Day 5: Lake Baikal

After dropping our bags at the Eco-Baikaler, we made our way down to the shoreline and followed it to a restaurant called the “Shaman” (Шаман) recommended by our host, Anna.  A good mix of Russian food was offered and the food was decent – and most importantly for us foreigners, menus are offered in Russian, English, and German. 

The Shaman café, which overlooks Lake Baikal.	Jasper learns how to drink Mors with a knife (Mors [Морс] is a berry drink we enjoyed throughout our trip in Russia)
I had the “Meat Troika” (Мясная тройка), which is fried beef, pork, and chicken mixed with cheese.  A significant reason behind getting it was because it had the word “troika “in the dish.	Dad and Lance are amused by Jasper (off camera left) during our relaxing lunch by the lake.

Afterwards, we walked back towards the main part of town along the lake.  There really isn’t much of a beach along the road – it’s more like a sea wall and a couple feet of rocks or gravel.  There were still people sunbathing down there, and we went down and had some fun skipping rocks into the lake (to the amusement of some of the people walking by).  This started an inside joke that if somebody asked us why we were doing it, we would claim to be Canadian.

The Brenders relax on the beach.	Deepest lake in the world?  Check.
Dad practices the traditional “Canadian” pastime of skipping rocks in a lake.	“Sailing… sailing away… “  Man that yacht rock is just so incredibly smooth!

We booked an hour-long boat excursion at one of the information kiosks.  During the wait I did some scouting to find the trailhead for the numerous backpacking trails that go around Lake Baikal while the Brenders and Dad stayed by the marina an shopped at some of the souvenir stands.  At the east end of the town there is an actual dirt beach, and the paved road goes through a residential area to the actual trailhead.

ATV rentals by the half-hour or hour.  Jasper’s affinity for cars and trucks became apparent when we walked by.	His other car is a hovercraft…

The trail rises up into the steep hills surrounding the lake, offering some spectacular views when the weather is good.

We linked back up to go on the boat ride.  The ride went about five kilometers east along the shore before looping back around.  Our “guide” didn’t speak much English and mostly sat around and texted on her phone.  Dad and I went up to the bow, where it was windier but much quieter and offered better views.  They had blankets for the people sitting in the back.

The Brenders… on a boat!	The shoreline.

On the way back we noticed an abandoned series of buildings and an upturned and rusting boat hull by the sandy beach.  Our guide said it was the remnants of a small shipbuilding industry that used to exist… perhaps the overturned boat was their first (and last) vessel.

The remnants of Listvyanka’s shipbuilding industry.

Following the boat ride, I ended up getting a stuffed animal (a seal) for Jasper.  As it turns out, the seal is the iconic animal of Lake Baikal (though we didn’t see any live ones on the lake) and the seal became a constant companion for him for the rest of the trip.  We had some shishkabobs at a fish market and enjoyed seeing the sun setting over the beach before heading back to the hostel for a good night’s sleep.

Jasper’s seal in a car.	Dinner at the market.