One of the coolest parts of my trip to Baikal was the time I spent in the village of Huzhir on Olkhon Island. This little, shabby village is the largest settlement on the island, and, in the absence of good jobs that the fishing industry used to provide, it is trying to reinvent itself as a tourist destination. It's going to take some serious work and a lot of time, though, before Huzhir is a resort town, but it's remoteness and uncivilized atmosphere are the things that I'll remember the most. It isn't easy at all to get to Huzhir; it's a five-hour ride in an uncomfortable minibus, plus a ferry or hovercraft transfer across the straight that separates the island from the mainland. There isn't a paved road on the whole island, and there are more cows than people roaming the dusty streets of Huzhir. We actually saw a stray dog chase a pair of cows down an alley without a single other person in sight. Here are a few pictures of the strange little town that is Huzhir.

One of the wide streets 

The street our hostel was on 

 A store

Trying out a Russian pose 

The local hospital. Not a place I would want to go. 

The fish factory. It doesn't look to prosperous.  

A nice street.... 

Huzhir--where cars go to die. 

Some locals 

 An inviting cafe that also rents rooms

View toward the Little Sea 

 The post office

The library