The Eye of Siberia
Tuesday, January 26th, 2010When doing some research for our Baikal excursion this gem was found; “under Russian conditions nothing is easier than getting to Olkhon Island.” Once a price for the ride had been negotiated and the other passengers had shown up this proved accurate. For the next seven hours we watched as the scenery changed from city to industry and finally to beautiful taiga countryside.
There is a paradox in Siberia that nature is so overwhelming and extensive that the industry using these resources is very dirty. As though to make itself known in a setting that would otherwise be uninterested. A particularly striking image was an actual river of smoke from a single factory. Perfectly clear sky marred by a brown line twisting away to where the blue was met by the grassland. [read on]