In Irkutsk, Bike Built

Zdrastvitye. I am in Russia. Yesmmm. I am really enjoying myself here. Yes ehmmm. No sarcasm intended at all. I am just tired from the longest train ride of my life. I met two young Russian chaps on this train ride, the Trans-Siberian, from Vladivostok to Irkutsk, who enjoyed the labor of giving. I have never felt so in debt to people I could only, merely say: hello, goodbye, good!, beer, I love you, and how much does this cost, to. We met a few Russian girls, one of which spoke spanish. I spoke in broken spanish to her and she translated to the rest of the group in Russian. Fantastico! (Herescho!)

I have arrived in Irkutsk to meet some of those stern Russian faces I've come to love. I put the bike together at the train station amid a mixed crowd of glaring Uzbec's, Kazakh's, Russki's, and Chinese. One thing I love about Russians is that they have one great mean mug, and they really aren't fazed by much. So I feel like I don't stand out like soar thumb, but I know in my heart that my untucked plaid shirt, dirty trucker's cap, and birkenstocks don't really mix with their Adidas athletic suits. We can all dream though, huh?

I will be riding along Lake Baikal, to Ulan Ude in the next few days and will check back in.

Spabsiba!