Leaving Irkutsk for Listvyanka--June 3, 2014

My first stop this morning is to drop off Klara's Mongolian Visa application material at 9 am and then make my way to Listvyanka about an hour away by minibus. According to the hostel staff, instead of going to the bus station for the normal bus, it would be better for me to take a minibus which would cost about 120 roubles instead of 100 for the bus. She said the buses left on the far side of the market central so I ended up walking there.

 As soon as I arrived, I got aboard a bus that was completely full so that meant it was leaving immediately. These buses only leave when full so this was a good deal. These drivers go super fast and dodge around slower cars in a flash.

I got dropped off at the last stop. Before I headed up to the hostel, I stopped for dinner at the Mayak Hotel. There I had sturgeon with grilled vegetables. Tasty, great presentation, but expensive.

After dinner, I followed the instructions to the hostel which was about a 20-minute climb uphill as the rain began to threaten.

On my way up I saw many log cabins like these that were interspersed with some mega-mansions built by the Russian wealthy. These newer buildings were too gross to photograph, but take my word for it, they were butt ugly. Here is the Belka Hostel where I will stay for three nights before returning to Irkutsk and then back to the Trans-Siberian train to my next stay in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.