Being Russian

Finally we aren't rushin and I have time to feel Russian. We went to the Irkutsk market today, which is always a great way to get a feel for local life. There were rows of meat vendors, rows of cheese vendors, fruits, veggies, salads, nuts and spices. The salads are interesting here as they are packed in plastic tube bags and tied with a string. Beet salad, carrot salad, cabbage, soy beans. They are usually pickled and are very good.

The cottage cheese and yogurt aisle was the most fun since the vendors all extend their spoons for you to have a taste. The cottage cheese is rich and creamy, mild and dry, crumbly or sharp - however you like it. Just sample away and pick the one you like. Hands down the man with the big green spoon won and we bought a bag full.

With our lunch goody bags in hand we headed to the benches outside the market and sat to eat and enjoy the people watching. So, there we were, two ordinary people. We could have been Russians sitting there eating our vegetable salads and pancakes - with our Lexan forks, out of our titanium bowl, with big white backpacks towering next to us....ok, I didn't say we looked Russian, we just felt Russian.

But everyone walking by us did look Russian. The young women throughout Russia dress to kill. High heel spiked shoes are on almost every female foot. Mini-skirts and tight stretch pants are accompanied by halter tops and see-through blouses. The latest fashion seems to be bell-bottom pants with slits up the front to the knees. Then, there are the middle-aged group, a bit pounchy, more sensible shoes, more comfortable looking clothes. Then come the old women - bigger, sadder, layered in almost everything they own, always with a babushka.

Irkutsk in general is not an exciting town. It's a bit run down (as are most towns). It has a good market for stocking up on provisions and it has Internet access. There is no tourist information centers in Russian towns so the Internet is the best way to get info on our upcoming trip to Lake Baikal. And, the Internet is in English!

More on Russian life coming up.