23, 2002 my husband and I flew on Austrian Air to Vienna and then on to Moscow, Russia. The next day, after an overnight in Moscow at the Novotel Hotel, an English speaking guide from the travel agency in Novosibirsk, Siberia, met us in the hotel lobby to accompany us to the airport and on the Aeroflot flight to Irkutsk, Siberia. The plane was a Boeing jet, very clean and the flight attendants spoke some English. We found out that the winter had been the warmest since 1860, however, the luggage compartment had frozen and it took about an hour for the airline to thaw the doors! We had another English interpreter meet us in the hotel in Irkutsk and she stayed with us the remainder of the trip. Our hotel in Irkutsk was the Angara Hotel. We visited the house of one of the Decembrist's. They were exiled from Russia because of an attempted overthrow of the government to improve social issues. These men were intellectual and those who survived remained in Irkutsk and it became an intellectual city in the midst of Siberia. 

After two nights, we drove north to Lake Baikal, the largest lake in the world. It has a surface area similar to Lake Superior and it holds the amount of water contained in all our Great Lakes. This is a very fascinating lake as it is one mile deep with 1-1/2 miles of sediment at the bottom. There are many species of water life found only in Lake Baikal. One is a small fish that is 41% oil and melts if brought to the surface and placed in the sun. We stayed in the Strelinskay Isba Lodge at Listvynka by Lake Baikal and enjoyed the museum about the lake and the area. 

The snowmobiling we did there was great and they supplied all the equipment necessary including helmets. There was an outdoor museum of preserved buildings from earlier times, including a log fortress, church, school, homes and barns. After several days there, we drove back to Irkutsk, and took a 31-hour train ride to Novosibirsk. After spending a night in the Sibir Hotel, we drove about 2 1/2 hours to a lodge named Strelinskay Isba Lodge. We took a horse drawn sleigh ride into town to visit a cheese factory and another museum. We were the first Americans to visit this village and enjoyed the smiles as we rode the sleigh back to the lodge. The weather there was the coldest we encountered at -15 degrees F (below zero). 

Our next stop was to visit a small city formed of the Academic Institutes of Siberia. Again this was an interesting museum of mineralogy. We returned to Novosibirsk and the Sibir Hotel. From there we went to the Bolshoi Theater and had an interesting tour back stage before seeing a ballet. The next day was spent sightseeing and doing some shopping. Our flight out of Novosibirsk to Moscow was an early A.M. flight and changed to an Airbus as the bad weather in Moscow had canceled flights coming into Novosibirsk. 

This trip was exceptional because of the travel company we used in Novosibirsk. This is our second time to use Acris Tour and Travel. Mr. Vladimir Koourov is the owner. They are very accommodating and respond quickly to e-mails. Our cost from Moscow including business class flights, lodging for 13 days, food, first-class on the train, interrupter, fees, driver, tickets and 4-nights lodging upon our return to Moscow was under $8,000 for both of us. Our interpreter was Mrs. Olga Makarova and she is outstanding. 

Our friend, Mr. Steven Levin, introduced us to Siberia and says, "SIBERIA! IT'S NOT JUST A COOL PLACE, IT'S HOT!" The Siberian people were very friendly and went out of their way to please us. We highly recommend this travel company and Mrs. Olga Makarova.  

Dr. Dick and Martha Lavender, 
Greensboro, NC, USA -