To get here, we bought a ticket at the hostel, and went downstairs and waited for the van. It was 90 minutes late. Eventually, though, it got there, picked us up, and dropped us at the.minibus station in town. There we joined a dozen others headed to Olkhon, We reached the ferry station after three o clock, but were told there was a four hour wait. Our driver figured he could get there quicker if he went across into the other lane ( the one drivers going the other way are supposed to use). He was right. We passed a lot of cars waiting properly in line and an hour later were boarding the ferry for the quick trip to the south end of the island.
Once on the island there was no paved road. The roads on the mainland had been rough enough. These were worse.
At one point, the mini bus could not make it up the hill. We all got out. The driver backed down the hill, took a running start, and reloaded us at the top. Finally at six o'clock we got to town.
When we pulled in, we were dropped off at various places. I was worried because I had been told there was no room for me in the hostel, but that they would find me a room I could share with another tourist with a local neighbor family. I envisioned living in some spare room with the family milling around. In fact the neighbor had a two story guest house with four purpose built guest rooms on a cliff overlooking the lake. There was in fact, no "family" around. And since they were not sold out, I had a room to myself with a great view.
Only way it could have been better would have been a sit down toilet instead of a squatter. (And heaven had it been en suite. )
This is quite a place.
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