| 300 Irkutsk another Russian city in Siberia
Thu - As it happened there are only 2 ferries across the river mouth per day so I had to leave at 7am anyway. Cos I had to get to the hospital I skipped the lakeside holiday town, which other people later said is boring and took a crowded bus to Irkutsk.
More experience of Russian culture ..the hostel was not so hospitable ("customers are a hinderance", mentality). Secondly Confusion looking for the lab I got directed to another place. When I went there they read the address and sent me back to the first place. Eventually I realised the lab had moved and went back to the second place where someone else escorted me past the guard. Of course then I queued. Typical Russian contradiction : they had the lab systems ..but when I phoned back the next day for results as instructed ..they never answered the phone .. locals told me this was typical. CIS cities were falling into a pattern .. Russian dominated with almost everyone white (although Irkutsk has a Chinese market), people trying to be well dressed, old wooden buildings and log cabins, big wedding parties, people always hanging round in the street drinking alcohol, now beer more common than vodka, especially by the river cos it doesn't get dark till almost midnight and dawn is at 3am. |  people collecting water from a hand pump in the street. Fri - internet catch-up day planning to get in touch with HC hosts etc. Another hour to change money etc
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