INVIERNO EN LA ISLA DE OLKJON/ ON OLKHON AT WINTERTIME

Por fin tras mes y medio de busqueda, haber pagado tres dias de albergue y haber pasado una noche en la oficina, tenia un sitio donde vivir… Y esto ademas de significar tranquilidad para cuerpo y alma, tambien significaba que por fin me podia ir a la isla de Olhjon (Foto1- de camino a Olhjon).

El tiempo disponible fue una semana. Y gracias a Bidana, una chica que trabaja en la asociacion, solo iba a tener que pagar 4 de las 6 noches, las otras 2 las pagaria realizando labores de voluntario. Y es que el complejo turistico “Nikita” situado en Juzhir, la “capital”de la isla, no es un lugar tradicional, es digamos lo mas parecido a una comuna economicamente sostenible. Y es que si se esta dispuesto a realizar pequenas tareas en beneficio de la “comunidad” (Limpiar, repartir madera para las chimeneas, hacer clases de… lo que a cada uno se le de bien…idiomas, gymnasia, cocina…) y una vez que hay un poco de confianza, es posible pasar periodos de descanso sin cargo en cuanto a lo que se refiere a alojamiento y comida.

La isla se encuentra a unos 300 km de Irkutsk, que teniendo en cuaenta lo lamentable de las carreteras se tarda 5 horas en llegar. Para hacerse con un puesto en la marshrutka hay que reservarlo con antelacion.
El lugar de quedada era el Mercado central, pero el sitio concreto no estaba muy claro, ademas de camino al centro hubo un tremendo atasco, por lo que iba mas bien justo de tiempo. Y cuando por fin llego solo veia gente y marshrutkas por todas partes. De repente un chaval me vocea algo, y cuando le preste un poco de atencion resulta que me preguntaba si era Gaspar el espanol, que si iba a la isla…Yo no me lo podia creer, que tengo cara de espanol esta claro, pero que sea tan evidente debajo de tanta ropa, y entre tanta gente…

El viaje en marshrutka(Foto2), a pesar de lo lo incomodo, largo y peligroso (Carreteras malas, adelantamientos por el medio de la carrereta, y malos conductores…) se torno muy interesante. Sentadas a mi lado dos chicas jovenes, que resultaron ser periodistas, que poco a poco se abrieron al dialogo, tras intercambio de vanalidades (Quien eres, de donde vienes, a donde vas…), descubri que iban a la isla a escribir un articulo del medio ambiente en Olhon y tambien una resena acerca de Nikita.
Y tambien un frances, Etien, que al principio me parecio un tipo muy raro y por desgracia, pense yo, tambien iba a estar alojado en Nikitas. Pero todo o casi todo tiene una razon, y es que Etien era discapacitado, no tenia apenas movilidad en las piernas. Eso no explica sus rarezas pero si que tenia una enfermedad degenerative desde que era un rapaz, y que se paso su infancia un ano en la escuela, un ano en el hospital… Sin embargo eso no le habia impedido sacarse una carrera y pedalear 7 meses por sudamerica, sin hablar de que se encontraba en medio de Siberia en una de las semanas mas frias del ano, con sus muletas y la mochila a la espalda, se me ponen los pelos de punta solo de pensarlo, hay gente que tiene una fuerza sobrenatural.

Los primeros dias en la isla los pase de caminatas a lo largo de la isla (Foto 3) y sobre el lago (Ya que por supuesto a estas Alturas del ano todo el lago Baikal esta completamente comgelado, y no solo se puede andar sobre el, sino que hay incluso “carreteras” invernales). Resulto ser una de las semanas mas frias del ano, y ademas el viento soplaba con fuerza, y se hacia sentir sobre todo en lo alto de las montanas y sobre el lago ya que no hay proteccion contra el y ademas levanta la nieve que se acumula en su superficie. En algunos momentos del dia me vinieron a la cabeza imagines de documentales sobre viajes a la Antartida, ya que lo unico que se disponia ante mi era hielo(Foto4), mas hielo, y nieve levantada por el viento, sin ser menos impresionante el que se me congelaron la barba y las pestanas y que los parpados se me quedaban pegados al pestanear (Foto5). Si las caminatas eran un verdero placer, el te a la vuelta junto a la estufa no era para menos.
Ademas el “equipo de voluntarios”resulto ser muy amigable, y cuando disponian de tiempo tomabamos te en medio de divertidas conversaciones sobre topicos hispano-rusos, vimos alguna pelicula de la epoca sovietica…

En medio de esta dinamica, un dia Natasha, una de las voluntarias me comento ‘Acaba de llegar un portugues, seguro que os entendeis…”.Tiago, que asi se llamaba el portugues, pretendia llegar desde Porto a Beijing para los juegos olimpicos conduciendo un citroen 2cv del ano de la polca, y no solo eso sino tambien regresar de la misma manera. Evidentemente lo de los juegos olimpicos ya se le pasaron, pero es que se le rompio una pieza a la altura de Yekaterimburgo que le mantuvo parado 5 meses esperando que llegase desde Inglaterra. Sin embargo es un tio decidido y queria llegar al final...o casi, solo hasta Vladivostok, porque resulta que para entrar en China con el coche hay que preparar colecion de solicitudes acompanadas como no de respeto (Como llaman por tierras asiaticas a los sobornos puros y duros), y despues de 9 meses de pelea continua el pobre Tiago ya tenia la moral minada de historias.

Ese fue el punto de inflexion del viaje, como habia predicho Natasha nos entendimos muy bien, dos jovenes del sur que llevabamos ya un tiempo viviendo por las gelidas tierras Rusas. Nos pasamos dias de aventuras en aventuras, nunca un 2cv habia sido tan parecido a un hummer, no habia limites, condujimos el coche donde locales no se atrevian a meter sus todoterrenos por miedo a quedarse atrapados por la nieve...Y no es que no pasase, es mas nos quedabamos atrapados frecuentemente, pero nada que no pudiera arreglarse rememorando viejos tiempos de jugador de rugby, emburriando. O en el peor de los casos haciendo camino entre la nieve a mano.
Un dia en nuestro afan de llegar al final de la isla por tierra, nos quedamos atrapados en la nieve, y no es que no fueramos a salir, sino que gracias a ello unos locales que nos habian visto desde la lejania cogieron su coche y una vez nos alcanzaron nos dieron la noticia de que un poco mas adelante habia un metro de nieve. Y todavia no repuestos del sock de ver a un espanol, un portugues y un suizo (Noe que nos acompanaba este dia) en un 2cv en una isla en medio del lago Baikal, nos condujeron hasta la entrada al lago, sobre el cual en invierno es posible conducir. El dia era soleado, ni una nube en el cielo asique nos decidimos a descapotar el cirilo, claro que la temperatura era ‘fresca’, unos menos 30 grados...Nunca un viaje en descapotable habia sido tan divertido.Los rusos no cabian en su asombro, asique nos invitaron a la vuelta a pasarnos por su casa.















El conducir por el lago congelado es una experiencia asombrosa y mas teniendo en cuenta lo bonito de la isla y el dia tan impresionante que hacia. Alcanzamos la punta de la isla, donde se encuentran acantilados de 80 metro de altura, cuando el sol ya estaba bajo por lo que ante nosotros se produjo un autentico espectaculo natural de colores entre azulados, blancos y anaranjados sobre el hielo y en semejante entorno.















A la vuelta por supuesto decidimos parar en casa de nuestros nuevos amigos. Alli estaban ellos junto con unos amigos, todos ellos pescadores, y nada mas vernos empezaron a preparar el festin...Omul crudo solo aderezado con sal y pimienta, o omul crudo pero esta vez congelado acompanaban al ‘salo’ (Tocino) y todo ello regado con un poco del imprescindible vodka para ser una verdadera fiesta rusa.

Lo pasamos en grande comiendo, bebiendo y hablando como podiamos los unos con los otros. Hasta el punto que no nos habiamos dado cuenta que la noche habia caido hacia tiempo, por lo que encontrar el camino de vuelta no fue nada facil sin luces conduciendo entre hielo y nieve, pero no imposible.
No fue el ultimo dia que vimos a nuestros amigos, ya que no nos pudimos resistir a devolverles la invitacion al dia siguiente. Asique recordando vagamente deonde estaba la casa en medio de la nada, volvieron los hijos prodigos con botella de vodka y tentenpies debajo del brazo. Y es que si algo me han ensenado mis padres es que hay que ser agradecido en esta vida.

‘ОПАСНО!’ (Se lee “apasna”) palabra rusa que sirve para identificar una situacion de peligro. Puede ser la palabra que mas haya oido desde que estoy en Rusia, pero es que la utilizan para definir todo aquello que nunca han echo y puede o puede que no conllevar riesgo. Me imagino que sea derivado de los tiempos sovieticos cuando todo fuera de lo ‘normal’ era considerado prohibido. Por ejemplo llegado el fin de semana, nos apetecia hechar una cerveza con los locales, y cuando invitamos al resto de los voluntarios abrieron los ojos como si estuvieramos hablando de saltar de una avioneta sin paracaidas. Peligrosisimo! Dijeron al unisono, nosotros ya habituados al lexico ruso, si antes teniamos ganas de ir, despues de esto todavia mucho mas, sobre todo cuando acto seguido confirmaron que ninguno de ellos habia estado alli.Asique junto con dos australianos que acababan de llegar, pasamos una noche estrana porque evidentemente os podeis imaginar la discoteca, un cassete y cuatro luces de colores en medio de una habitacion en la que habia entre 15 y 20 persona, con los que dicho sea de paso congeniamos perfectamente...Por supuesto gracias al tema estrella, el futbol, del que por cierto no soy ningun experto, pero como soy espanol lo que digo va a misa y es tomado como realidad absoluta y unica.
Al fianl ninguno de nosotros tenia la cara como un pan, todos nos ibamos con lo nuestro en nuestro sitio, y con una historia mas que contar a nuestros nietos (Cuando esten creciditos eso si).
Cuando salimos del bar, veo que tengo como 10 llamadas perdidas de numeros extranos. A la manan siguiente ante unos sorprendidos voluntarios al ver que conservaba todos mis dientes, me explicaron que pensaban que no ibamos a ir a la discoteca y cuando se percataron que nos habiamos ido nos llamaban para que regresaramos, y al ver que no contestaba se habian imaginado lo peor pero no se habian atrevido a ir a ver si todo estaba bien.

Para reponernos de nuestras andanzas nada mejor que una buena bania por las noches. En la que como manda la tradicion rusa hay que salir a revolcarse por la nieve para bajar la temperatura corporal y regreasar dentro donde la temperatura ronda los 100 grados. Y si todo ello esta acompanado por una cervecita pues mejor que mejor...

Los ultimos dias de la estancia, tube que trabajar 2-3 horas diarias que seria el pago por mi alojamiento y comida. Entre ellas fregar los platos, limpiar la cocina,cortar lena, repartir la lena a las diferentes chimeneas... Pero el imperativo para los voluntarios era que teniamos que estar tranquilos y agusto. Gran patron el Nikita.

El fin a semejante semana no podia ser normal, y es que regresaria a Irkutsk en el coche junto con un amigo de Nikita. Mas rapido y gratis pense yo. Pues lo de gratis nanai, ya que pague lo mismo que en marshrutka ...al menos seria mas rapido pensareis. Pues si deberia de haber sido, sino fuera que el coche se estropeo y pasamos esperando 4 horitas en un bar de carretera a que lo arreglaran...Por lo menos practique algo de ruso...

-----------------ENGLISH VERSION----------------------------

At last after a month an a half searching, paying 3 nights in the dormitory, and spending a night sleeping in the office, i had a place to live... And this not only gave me tranquility but also enable me to go to the island of Olhon.

I had available for the trip a week. Thanks to Bidana, a girl who works in the association, I only had to pay only 4 of the 6 nights, the other 2 I was going to pay them with some volunteering work. And that is because this touristy complex called “Nikita” placed in Juzhir, the island’s capital, is not a traditional one, let say it is very close to a profitable community. If you are ready to carry out small task (Like doing the dishes, cleaning, chopping wood…) and after getting some confidence with Nikita, it is possible to spend some time resting off with accommodation and food for free.

The island is 300km from Irkutsk, but taking into account the awful roads it takes 5 hours to get there. In order to get a place at the marshrutka, it is needed to order it in advance by phoning the marshrutka’s company.

The place where I had to meet the marshrutka was the central market, but the exact place wasn’t that clear, furthermore when getting there I found a tremendous traffic jam, so I was tight in time. When I did finally arrive I just saw many marshrutkas and loads of people all over. Suddenly a guy shout me something, when I paid attention, I realize that he was asking if I was Gaspar from Spain, and if I was going to the island… I couldn’t believe it, it is evident that I have Spanish features but under all these clothes and among so many people…

The trip on board the marshrutka, though it was uncomfortable, long and dangerous (Bad roads, bad drivers and overtaking through the middle of the road…) turned to be very interesting. Siting right next to me two young girls who were journalist and eventually we got to have a conversation and after a basic conversation (Who are you? Where are you from? Where do you go?....) I got to know that they were going write and article about the ecology and a review about Nikita’s.

And also a French guy, Etien, in the beginning he seemed to me a strange guy and unfortunately he was going stay at Nikita’s also. But since almost everything in this life has a reason, later on I realized that he was a disable person, he hardly was able to move his legs. That doesn’t explain his peculiarities but as far as concerns to me it does the point that during his childhood he spent a year in the school and other in the hospital alternatively…However that didn’t prevent him to get university studies, ride a bicycle for 7 months along south America, and also this time he was alone in Siberia in one of the coldest weeks of the year with his crutches and the rucksack at his back. It is just amazing to check how people are able to get over barriers.

The first days on the island I was hiking all along the island as well as the lake (Since, of course, the lake at this period of the year is completely frozen. And not only is possible to walk over it, but also to drive). It turn out to be one of the coldest weeks of the year, and also the wind was blowing very strong, you could feel it on the top of the mountains or when over the lake due to there wasn’t any protection from it and also because it rose up the snow which ended up hitting my uncovered face. At some extend some images from documental in Antarctica came to my mind, the only thing in front of me was ice, more ice and the snow raised up by the wind. It wasn’t less amazing that my beard, eyelashes and even the eyelids when blinking. If hiking was a real pleasure, it wasn’t worse when being back home and drinking some tea right next to the chimney. Furthermore the other volunteers were very nice and when they had some free time we used to gather together and have long funny conversations about Spanish-russian topics or watching a sovietic times film.

One day Natasha, one of the volunteers, come to me and told me “A guy from Portugal just arrived, You will understand each other….”. His name was Tiago, and he was trying to drive a very old citroen 2cv from Porto to Beijing initially for the Olympic Games, and then get all the way back home. After having a problem which kept him stopped in Yekaterinburgh 5 months waiting for a part of the car to arrive from England, he had to give up getting his mayor aim. However, he was determined to get to the end of his adventure, or better said until almost the end since he got to know that getting with the car to China is not that easy as may be thought (You must apply for many licenses apart from paying frequently briberies) and after 9 months on the road he wasn’t up for it…so that his new aim was to arrive to Vladivostok.

That was the inflection point for the trip, as Natsha predicted we got along very well, two guys from southern Europe who had already living in cold Russia for some time already. We jump from adventure to adventure, never a 2cv was so hummer- like, it didnt have any limits, we drove the car through places were the locals with a all-terrain vehicule didnt dare to go being afraid of getting stuck with the snow... And of course this happened, many time actually, but nothing which couldnt be solved recalling old times playing rugby, pushing !. Or in the worse of the cases digging a way among the snow.

A day, we strongly wanted to get to the enf of the island driving along the island, and as hundreds of times before, we got stuck. Some locals saw as from far away traying to release the car, and knowing that some hundresd of meters later there was minimun a meter depth of snow and was completely impossible to pass through, they decided to come and warn us. They also told us that there was a way to get to the lake and driving on it was possible to get to the very tip of the island, and not only that, but still not recovered from the surprise of seing a guy from Portugal, a guy from Switzetland (Noe, who this day was with us) and other from Spain driving such a strange car for them, they drive us to the place. It was a very nice sunny day so that we decided to take of the car ‘s top, though the temperature was a bit fresh, around -30C...anyway it was worth, we had lots of fun. The russian guys had never see anything like that and invited us to call into their place on the way back.

Driving on the lake is a great experience and more taking into account how nice was the island and the amazing weather. When we reached the tip of the island, where stand cliffs 80 meters high, the sun was already quite low and we enjoy an authentic natural espectacle of colors bluish, whitish, orangish on the ice and sorrounded by a so beautiful environment.

On the way back we couldnt resist to stop at our new friends place. There they were with some other friends, all of them fishermen, and once they saw us they started to prepare a feast consisting of raw Omul only seasoned with perper and salt, frozen raw omul from the street and tradicional salo (fat) everything of course acompained with some russian vodka this in order to be a real russian party.

We all had a very nice time there, eating, drinking and communicating in one or other way each other. Up to the extend that we didnt realize that was already dark outside and it wasnt that easy to find the way home driving on ice and almost whithout lights, but it wasnt impossible.

Actually it was so good time that the day after we decided to return the invitation. So that scarcely remenbering where there place was, we got there bringing some vodka and snacks with us. If something I have learnt from my parents is to be grateful.

‘ОПАСНО!’ (It is read ‘Apasna’) is the russian word to identify a dangerous situation. And maybe the word i listened the most in Russia since i arrived, but I learnt that they use it to identify what the have never done and may be risky or may be not.I guess this costume comes from the sovietic times when everything out the normality was forbidden. For example, once the weekend had come, we felt like going for a laugh with the natives to a local we were told, and when we tried to invited the rest of the volunteers the open the eyes like we had proposed them to jump from a plane withouth parachute. Very dangerous !!! Shouted all at once, since we were already used to the russian language, if before we wanted to go, now even more, above all because right after they confirmed us that none of them had ever been there. Toguether with a couple of buddies from Australia he had just met at Nikita’s, we spent a strange but unhazardous night at the town ‘s club...A cassete and some lights placed in an emprty room where I counted aronf 20 people, and with whom we got along perfectly.... Of course thanks to football, Im not an expert at all but knowing the point that Im from Spain, whatever I say it is accepted like true.

At the end none of us had swollen face, we were perfectly fine and with another story to tell our grandchildren.

When leaving the club, I checked that i have 10 missed calls from diferent unknown telephone numbers. The following morning obviously surprised because we were keeping all our theeth, explained me that when they realizad that we finally decided to go to the local, they wanted to call us to ask us to go back home, and due to i didnt answer the phone they though that something bad had happend, but still they were afraid of going to check it out.

To recover from our adventures there was nothing better than a russian banya at night. It is tradition also to roll ever the snow to lower the corporal temperature form time to time. And if it is with a fresh beer even better.

The last days of my stay at Nikita’s I had to carry out some task during 2-3 hours a day for paying for my accomodation and food. Among them doing the dishes, clean up the kitchen, chop off wood, share the wood to the chimneys...But the most important thing for the volunteers was to be calm and relaxed. Great landlord this Nikita.

As well as the stay on the island the wat back home couldnt be normal, at the end i was going to go back to Irkutsk with a friend of Nikita. Faster and for free I thought. But it turn out not to be for free, I paid exactly the same like going in marshrutka, and not even faster because the car broke down and we had to wait for the mechanic to fix it 4 hours at a gas station...At least I practice a bit russian language...