Lake Baikal (meaning the Nature Lake in Mongolian) is a rift lake in southern Siberia, between Irkutsk Oblast to the northwest and the Buryat Republic on the southeast. By volume, Lake Baikal is the largest freshwater lake in the world and also the deepest (maximum depth: 1,642 m). It contains 22-23% of the world's fresh surface water, which is more than the water of Northern American Great Lakes combined. I think I have read somewhere that if all of the world's water supply was to dry up, the water in Lake Baikal could still sustain the lives of everyone on the planet for at least 40 years. And if that's not enough, Lake Baikal also holds the record of being the oldest lake in geological history. Its age is estimated to be 25 - 30 million years old.
On my Trans-Siberian journey, I stopped in Irkutsk, specifically to see this natural wonder. From Irkutsk, I had to take a minibus to Listvyanka, a small village by the lake. It was an off-season when I visited, so I didn't have to book the bus tickets in advance. The most popular times to visit Lake Baikal are during summer (because of summer holidays and warmer temperatures), and winter (because of how spectacular it looks when frozen). So, although I was not lucky enough to see Baikal in the Siberian winter, I was lucky to be able to avoid the crowd.
My seat on the bus was the only one facing sideways. A weird seat for a weird person. It was rather awkward because I didn't know where to look. When I was just staring straight ahead, the guy sitting across the aisle kept stealing glances because he thought I was looking at him.
After an hour, we reached our destination. The weather seemed to be very sunny. What a pleasant day to be outdoors, I thought. That is, until I actually stepped out of the minibus. The wind was strong as hell and it was freezing. I had to stay under the sun all the time. The moment I stepped into the shades, I'd have to put on my gloves and hat. As the day progressed however, it got a little warmer and I was able to enjoy a few hours strolling by the lake.
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| Listvyanka |
Baikal is home to thousands of species of flora and fauna, many of which do not exist anywhere else in the world. Among these species is the omul fish. It has become a tradition for anyone visiting Baikal to eat a smoked omul by the lake. I bought a small one at the local fish market. It tasted pretty good, albeit with a rather strong smell, because unlike most Asians who like to mask the smell of fish with turmeric, lime, ginger, lemongrass, garlic, onion and what-not, I think the Siberians only season their fish with salt.
My bus back to Irkutsk was at 6 pm. The sunset was at 6.30. So I only managed to watch the sunset from inside the bus. Still, I was glad I didn't leave any later than 6. I don't think I could have survived another second there without the sun.
