We were met at the platform by Costa (our new honcho), who is one of the coolest Russians I have met, and taken on the hour drive to lake Baikal. Once we arrived the first port of call was breakfast and a substantial breakfast it was (two courses!). We then went for a walk in the surrounding hills and it is more than fair to say that we were all awestruck by the beauty and magnitude of the place. We reached the top of the hill to be met by the most incredible view I have ever seen, and to try and describe it would never come close to doing it justice. The view continued to get better as we reached the shoreline just in time to watch the sunset over the lake. I think we were all mesmerised by the whole experience. The last thing I'm going to mention about this place (as I have already gushed enough) is the silence. On the odd occasion that we all stopped going on about the beauty of the view the silence was all enveloping.

Once back at the chalet we had a Russian sauna, which consists of sitting in a room and cooking yourself (the walls are at 100 degrees and higher) for five minutes. Then having a cup of tea in a cool room, followed by another five minutes (during which Costa was constantly throwing water on the coals, so the waves of heat were imense). This second five minutes is follwed by a couple of minutes stood outside (at -15 degrees at least) and then back into the sauna. This third time in the room leaves you sweating so much you wonder if there is any water left in your body, and is followed by rolling around in the snow (which when you are as hot as we were is actually quite pleasant. Then comes the whipping with birch branches which feels more like a massage and is incredibly relaxing.

The day wound down in a nice and gental way with a relaxed dinner (I think everybody was feeling calmed by the whole day, except Sarah who was starting to come down with something). I believe that this day is going to take a lot to beat on our travels!!

Our final day at lake Baikal was much colder and windier and the lake was mostly frozen (unbeleivable how fast it happened). Sarah was full of I cold so we stayed at the chalet in the morning to try and let her recuperate, as the walk took alot out of her. It was very strenuous as alot of it was up (or down) steep slopes but I think she conceded that it was worth it in the end.