Siberia - Day 3

I almost froze last night and I'm only slightly exaggerating. My arms were shivering the whole bloody night; moving them around helped a bit but as much as I tried, I couldn't keep it up all night. I must have passed out at some point and simply put it down to the 'part of the package deal' thing.

Breakfast was just amazing, another 'kasa' which I am told covers all meals that are prepared with some kind of grain. Yesterday we had rice pudding with salt and sultanas, today we had cornflower, aka 'puliszka' in Transylvania, loved it.

​We started off at a slower pace and knowing that this section was longer but also easier was just what we needed to hear, that meant one thing for me ... PICTURES and lots of them. Evgeny said that we will cover a lovely plateau, walk through a nice valley and cross a few streams and a river. Boy, oh boy did we ever.

After 20 minutes walk we got to a spot where you had a small snow-covered pit on the right and an interesting-looking rock formations on the left. I was, as always, up for a bit of fun in the snow, but decided to relent and follow the group. One of the best decisions I had made in recent times, apart from coming to Siberia.

​Three of the boys climbed the almost vertical cliff, approx. 10 meters high while we girls decided on the smarter option and walked around the back. The view from the top simply said WOW. Snow-covered peaks with hills and cute cows on the left, amazing green valley and mountains towering over clouds on the right. We had a great time 'Oohing' and 'Ahhing' but we also managed several great group pictures, daring/crazy pictures and some future background pictures.

Moving on to the plateau was just breathtaking; we thought it couldn't get better .... and then it did. The snow-covered peaks became a reality and not just a distant postcard-like photo. I simply couldn't get enough and was taking pictures by the dozen. The walk on the plateau was very relaxing and extremely scenic, the sun was softer, the air clearer and my thoughts just simpler. Everyday life just disappears in a place like this: work, worries, cooking, cleaning ... none of it mattered anymore, all that remained was the present... and the view.

When we got to our first small stream crossing I decided to be smart, and girly, and choose to change into sandals and wade through the ankle-high stream, it was freezing but extremely refreshing. That's when we decided to have lunch. Russian bacon (recommend a knife) pate and Halva for dessert. I just love variety, and this was as tasty as hell.

​Halfway through our lunch few of us chose to have a mini wash and tanning session. I few passing trekkers actually took pictures of us relaxing just like that.

​Walking after lunch is usually harder but this was worth every breath I've ever taken. The mountains were closer than before and the river was just a touch more dangerous. The path was covered by small sharp stones and on occasion, stream walking became the new fashion. Luckily this was just a short section.

​I think I could put down an extra skill on my CV on how to take amazing pictures whilst walking on uneven ground, without breaking any bones. ... HMMM.... I got really good at that :)

The most shocking was the SNOW bridge. I did not, and may I repeat, DID NOT want to believe that it was snow until I touched it. Having a snowball fight in Siberia whilst wearing shorts and getting a tan was amazing. I was so distracted that I managed to get a snowball on the camera and one on the stomach but was absolutely worth it.

​Following the river, on occasion only a foot away was both exhilarating and terrifying. And then we started climbing. ... and climbing. The forest was a bit dense but the paths were quite good. ​Everything was great ...... until our first river crossing... Siberian style. I have to say I almost lost my courage at one point. Imagine a fast, angry, and loud river which can only be crossed by climbing over 4 cutdown logs. I had to hold Evgeny's hand for the first 3 steps because my brain and legs simply didn't comprehend the complexity of moving one step at a time. Nonetheless, I managed to cross it, even though the last 3 meters were completed by scooting on my but inch by painful inch. HUH this kind of river crossing is so off my bucket list.

​All the walk after that was almost utterly covered by forest; the experience was not overshadowed by the simplicity of one step at a time and the monotony of going up and down. ​When we finally got to our campsite we were in awe of everything. Until we realised that the river was a good 50m away and there were no direct, or for that matter any un-direct routes to get there; let's call it a good challenging visit. Washing was definitely interesting: we had to fill bottles to wash our hair, and hold on to branches for dear life while cleaning one limb at a time and pray that we won't be swept away and become an annoying statistic :). I have to say I thought my hand will fall off while getting myself and my clothes cleaned.

Dinner as always was amazing, thanks to our amazing guide/cook Katya. Cleanup was sort of ignored and left for later for very obvious reasons.

To entertain ourselves we set around the campfire and started playing Mafia / Civilian. Our first attempt was over in under 5 minutes. Next, we moved on to the game 'Who Am I', which was brilliant fun. Some of the names were easier to guess than others: Brad Pitt, Putin and Ronaldo were guessed in less than 5 minutes; Pikachu, Winnetou and Terminator were abandoned after 30 minutes though. We did attempt another series of Mafia games and replaced the main baddy with a 'bear', it was a night of laughter. ​I do like to learn from my experiences so on my 3rd attempt I became the undisputed KGB agent who managed to eliminate everyone without being arrested or killed - Go me.

Once we said 'finito' I decided to do the washing up, and with a head torch made my way to the river. Halfway there I realised that it was getting a bit dark and Aliens could attack any minute or a Bengal tiger could be plotting my demise, YEP, I was slightly terrified. Luckily Gerret came along and saved my butt (and sanity); I am going to be a girl here and say 'Thank God I had company'

Katya, bless her sole for eternity and beyond, gave me a winter jacket to sleep in. Oh my GOD, warmest thing ever and seriously padded. I was very happy and warm :) lives little wonders.