
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Once on Olkhon Island, we pass this typical and lopsided wooden house.
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We pick up our food for the next three days: delicious omul is a distant relative of salmon.
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The serenity of the gigantic Lake Baikal is immense. The riptide of passing boats goes undisturbed.
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The landscape is incredible... especially here at Shaman Rocks.
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Olkhon island is considered one of the five global poles of shamanic energy by the Buryat peoples of Siberia, who are indigenous Buddhists.
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Here is a totem dedicated to the shamanic energy.