Word of the day: сварливый: Grumpy

Highlight: Dog Sledding

Lowlight: "Please don't flush toilet paper" signs. Meaning used TP was held in a lid-less waste basket and stunk out the entire bathroom. Made for unpleasant smelling showers.

Weather: -20 °C, windy

As per the theme of the Trans-Siberian Railway, my first impression of Russia was on the train. "Krissy turn the camera off" - we were at the Mongolia/Russia border and a serious group of people were boarding the train. I still managed to take a few though J A line up of Russian officials took over the train, strategically placed at the entrance of each berth. Clad head to toe in authority, Cossack hats, shin length military style coats, jump suits with knee length boots - all looking very "don't mess with me". We were all ushered into the corridor while a dog and woman with a flash light combed every inch of what had been home for the past 30 hours. I couldn't help thinking they looked like movie stars and spies. Rich says it's because they play spy characters in movies - makes sense. Starlet or not, they were every inch intimidation.

On that; I am no longer allowed to make eye contact with any official of any kind. This is Rich's sure fire way to avoid trouble. I don't exactly have issues with authority, but if put in a situation where I'm being told to pay up or go to prison, I'm not sure how my sense of injustice will kick in. Still I agree, principle it seems is something better left for a more democratic homeland, and I shall endeavour to keep my gaze firmly fixed on the ground.

We transferred to the resort town of Listvyanka, beside Lake Baikal, an hour and a half out of Irkutsk. The length of the lake runs the same distance as Auckland to Wellington. Although we can only see a smidgen of it from our piece of the waterfront, the lake is massive. The town in contrast is small, made up of cabins and cafes, a summer holiday hot spot for most that we have braved mid-winter.

The overall reception we're receiving from Russians has me a little perplexed. I'm yet to find a Russian that isn't grumpy. I know I know. What did I expect? Fellow travellers aren't surprised at all, and an expert by the name of Paul Brewer briefed me fully on Russian mannerisms, but I still don't understand what the lady in the bakery is in such a foul mood about. An amazing store full to the brim of goodies, smelling of freshly baked goods and her face makes the interior of the store colder than the minus 15 outside. It's consistent in every store we go into, and makes me feel like I need to apologies for choosing to spend my money there. It is now my mission to make one smile. It will take diligent studying of the Russian phrase book - but I'm up for a challenge. Watch this space.

But we're not here for the hospitality, we're here for the dogs, and if I die tomorrow I will die happy.

You could hear the howling as we approached the cabin through three inches of snow covered streets. A chorus of barking echoed through the surrounding Taiga forest as we turned the corner of the cabin and were greeted with at least forty kennels humming with a frenzy of canine excitement. The lucky few picked to pull our sleds yelped and peed themselves with excitement. I could completely relate. Leaping over each other, rearing to go, impatiently turning back to see if the slow clumsy human was in place, they were freed… and we flew.

"Hello my name is Nikolai" said the guide seated in the front of the sled in a voice that can only be described as a Russian mobster. "Are you ok?"

"Hi yes, my name is Krissy, nice to meet you" - great he speaks English.

"Ya"

"Do the dogs have names?"

"Ya"

"What are they called?"

"Ya"

Oh.

Keeping chat to a minimum left more time to take in the experience anyway. And what an experience it was. Slicing through the snow covered floors of the Taiga forest, the trees whipping by, the dogs pulling faster and faster, minus 15 degrees celcius cutting through the layers of clothing and freezing your fingers and toes. You couldn't help but feel you were a spy in a movie creeping up silently on your target. (I've obviously seen too many spy movies). It was a once in a lifetime experience I will never forget, and will have the next four nights and three days on a train to Moscow to think about.