THE ATTRACTION OF BAIKAL
Long time ago mighty Baikal was a happy and kind man, loving his only daughter Angara so much. She was the most beautiful river in the world. Everyone passing by Angara was admiring her and praised her. Old Baikal guarded his daughter with his life, but one night when Baikal fell asleep, Angara escaped to the young handsome Yenissei. The father opened his eyes and, enraged, threw up his waves. Ferocious storm broke out. Mighty Baikal hit a grey mountain, broke off a rock from it and threw it after the fleeing daughter Angara. The rock fell on the beauty’s throat. The blue-eyed Angara, choking and crying, started to plead: “Father, I am dying from thirst, do forgive me and give just a little drop of water!” Enraged Baikal shouted “I can give you nothing but my tear-drops!” For thousands of years the Angara River has been bringing her waters-tears to the Yenissei, and greyhaired lonely Baikal became gloomy and scary. The rock, which was thrown by Baikal after his daughter, is called Shamansky (Shaman) rock. The people would say: “Baikal might get angry, might push the rock away and the water flow will flood the whole Earth.”
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A lot is known about Baikal: the lake is over 20 million years old, it contains 1/5 of the world sweet water storages. The lake is fed by more than 330 big and small precious veins (is not it the magic secret of alive and eternal Baikal water!), and Baikal is drained through only one river - the Angara. In the old legends and songs the Angara is called «the beauty, the daughter of the old Baikal». The lake is tremendous - its length is over 600 km, it is located at the altitude of 456 m and contains 33 islands with Olkhon being the biggest one. Baikal is rich and manifold. Every minute Baikal water changes its colour – from pale-blue to the amazing navy-blue, and then it can turn silver merging into the gray and black color. Sometimes it gets emerald green as the mysterious jade in great amount scattered around the lake shores. Baikal water is in the constant turn-over, as the gigantic «heat-
er» in the depths of the Earth under the lake warms up the bottom waters sending them upwards. In this way the currents appear, which aerate the tremendous water layer. That is why Baikal water is called «living water». From the surface to the very bottom it is saturated with the oxygen, imparting to it the amazing colour and energy. And the transparency to the very bottom. The air of Baikal area is also exceptionally transparent, that is why the sunshine can get deeper into the water. Sunshine and warmth are also the sources of life. Baikal water is inhabited with over 3.5 thousand species of plants and animals, most of
G u i d e to t h e B a i k a l a r e a
those being unique: over 1200 fauna and 600 plant species can be found only in Baikal. One of the most amazing creatures unique fresh-water seal, a cute «nerpa» with whiskers, whom you can see in different parts of Baikal both in winter and in summer. Deep-water translucent fish golomyanka is called the enigma of Baikal, as its body supposedly melts in the sunshine, being pure fat. Another Baikal mystery is a copepod crustacean epishura, the main food for the famous omul fish, which is also unique. The writer Valentine Rasputin gave a beautiful description for Baikal: «The Nature has its fa-
RAINBOW OF BAIKAL TRAVEL
vourites, whom, when they are born, she chisels with a special care and endows with a special power. Such is Baikal with its wonderful life-giving energy, with the spirit not of the past, but that of the present, and the time and transformations have no hold on the spirit of the long-standing grandeur and reserved power. And Baikal spirit is something special, making you believe in the old legends and think with apprehension about the fact how a man can do whatever he wants in some places. When you visit Baikal you have a rare feel of elevation and spirituality». Pristine Baikal shores, its enigmatic character and beauty,
As early as in the 12th century in the Arabic chronicles «The Wonders of Creation» it was written about Baikal: «This is the sea with amazingly transparent delicious water. It is located over the Diamond sea. The Almighty created it in the shape of two horns, connected together. It appeared from the underground crevice. And this sea is in constant commotion and roar...» The peoples of Baikal region called the lake each in their own way: the Evenks named it Lamu, the Buryats - BaigalNuur. The first naturalists, trying to decipher the word «Baikal» came to the conclusion that it means «rich waters» (Turkic language) - Bai-Kul’. The first schematic depiction of Baikal appeared in the «Siberian Draft book» (1699), the first Russian geographic atlas made by the Russian geographer and historian Semen Remezov. When crossing Baikal Nikolai Spathari, the ambassador of the tsar Alexei, was one of the first to inform the world about the Siberian wonder. He wrote in the 17th century: «Baikal can be defined as the sea because both its length and width, as well as depth are great. It can also be called the lake because its water is sweet and not salty».
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