long red lines across a map

There was a real sense of nervous excitement as everyone gathered in the eastern waiting hall of the Irkutsk Station. When I say everyone that is because in addition to our trio there were a number from our hostel, those we had met on Olkhon Island, and enough others that would fill the train and meant that it was standing room only in the spacious hall.

Bye bye Irkutsk

[read on]

There are those that say that you travel to discover the truth about yourself.  If that is the case then it is probably time to accept that getting to departure points on time, if that time is early in the morning, is a major weakness.  With each breath showing prominently in the frozen morning air we are running down ul. Timiryazeva with about two minutes to cover the final couple of kilometres to the bus station.  It seems unlikely we will make it.

A good portion of the blame for this can be attributed to one of the most ridiculous traffic jams I have ever seen.  All the trolley bus had to accomplish was a left turn off ul. Lenina and we would be in plenty of time to find the correct shuttle to Olkhon.  But trying to get across Dzerzhinskogo everything ground to a halt.  With traffic from every direction somehow all in the intersection at once there was suddenly nowhere for anyone to go.  This Gordian knot only pulled tighter as any time an inch of space appeared those nearest would rush to fill it instead of being patient and letting the one or two vehicles out that would unravel the whole mess. [read on]