Stage 37: Crossing Siberia's vastness

Across the vast emptiness of Siberia, far from any semblance of civilisation, stage 37 led from Vladivostok to Irkutsk. The highlight of this stage was, without question, the largest freshwater lake on the planet. Lake Baikal lay directly on the course, which for much of the time followed the route of the Trans-Siberian Railway. One of the participants recounts her experiences, including arduous driving, delicious mushroom risotto and many helpful locals: 

"Our arrival in Vladivostok was without incident. We are met by our guides and can spend the entire afternoon getting accustomed to our surroundings and inspecting the six off-road vehicles that will be our "home". At supper in a rustic restaurant, we sample authentic Russian cuisine while studying the map and talking about the route that will take us to Irkutsk.
We are very keen to start on stage 37, but must be patient one more day before we can start our engines. We take a bus sightseeing tour. There is a great deal to see. Vladivostok is the largest seaport on Russia's Pacific coast – 9288 kilometres and seven time zones from Moscow. We visit the eastern terminus of the Trans-Siberian Railway followed by the Submarine Museum. At about midday, we reach the Fortress Museum. After an exciting cablecar ride, we free to spend the afternoon as we please. In the evening, we meet for a delicious supper, and can hardly wait to set off at last on the following day.
After a short briefing on the vehicles, the adventure begins this morning. First stop: the sign at the Vladivostok city limit. We take a few photographs here, and soon our convoy is rolling again. Initially, we make good progress on tarmac roads. But our first challenge is not long in coming: In the afternoon, the clutch on the "Tiger" gives up the ghost and has to be replaced. Our guide Robert drives the vehicle to the next town. After three attempts, we finally find a repair shop where they promise to have the clutch replaced by the next morning. There is only one small problem: We have to find somewhere to sleep for the night. Luckily, a solution soon presents itself. The owner of the repair shop offers us the use of his personal plot of land beside Lake Khanka. We can camp here for the night. We set up our tents just 30 metres from the lake and quickly make the acquaintance of a Russian family who are spending their holiday here. How easy it is to make new friends, sitting round a campfire with a little vodka.
The night is warm and muggy. But a dip in the lake is refreshing, and we start out at 8:30 in the morning. By the time we arrive at the workshop, the new clutch has already been fitted. However, they still have to bolt the driveshaft back on. By 11 o'clock, the repairs are completed and we can set off again. We have to make up for lost time. So we stay on metalled roads until we reach Khabarovsk on the banks of the River Amur. We arrive in the late afternoon and see out the day over a glass of beer in a good restaurant.
Refreshed after a good night's sleep, we set out to explore the city. Khabarovsk stands on the banks of the seventh largest river in the world, which we cross late in the morning. We pass through the Jewish Autonomous Region and suddenly we come face to face with the apparently endless expanse that is Siberia. The land is green, there is little traffic, and a sense of adventure passes through us all. Local residents stand at the roadside selling mushrooms and other produce from their gardens. We buy a potful of mushrooms for supper. We take a back road to try to get back to the Amur – the river here serves as the border between Russia and China. But we are stopped. Our road is blocked by two military checkpoints. All of our documents are inspected. After what seemed like 50 telephone calls we are finally allowed to leave. Unfortunately not in the direction of the Amur, but back the way we came... As evening falls, we find a spot in a meadow. We pitch our tents and prepare a tasty mushroom risotto.
The next morning, our tents are damp. We bundle them untidily into the car. After a good breakfast, we continue on the main road between Irkutsk and Khabarovsk. It should be noted, however, that the description "main road" is rather ambitious for the track we are following. The road is still being built. In places, it is asphalted, elsewhere our way is blocked by construction equipment and workers. And on yet other sections we are forced to slow to a crawl to avoid the innumerable potholes. In this way, we thread our way eastwards through Siberia, following the route of the Trans-Siberian Railway. The railway still accounts for much of the traffic in this region, and we see trains pulling as many as 90 rail cars - incredible! We drive through small villages and are constantly greeted by unfailingly friendly residents. We find a place to pitch camp in a beautiful meadow with a view of the Trans-Siberian railway line. In the beginning, we still hear the trains as they clatter by, and are a little concerned that we may not sleep well tonight. On the menu this evening there is barbecued meat, potatoes in tinfoil with sour cream, and Russian chanterelle mushrooms, bought today from a roadside vendor - just delicious! We all sleep well. It seems the rhythmic rumble of the trains is rather soothing after all.
And it's still dry! We pack everything away and hope that the sun will soon break through the thin clouds. But in this we are disappointed. The clouds grow thicker and after a while it starts to rain. The rain continues for the whole day. Sometimes it is heavy, sometimes less so. But it is always there, and hinds our progress somewhat. We take very short breaks and drive a lot. Then one of the vehicles forces us to stop for a little longer. It has a flat tyre. There is nothing for it but to change the tyre in the rain – is there anything more delightful? While changing the tyre, we soon notice that another tyre is also losing air - so it's better to change both of them at the same time. Luckily there is another spare tyre. Towards 8 in the evening, when we had all but given up hope, the rain stops. We find a wonderful campsite beside the river in meadows strewn with edelweiss. Who would have thought it? As a preventative measure, we pitch our tents quickly and then erect a rain awning, which we luckily do not need.
After a swim in the river, we start the day. The next stop is a city called Chita, just under 300 kilometres away. We have travelled only a few kilometres when the sun breaks through the clouds. Good weather at last! We stop often to take photographs. The countryside is astoundingly varied – birch forests, well tended farms with cows on the road, grass-covered hills, all bathed in bright sunlight - absolutely glorious! We arrive in Chita shortly after noon. A little free time is enjoyed by all. In the evening, we celebrate in a beer garden. Two of our number are celebrating birthdays.
Today's agenda includes more Siberia. This time over sandy, dusty tracks. We are heading east beside the seven lakes. All along the shores of the lakes, we see Russians who are spending their summer holidays here. We pass through small townships and are thoroughly bounced around by the roads. We reach our next campsite early. It is right next to a beautiful, crystal-clear river. Tents are pitched with dispatch and the campfire is set. We swim, enjoy the sunshine and the light, refreshing breeze - marvellous! But eventually, the wind drops. This is not a bad thing in itself, but it allows the mosquitoes to return. We sit around the campfire and cook. Just before it is time to sleep, a storm appears in the distance, with a spectacular lightning display. Fortunately, it does not come too close.
Today we are hoping to reach Ulan-Ude, the capital of the Buryat people. Following the Trans-Sibieran Railroad, we make good progress. The sun is shining and everyone is in high spirits. We notice with interest that many more people in the villages we pass through seem to have Mongolian features. They wave to us constantly, warmth and curiosity apparent in equal measure. We get to Ulan Ude in the early afternoon and have a little free time before meeting up again for supper.
Today is the day many of us have been waiting for with barely contained excitement. We are going to Lake Baikal! It's not quite 170 kilometres from Ulan Ude. We drive along switchback roads, through forest and field. Them for the first time, it comes into view. Lake Baikal! Gingerly, we test the water temperature with our bare feet and are surprised at how warm it is. We change quickly into our swimming costumes and take a dip in Lake Baikal. Lunch is eaten overlooking the lake. We cannot see the end of this deepest lake in the world - fascinating. We drive about 100 kilometres to the North - the best campsites are here, according to someone who seemed to know. The sites are really luxurious, unfortunately our source was not the only one who knew about them. There are tents and cars everywhere. We go back the way we came for a bit, and find a little campsite where we can spread out.
And now the end has come: our last day of driving dawns. We have just under 600 kilometres to cover. We are headed for Irkutsk. However, the last leg does not unfold exactly according to plan. After about 100 kilometres, the escort car has had enough! The rear right wheel has come off the Hilux, and it soon becomes clear that it will not be easy to put it back on again. The driveshaft is broken. The Hilux is not going anywhere except on the back of a truck. Fortunately, the last village is still in the rearview mirror, only 500 metres behind us, and we quickly come upon several helpful Armenians building the road.

 

After a good half hour, a transport has been arranged. It will pick the Hilux up in two hours. Of course, at the end of two hours, there is no help in sight. The answer to our query: Two hours in Russia... Just as we have decided to leave one of our guides behind with the vehicle and travel on without him, the truck comes round the bend. Getting the Hilux onto the truck is an adventure in itself. First we must unload the vehicle completely, and then divide the luggage among the other cars. Finally, the Hilux is secured with four safety harnesses and hoisted onto the bed of the truck with a crane. The strain the harnesses can withstand is quite incredible! And we can continue. By now, it is 2:30 in the afternoon, and we still have almost 500 kilometres ahead of us. For supper, there is smoked omul (a fish indigenous to Lake Baikal), which we buy from a roadside seller. We are overjoyed to reach our hotel in Irkutsk shortly before midnight - we made it!
Our guide who rode in the truck also arrived at about 5 o'clock in the morning. The morning is spent sightseeing in Irkutsk before we eat our last, light lunch together. The rest of the day is free to be spent as one wishes. In the evening, we meet at a very good steak restaurant and reminisce about our great adventure. There is a lot of laughter and we are all a little saddened that our expedition together must now come to an end."