At the lake now, the honcho is a bit grating, darn siberians but hostel was deadly with hot showers which are wanted after four days on a train that had a lot of dank, old russia mystique (or musk) you could say. The lake and listuvyanka was good but teh dining and drinking options were limited, still managed to eat and get pissed so it wasn't all bad. Also went for a hike to a great viewpoint but didb;t have a camera, i'll rob someone else's later (photo of lake, not camera).

Did my first tick hunt and can still say TICK FREE SINCE 83, BOOM. Had some omul which was very nice, had a banya (russian sauna) which involved sittig in a steam room at 100 degrees and then getting drencghed in cold water, then having some tea, then back into the sauna to be hit with birch leaves by a man in a bannana hammonck reminisecent of the Todd in scrubs. Disturbing but exfoliating apparently. I went first so it would just be birch leaves and not birch leaves and the sweat of others.

Now preparing to get back on the train, odge russian customs, dodge mongolian customs and get to ulanbaatar.

Talk to you then