This morning we took a 7.5 hour bus excursion through Olkhon Island. It was cold, but beautiful and a good opportunity to get to know my English speaking cohorts a little better.
Now, I've scaled mountains on buses, I've driven through steep and narrows streets, but this was the most terrifying 7.5 hours of my life. I am Ah-mazed that we didn't get stuck. We drove through sand dunes, ice, forests, mud, snow, you name it. I have video evidence of the car at what I swear are 45 degree angles.
We stopped to eat a lunch cooked by our driver. I got to talking to the Russian man in our group. He and his wife, and later his children, lived in America (Connecticut actually!) for 26 years. I asked why they moved to America in the first place. "No children," he answered. I have yet to figure out exactly how moving to America was the solution to that problem...
Anyway, he just moved back to Russia with his youngest daughter a month ago for his wife's work. He became the translator between us and the tour guide. He was such a nice guy, but despite his attempt at translating....I have no idea. No idea what the bus driver was trying to say. I did understand one moment however. We came to a cliff with two sides. He told us that legend has it, if you want to get pregnant and have a boy, go to the left of the cliff. If you want to get pregnant and have a girl, go to the right. One guy on the bus asked allowed what I could tell the rest of us were thinking: "What if we don't want any children?!?" I could hear desperation in his voice. "Perhaps you walk straight through the middle of the cliff and jump off," I offered.
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