This Italian man and his friend were driving from Italy to Mongolia on their motorcycles. We saw them at various restaurants and hotels for 3-4 days.

The unofficially named Trans-Siberian highway runs parallel to the Trans-Siberian railway, but in many places it was in terrible condition. This section was unpaved with random giant piles of dirt here and there.
Last comment 08/13/20.

We made it to Irkutsk! We liked the juxtaposition of the statue of communist icon Lenin next to the modern and trendy shopping mall.
Last comment 04/15/18.

From Irkutsk we headed towards the south shore of Lake Baikal, which is the world's oldest and deepest lake. It contains roughly 20% of the world's unfrozen surface freshwater.

In a small town next to the lake there was supposed to be a geological museum which contained every type of mineral in the world. For such an expansive claim, this museum was not easy to find.
Last comment 07/16/22.

It turned out to be in one of the nondescript houses that we had passed, with only this tiny white sign to alert visitors of its whereabouts.
Last comment 08/13/20.

Ed has a degree in Geology and was quite excited to see their collection. They did indeed appear to have every type of mineral in the world. I traded the lady a piece of Lapis Lazuli from Afghanistan for a piece of Lapis Lazuli from Russia.
Last comment 04/19/22.

One of the regional specialties is smoked Baikal Omul. Ed and I had some for lunch from a roadside stand. It was delicious, tasted similar to smoked salmon.
Last comment 12/16/16.

For a side dish, we had some roasted pine nuts.
Last comment 08/10/15.