Baikal blues

Sadly not the sky or the water.

Blues as in Russia is difficult at times and today has been testing. The language barrier is no different to being in any country. In the end different words for similar meanings is just a case of education. . But when the alphabet is different it sometimes gets a bit cryptic.

No blue skies travelling from Irkutsk to Ulan-ude. .just grey cloud. Cool temperatures and occasional rain.

No blue water either. . The great lake all but hidden from view by the endless trees. . .Russia has become a road lined with trees hiding anything that might be interesting, punctuated by mainly grim cities and paranoid petrol station cashiers. Is this all that Russia is?

Irkutsk was vaguely interesting. But one town becomes much like any other in the end . .

My day started badly in Irkutsk as rain and slippery tram tracks conspired to put me down the road just 5 minutes into the days journey. That I guess went some way to setting my mood for the day, which matched the atmospherics.  No serious damage. A bent handlebar will straighten and a bit of a knock on the knee will be a little stiff the day after but I'll live on. . Just annoyed at myself for what is really a rookie mistake. Crash bars and good kit saved the day.

I'm just not feeling good about Russia right now. . Initially  it was a pleasant change after Kazakhstan's trials but further East it's just, well grey, tree lined and mostly uninteresting. The people I've met seem mostly the same. More interested in their mobile phone conversation than customer service. I know I don't speak the language but give me a break here!

Sometime it would be nice to have someone around to pick me up both metaphorically and as it happen today literally!

It's just been a bad day that's all. . With a few repairs to sort out I'll take some time in Ulan Ude before moving on. .

Lake Baikal - best view of it all day!