Lake Baikal
July 22nd Monday day 33 on the water:
I left really early. I contemplated spending another day but why. I had bought more groceries, was all packed up ready to load the kayak and I saw no reason to sit around. I don’t do that very well.
I carried everything out the back gate down to the lake. Pulled my kayak out the gate and down to the lake and I was packed and paddling by 5:30. Not having a problem getting up early has been serving me very well.
The folks there treated me good. I do think they gouged me a little bit on what the manager charged me to pitch my tent, but I got a hot shower, slept well the two nights, met the lady from Canada and all was well when I left.
The very nice lady from Canada.
Got to sail some, not happening enough.
Way too many people on the bank for me.
You can barely see the top of the tent.
Where we camped there was a guy from Germany spending several years traveling around in this truck, which I have seen several of these kind of truck campers.
He seemed to be very comfortable.
This cat showed up and just loved Stormy.
July 23rd Tuesday day 34 on the water:
The lady/bike rider from Karstasistan.
This lady who had been riding her bike for 13 months, and I mean all over this part of the world, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, the Balkan countries, amazing. She spoke great English and had learned it from a guy from Oregon in the Peace Corps years ago. She camped not far from me because we were close to the road.
1 of many beautiful sunrises on the Baikal.
The number of campers on the bank continues to astound me.
It was another uneventful day. The routine is settling in and the only thing I need to worry about and contend with is the wind. It has been coming up early and blowing in my face.
Lots of Fireweed.
We had to pull over early because of the wind. It just happened to be close to a good camp set back in the trees off the lake. Several nice cabins and a huge car port type area where everyone sat and drank and ate. He had a generator, storage batteries, large screen TV, dishwasher and refrigerator.
Once again, they fed me, and we used Google Translate to communicate. I ended up spending the night there because the wind was really blowing by the time I got back down to the lake.
I have gotten in the habit of lifting my kayak up on the bank.
July 24th Wednesday day 35 on the water:
Packed up and on the water again by 5:30. It started out to be a great paddling day but once again the wind came up early and it was a struggle. We managed to get most of our miles in but had to hit the bank early for another day.
The water looks like Mercury.
Not the best campsite.
I didn’t have a lot of choice when I hit the bank. Had to climb up the bank and get up out of the wind. The road along the front of the tent I was not happy with. Only one car came by. Lots of red ants. Everywhere. Zillions of them.
Long way to have to carry stuff up and down.
July 25th Thursday day 36 on the water:
Not the best nights sleep. And I don’t seem to be eating as well as I should, even though I have plenty of food and a good variety. I think it is because it is very hot, and the wind takes a lot out of me.
On the water an hour before the sun was up.
Seems like I am getting on the water earlier and earlier. The wind just keeps coming up about 10/11 and that makes it hard to get the miles in for the day if you wait until 6 or later to start paddling.
Stopped and hoping the wind dies down.
After a couple of hours, the wind actually did die down and we were able to continue paddling for another 3 or 4 hours and got our miles in.
Not a bad campsite.
Nice sunset.
July 26th Friday day 37 on the water:
On the water before the sun is up again.
I am hoping to make it to the next town today and it is going to be a struggle with the wind.
The guy back at the camp where I ate and spent the night offered to drive up and take me around The Holy Nose, so we will see. If I do have him do it, I will ask him to come on Sunday, giving me the rest of Friday afternoon and all day Saturday to get reorganized, go to the market and try to get on line if the cell service is any good in town.
This is a couple that waved me over and fed me.
We had to fight the wind off and on. It ended up being a 21 miles paddle since we had left in the morning, but we arrived at Urst about 3:00. I immediately talked to 3 couples with their kids from Irkusku and asked them to watch my gear and kayak and I walked into town with Stormy which was a very big mistake.
It ended up being about 3 miles, 80 plus degrees and very bad decision with out any thought to it. I got into town, very disappointed and got a ride back which this guy will be the one who takes me around The Holy Nose on Sunday morning back on the Baikal.
Road I walked to town on
Once again just great people.
The kids playing in the kayak.
July 28th Saturday day 39 on the water:
Spending the day getting some groceries, had to fix a pin hole in my air mattress, washed all the few dirty clothes I had, charging all the electronics up and hope to spend some time in town on the internet. I also need to find an ATM. I can not imagine there not being one in town with all the people that are here.
As it turns out, there is one ATM in town, and it is at the Bank and it is not accessible unless it is open and open Mon thru Fri. So, no Rubles. But, once the guys who were camped next to me, or I was camped next to them understood my dilemma. And the dilemma was, if I gave the guy that was going to drive me across over to the lake on the other side the $5,000 rubles of the $8,000 rubles I had, it wasn’t going to leave me much. $7,500 rubles is about $75.00.
One of the guys gave me the $5,000 rubles and when I get to Irkusku I will transfer that out of my account into his account, I took a picture of his bank card. Bank cards are a big thing over here, they just don’t have enough of them in places they should.
Once they left, I organized, and some other folks showed up. We got to talking, and they called a friend who came and got me. I went to the grocery store again and then we went over to his house so I could get caught up on the internet and charge up a few things, no sun lately.
Then he took me back to my camp and I finished getting ready to be picked up at 10 in the morning. It rained all night and into the next day.
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