Deep in Siberia

Now we know what it feels like to be exiled in Siberia, and now we can say we have been to Asia! Many peoples faces here are getting flatter and squinty eyed! It is a very gradual change, like you can see in the people how east we are going.
Our train across siberia was nice. We spent lots of time looking out the window, sipping tea. The train stopped for 20-35 min every 4 hours or so, and we went outside on the platform to buy homemade food that old babas were selling. Mmmm it was good, but we werent brave enough to try the dried whole fish!
On our last night on the train (4 nights in all) we had a party which was fun, and we met some of the people around us. They were from Checnia, but they were funny and nice. They even gave us a "souvenir memory" of some kind of traditional bead thing with some brown frill. We dont know what it was!!! It looks like a rosary but there is no cross or anything, and its too small to put around your head.
We saw out the window lots of forests and swamps, and the houses (or shacks that were really decorated) had colorful window shutters. We followed the guide book's km-by-km info about what we were passing, and it told us a little about each town and stuff.
When we got off the train in Irkutsk, we were met at the station by Natasha, and she took us to our hostel. Then she told us that just 4 days before,there was a fatal plane crash at the airport!!!!!!!!! Nicole was right, DONT FLY SIBERIAN PLANES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Tomarrow we are leaving on our rafting trip. We will be rafting for 4 days. Unfortunately this computer doesnt recognise the camera USB connection so we cant put any pictures us yet!