Irkutsk: Day 2
Today is my last day in Irkutsk, but it won’t be a sad one. Today, my dear friend from my university, Chloe, will arrive in Irkutsk. She began her eastward journey a little more than a week before I left for mine. However, she ventured into the Altai Region, where I had not. The Altai region is remote in Russia’s central, southern part, known for its pristine beauty and nature. I did not have plans to go there for my trip, but Chloe did – and she ended up staying there for nearly ten days.
Chloe’s train arrived around 9 am, and I slept until 11. After getting myself put together and checking out of my hostel. I ordered a taxi over to her hostel, where I had made a reservation, too. After checking in there, I ran into Chloe! Oh, how I’ve missed her since she left Moscow. After we were both ready, we grabbed some food; we decided to try this local place, “New Zealand Pies.” The pies were delicious! We stopped for some coffee and began to walk about the city. We talked and talked and talked about plans, the internet, Instagram, our lives, just everything. It was so great to catch up with her finally. After spending the day walking, we finally headed over to the 130th Block of the city, where there were many shops, restaurants, and more. After deciding to try out the sushi restaurant, we had a great time, where a yellow jacket seemed not to want to leave us alone. The sushi was quite good, and the prices were pretty good compared to Moscow’s pricing. However, I can’t wait to try sushi in Vladivostok, where it will be fresh.
We returned to the hostel, where I could catch up on some photos and blog writing, and Chloe was able to dye her hair blonde. I also made a run to the store nearby so we could have some beer to drink water. After Chloe was all set with her hair, we found a spot outside and drank our beers. When we finished, we moved inside and hung out until we realized how late it was and how early we needed to get up. Chloe had a bus in the morning, and I had my train to Ulan-Ude. Until next time!
