by Eileen Le Guillou
Olkhon Island was the destination I was most excited about. Lake Baikal is the largest, deepest and oldest freshwater lake in the world at ~30 million years old. The site of ancient and resilient tribes, brutal imprisonment, and the origin of the famed saying "never invade Russia in the winter", I was entranced by the region's powerful history.
A flight, a drive and a ferry later, we arrived in time for endless sky and sunset.
First sunset
Aside from a small group of native Buryat people, the town was a summer getaway for the people of Irkutsk, the closest major city about 4 hours away. Being on this remote island with no running water made me hyper conscious of how much we consume and how great a feat it is to import not only necessities but excess. While we stayed in a yurt and used an outhouse for the majority of the time we were there, our last night we treated ourselves to what at that point in our journey felt too good to be true. We had beds with real pillows and comforters, our own private toilet and shower, and a french bistro right across the road. After sleeping on crates and bathing ourselves with alternating hot and cold buckets of water, no small convenience went unnoticed or un appreciated. It sounds strange to force yourself into this situation, to deprive yourself of all conveniences, but the joy of getting them back feels all too great.
The natural beauty of the earth and the animals highlighted our trip. I learned about myself that I am often scared of the future, any unknown prospect stirs anxiety in me while my friends dive in head first. But once in the moment, immersed in the experience and confronted with each step of the journey, it becomes just that - a manageable, enjoyable step at a time. What finally brings me to that point is the little voice inside of my head that is dying for the experience. That knows how great it could be.
I was dying to go horseback riding through the fields of Siberia - the story sounded like a fantasy and i was eager to realize it. When we got to the stables, however, I panicked. My horse was routy - I later learned he was a very young award winning race horse - and I pictured myself tumbling the ground and his hooves absentmindedly stampeding over me. But in that moment i decided I would turn it around. Applying my belief that strength and love breed the same in exchange, I had a chat with him. I love you, I told him. Thank you for carrying me on your back. thank you for bringing me on this journey, thank you for being strong and powerful and careful with me. And in my decision to say those words, I did fall in love with him and he heard me. He became my focus - I would take care of him while he took care of me. When we stopped for a rest in the woods our guide had tied his rope tightly on the tree bark and he couldn't reach down to feed on the grass. I lowered his rope and held it so he could graze without getting stuck. I know he felt it too, because when I posed for a selfie with him he looked straight at the camera and nudged the back of my neck gently with his head. The happy couple shown here:
