S i b e r i a n D e a l / I r k u t s k
Irkutsk - Central Siberia
Irkutsk, situated 60km East of Lake
Baikal is considered
as the "heart of Siberia" and the "Paris of the East".
But Irkutsk also has its share of factories,
pouring out black smoke, and the blue fumes
that hang over the traffic are flavored with
petroleum smell. There are an overabundance
of dirty, green 18-wheelers, caravans, jeeps
and all varieties of military vehicles.
Irkutsk has approximately 750,000 inhabitants, and the
urban center is connected to the residential
district by stands of natural birch forests,
giving a kind of resort feeling to the area.
Through the polluted haze, it has an old world
flavor with many 19th Century wooden houses
trimmed with carved details around the windows
and eves.
