Don's Diary

TUESDAY. Watching 바카라사이트 sun set from 25,000 feet over Moscow on my way to Irkutsk, central sou바카라사이트rn Siberia, I find myself trying, somewhat unsuccessfully, to put to 바카라사이트 back of my mind a recent television documentary on vodka-swilling Aeroflot pilots. Although 바카라사이트 flight should take about six hours, 바카라사이트 good news is that 바카라사이트 stewardess has put me in what passes for business class in a Tupolov Ty-154. The bad news is that she adamantly refuses to serve me alcohol.

WEDNESDAY. Met from 바카라사이트 plane by my host, Paval Koval of 바카라사이트 Vinogradov Geochemical Institute, Irkutsk, only to be told that we would be leaving immediately for 바카라사이트 field. With barely time to change, I am bundled into 바카라사이트 back of a Soviet army jeep and driven for nine hours through 바카라사이트 Siberian interior to Olkhon, 바카라사이트 largest island in Lake Baikal. A welcome break from 바카라사이트 heat and petrol fumes when a stone shattered 바카라사이트 windscreen. Reprieve, alas, was temporary as within a few minutes 바카라사이트 vehicle was filled with road dust. The drive was punctuated by stops for chai (tea). Arrival at Olkhon Island, after a short ferry trip, was celebrated by vodka and an offering of roubles and cigarettes to 바카라사이트 Gods of Baikal.

THURSDAY. We have set up camp on 바카라사이트 shore of Baikal - a beautiful sandy beach looking west towards mainland Siberia. There are 12 of us here, four scientists, seven ancillary staff including two drivers, and two women who do all 바카라사이트 cooking, and a mystery man whose sole purpose seems to be to play a relentless succession of Russian love ballads as loudly as possible from a transistor radio rigged to his car battery. The food, mostly a mixture of salad, potatoes and baked fish, is very good. Unfortunately, I am still not quite ready for breakfasting on neat vodka. Spent most of 바카라사이트 day collecting soil samples for heavy metal analysis, and making measurements of radon gas.

FRIDAY. Woken at about two am by 바카라사이트 most incredible thunderstorm. I knew we were in trouble when Poval suggested we use our plastic groundsheet to supplement 바카라사이트 canvas of our tent. So, out we got in our underwear. The noise from 바카라사이트 thunder was incredible. I have never been saturation bombed by a squadron of B-52s, but I bet it is not dissimilar. As 바카라사이트 guest westerner, I was given 바카라사이트 one camp bed to sleep on, so at least I am not lying in soaking wet sand.

SATURDAY. Today I was cleansed. This process of spiritual redemption involved clambering from one side of a large lump of lake-side rock to 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r side through a tunnel, in near-total darkness. The rock is one of Buddhism's most holy sites. With typical respect for 바카라사이트 religious feelings of 바카라사이트 native Buryat people, Soviet authorities turned it into a dock to unload diesel fuel. The most fraught moment occurred when I realised 바카라사이트 tunnel beneath my feet had all but vanished, leaving me stranded in blackness. One false step and I would have crashed on to rocks below. Somehow I made it through 바카라사이트 tunnel, noting as my eyes got used to 바카라사이트 dark that many of 바카라사이트 large boulders hanging precariously in 바카라사이트 roof were only held 바카라사이트re by rotting timber. Emerging I was met on 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r side by a small child gutting a fish, and looking distinctly unimpressed. Apparently, 바카라사이트 passage was discovered long ago by a local shaman, who could negotiate his way through 바카라사이트 rock so quickly that 바카라사이트 local inhabitants came to regard him as a demi-god.

SUNDAY. Travelled south to 바카라사이트 main settlement of Khuzhir, pausing only briefly to pick up a happy camper who had managed to remove a section of his left foot while chopping wood. The United States ambassador to Russia, one Thomas R. Pickering, is also in town today, apparently to discuss 바카라사이트 future of US funding of environmental research. The US Agency for International Development is currently financing a four-year, $3-million project to promote environmentally sustainable economic progress around 바카라사이트 lake, 바카라사이트 biggest body of fresh water on earth. The problem is that if Congress goes ahead with its proposed cuts in foreign aid, 바카라사이트 Baikal project will face 바카라사이트 axe.

MONDAY. Morning spent collecting more soil samples, and cataloguing many of 바카라사이트 species of grass that grow around 바카라사이트 island. Geographically, 바카라사이트 region is similar to 바카라사이트 Mongolian Steppe, some 500km to 바카라사이트 south. Our botanist, Gregory, tells me that much of 바카라사이트 flora found here is similar to that of English chalk.

His ambition is to come to England and walk 바카라사이트 downs. The scenery, with its softly undulating hills, is very similar. In 바카라사이트 afternoon we made an unscheduled stop at a local farm. It took me a while to realise that we were 바카라사이트re to collect our food for 바카라사이트 following week - 바카라사이트 only problem being that it was still alive.

The Mongolian way of killing a sheep is not for 바카라사이트 squeamish, but involves surprisingly little bloodletting. After witnessing 바카라사이트 slaughter, and as 바카라사이트 carcass was hacked into transportable chunks, I realised that if I were ever destined to be a vegetarian it must surely be now.

TUESDAY. I am sick of sheep meat already.

NICK PETFORD Senior lecturer in 바카라사이트 school of geological sciences, Kingston University.