It rained all night, which delayed our departure. Today
everyone can do what he or she wants, but we all decided that it was the
perfect day to take a walk up the mountains. One very ambitious group is going
to try for the top, a climb of perhaps 1,200 m gain in elevation. Another
group, formed by Christine, Raymond and me, decided to take it a little bit
easier, and instead walked up the canyon to the waterfall. The hikers had a
good time, but the path was steep and the clouds were too low, so eventually
they made it to the tree line and called it good.
We joined a healthy crowd of locals going up the stream. The
first 100 m of the path were lined by a gauntlet of merchants, all pretty much
offering the same merchandise. Prominent among the things being sold were
woolen clothes made in Mongolia. There were warm-looking hats, sweaters, vests,
belly warmers, underpants, socks, and gloves. I couldn’t resist and bought
myself two pairs of woolen socks, to replace the ones I have with holes in them.
Christine bought a set of vodka shot glasses with every imaginable symbol
representing Lake Baikal in them.
Another popular item for sale were empty plastic bottles,
ranging in size from quart to gallon sizes. This is Siberia, so of course there
is a miraculous spring somewhere in the park, and of course folks have to
collect and drink the water. There was a long line to collect the water, which
flowed through the bronze statue of a small Mongol child; the forest around it
was beautifully adorned with brightly colored ribbons. I didn’t try the water,
but I could see it had a yellowish tinge to it, and I was told it had a
distinctive iron taste.
The walk up to the waterfall was just about perfect for me.
I have been suffering a bit from sciatica, and my knees have not fully
recovered from Mount Roraima, so I was glad to take on a modest challenge. The
waterfall itself was cute but not super impressive. It is really a narrow,
twisting part of the gorge where the water is forced to rush through, creating an
effect akin to a “twisted waterfall”. Some fools were trying to clamber up the
steep sides to get a better look, so clearly lack of common sense is not
limited to the visitors of Bridal Veil in Yosemite.
On the way back we stopped at a bar that specializes in
beer. There were four coolers on the left displaying 20 different kinds of
bottled beer, but the real attraction was a wall with draft dispensers for yet
another 20 types of beer stored in barrels. Each dispenser had a clear plastic
bottle attached to it, indicating that the standard measure is one liter. We
upset the system a bit by asking for three glasses (1.5 liters in total), but
made up for it by purchasing 3 additional liters to go.
Today we treated ourselves to a banya or sauna. I think I have already said that this is a very
popular way to bathe here in Siberia, although the average citizen might
indulge only once every couple of weeks. We are visitors, so our record so far
is two times per week. I hope we keep this frequency up, because it is really a
great relief to sore muscles.
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