So have arrived safely in Irkutsk!

Had a 4 day train ride from Moscow which was quite an experience. meet many a russian drinking vodka- no its not a myth, they do drink straight vodka shot after shot! and some old ladies which were really sweet.

Apart from that we had a very hostile provinitza (women looking after our carriage) who tried to make the experience as memborable as possible.....locking the toliets when you really needed to go....accusing us of stealing towels, that kind of thing. trust me a smile wasnt going to crack this one, so after 4 days I was quite getting used to her bulk stomping down the carriage. Our beds as you can imagine were pretty cosy and everytime we stopped we jumped off for some fresh air and interestin delights of russian home cooked food. Lets just say im ready for a nice steak when I get home Pa!

Thanks for the messages and will update you asap. Going to lake bikal tomorrow.

xxxx