On Ol'khon Island

Some of us started our day very early (about 5:45) to go on a sunrise
hike. By the time that group got back, Sergei Sergeevich and Aleksei
had pulled in their gillnet. They caught roughly a hundred perch, five
pike, and one whitefish. Students from both boats pitched in to pick
the fish out of the net and clean them so that we could get underway
(the fish are now drying on a line at the top of the Kozhov).
Our next stop was a Tibetan Buddhist Stupa on Ogoi Island. Stupas are
abstract monuments meant to look like Buddha meditating. At a Stupa,
it is traditional to walk around the monument clockwise, wishing
happiness to all beings. The many visitors had left coins and pieces
of cloth as offerings at the Stupa.
After that we went to Khuzhir, a town with a rich history in the
fishing industry. We moored to a rusted-out shipping vessel and while
overlooking the beautiful cliffs of Shaman Rock, we enjoyed Vera's
delicious borshch (with a healthy dollop of sour cream), salad, pork,
buckwheat, and the perch we had caught and cleaned that morning.
In Soviet times, Khuzhir was a huge government-funded fish-canning
center, which is no longer in operation. We visited a local museum
whose eclectic collection included minerals, taxidermy, children's art
commemorating the victory of World War 2, folk arts and crafts, huge
cans of omul (the best known fish in Baikal), and other artifacts of
local history. After that, we explored the town and did some shopping.
As of this writing, we are sitting on the deck of the Vershina as we
head back to Olkhon, where we will stay the night. Since we finally
have blue skies, we're hoping to sleep outside, under the stars.
Helena and Rebecca