Siberia, "The Sleeping Land." Ask the average westerner to do some word association and one finds that the results for such a place are pretty similar: cold, tundra, Russia and prison are the usual responses.
What many fail to realize is that Siberia, a region larger than the country of China, stretches as far south as Paris and is dominated by untouched forests, lakes and rivers.
Nestled in the remote southern lands of Eastern Siberia sits Lake Baikal, "The Blue Pearl of Siberia," Earth's oldest, largest, and deepest lake. A huge source of pride for any native Russian, the breathtaking wonders of Lake Baikal are practically unknown to Americans.
Traveling by one's self into the heart of Siberia with no friends or any knowledge of the Russian language might sound unappealing to most Hopkins students, but I tackled it with the utmost feelings of privilege, curiosity and enthusiasm.
A multiple day journey on the Trans-Siberian Railway is necessary to cross the remote wilderness that stretches in all directions from Baikal. The train is old, incredibly cramped, unfriendly to English speakers and both the caf8e cart and the bathrooms leave painful memories.
This all becomes irrelevant history upon the first glimpse of Baikal from atop one of her majestic cliffs, staring down into a mile-deep collection of the world's purest, freshest, bluest water.
On Olkhon Island, the lake's most popular tourist spot, the horizon delicately reveals the faint snow capped mountains that are the source of this miracle lake. The mountains fill it with water so clean that people can drank straight from the lake as if it were a well, with no concern of any contamination.
Below the cliffs lie miles of flawless sand beaches prime for swimming or getting a late-night Siberian suntan. In the wintertime, the entire lake freezes so deeply that vehicles frequently drive over it, allowing easy access to all areas of the shore.
A popular vacation spot for outdoors-loving Russian families, Lake Baikal is practically unvisited by Americans, with the occasional Western European tourist stopping by on their Trans-Siberian Railway journey from Moscow to Beijing.
Geologically speaking, Lake Baikal is the first freshwater lake known to scientists, forming about 60-70 million years ago, right after the mass extinction event that wiped out the dinosaurs.
Baikal is literally a huge, expanding crack in the earth that has gradually filled with water, now containing over 20 percent of Earth's unfrozen freshwater.
It is speculated that in the future, Lake Baikal will expand to split East Asia in two, becoming Earth's sixth great ocean. As it stands now, if we were to somehow drain the entire lake and diverted every river in the world to fill the empty basin back up, it would take one full year to fill it!
Almost all species of animals in the Baikal ecosystem are endemic; they are unique to the area. This includes the Nerpa, the only freshwater seal known to man. A mile below the surface, far deeper than any light travels, there is a plethora of life existing thanks to the heat and oxygen pouring out from the Earth's mantle.
After traveling to many of the world's amazing natural wonders like the Grand Canyon, Yosemite and the Gobi desert, I will admit that I have never witnessed anything as impressive or awe-inspiring as the treasure that is Lake Baikal.
Despite it being on the opposite side of the globe and in the absolute middle of nowhere, I'm already planning my next trip back to Lake Baikal, to experience what she has to offer in the wintertime.
A fair warning to anyone that wants to join me: you must be ready for the adventure of your lifetime!
