Posts Tagged "Lake Baikal"
Irina: TV Morning Host
LAKE BAIKAL, EASTERN SIBERIA: Anna, who has bright blue eyes, was watching a chipmunck run in the hills when I noticed her socks pulled over her ripped jeans, her beat-up high tops and black earmuffs. Anna said she now hosts an Irkutsk morning TV program on CTC a few days a week, having previously worked as a journalist. She said she decided to invite her parents outdoors for a walk around Lake Baikal on Easter Sunday. She took some bird seeds with her to feed Her mother said she didn't like Anna's style. Anna took some seeds with her to feed birds along the walk.
Vladimir: Lake Baikal Painter
LAKE BAIKAL: Vladimir Osipov, 63 and a life-long painter, lives next to Lake Baikal. Not surprisingly, it is the main subject of his art work. I asked him if he paints the sun setting over the mountains. [Sunsets] are either for dilettantes or geniuses. Blue skies and clear water isn't my cup of tea either. I like harsh landscape scenes," he said, standing next to a huge painting of a cloudy, and possibly stormy, Baikal. Vladimir said Chinese customers account for about half of his sales, adding it may be due to the infamous air pollution in China. "Clean air and clear skies is a fairytale for [Chinese people]," said Vladimir, who has traveled around China. "They like the cleanliness of Baikal." Vladimir lives on a plot of land with his son Dmitry, a sculptor. Vladimir and Dmitry collect and repair old cars. You can read about Dmitry here.
Dmitry: Siberian Sculptor
LAKE BAIKAL: In a village alongside Lake Baikal, you can find Dmitry, a 33-yo sculptor, working away with metal in his crowded garage. The son of a landscape painter, Dmitry makes cartoon-like figures from the metal he mostly finds lying around the region. He joked that he thus helps tackle one of Baikal's biggest problems - garbage. I asked Dmitry if there was a 'philosophy' or 'idea' behind his work. "I wouldn't say there is a philiosophical meaning. My sculptures are simply kind, good-hearted objects. I want my sculptures to lift people's spirits and put a smile on their face." Dmitry said he hopes to have another solo exhibition some day. Dmitry and his father, Vladimir, 63, collect old cars and motorcycles around the Irkutsk region and have more than 20 vehicles scattered around their plot of land near Baikal. Among their prized possessions is a 1938 GAZ. Dmitry said his house burnt down two years ago and has fallen behind in fixing up the cars and motorcycles. He said if he doesn't find the time, that he will leave it to his son to do. ''There is so much to do and so little time.''
Andrei: Baikal Cottage Owner
LAKE BAIKAL: Andrei, who owns of few cottage rentals 70 meters from Lake Baikal, shared some USSR-US history over coffee. President Eisenhower was to visit Baikal during a trip to Russia in 1960. A residence for Eisenhower's stay was to be built along the lake. Locals, including a Gennady and Maria, were hired to carry out the construction. However, amid the building, a US spy plane was shot down over Russia and Eisenhower's trip was canceled. The house was nonetheless completed, giving Gennady and Maria time to fall in love as they painted and carried material. A year later, in 1961, they had Andrei. "If it weren't for that construction project, I wouldn't be here today," said Andrei, who lives 5 km from that spot where his parents fell in love. I asked him about the most memorable moment at his rental cottage. He said it was driving Brazilian novelist Paulo Coelho 4 or 5 hours around Lake Baikal. Andrei has seven cottages on his property, which were built from 1999 to 2003. He said he moved out to the edge of Lake Baikal, where he built a home and the cottages, to get away from the city. But, 15 years later, he says he feels like he is no longer in a village, with hotels and houses going up around him. The drop in the ruble may mean an influx of domestic travelers to Lake Baikal this year.
