August 22, 2020 Arriving at Irkutsk station around 3 in the afternoon, I called the hostel I stayed at a year ago, but they were booked, so I found another one instead. The receptionist switched into English within a few moments of talking, and I took this to be a good sign. Right near the central street of Irkutsk, the hostel was in an excellent location. Once there, I met the lady with whom I had spoken, whose name was Eve. I inquired about getting to Olkhon Island, which I had heard was the best that Lake Baikal had to offer. As luck would have it, she was heading there to relax the next day. Cones on Olkhon Island Some of what I would do in Irkutsk would be a repeat of what I did a year ago. After Eve reserved a spot for me on the bus to Olkhon the following day, I gave Dima, a guy I had met during my last time in Irkutsk, a call. He answered, and we met along the banks of the Angara River. There we caught up a bit, speakin...