Sayan and Yenisei: Fun and frolics.

One of the most fascinating places along our Upper Yenisei adventure was where the Baliktik-Hem and Kizil-Hem rivers merge. It’s here where the ‘Yenisei’ is first mentioned on the maps (when viewing the rivers going down from the mountains); specifically, that first mention is Maliy Yenisei (Little Yenisei).

Round that corner is the Kizil-Hem, which starts out as a small stream in Mongolia!

Here’s a fully organic analogue ‘TV’, on which you can ‘watch’ the ‘program’ showing the two rivers merging in real time, non-stop, 24/7. Quite why anyone would need such a device I never did work out, but hey, among extreme tourists there’s bound to be quite a few inside-the-box thinkers.

Oh those extreme tourists… – there’s more: including this here totem pole with various items – clearly hailing from afar – stuck into it. The pole also features a waterproof cupboard in which tourists leave useful knick-knacks for other tourists to enjoy – even books!

But who needs books here when there’s all this beautiful scenery?…

Later, toward the end of our journey, we had some real lazy days. The river was as flat as a pancake and as still as an owl: hardly exciting, especially for the tourist used to much wilder waters and the corresponding adrenaline rushes. So, naturally, those same tourists went about creating their own fun and games:

Somersaults and other ill-advised man-made frolicking:

These pics are crying out for suitable captions. Can you think of any? (> the comments).

More man-made merriment – on the catamarans. Not bad guys. And they told me they’d be sending me the videos of their stunts.

Petrovich and me noticing the others were leaving us behind ‘for a laugh’:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BYu31Lxnz3d

What with all the larking about – before we knew it we’d come to the end of our journey.

What can I say? Thank you everyone – the tourists, the guides, and the organizers (Altai-Guide – who arranged our previous Altai trip).

Btw, here you can get one of those foot peeling massages you get in beach resorts where they use a particular type of tiny fish that eats at the dead skin on the soles and heels of your feet. But here it’s free and much more natural :).

The rest of the photos from Upper Yenisei are here.

PS: do you know what was the most unusual feeling after returning to civilization? You’ll never guess…

It was using the elevator!

Suddenly it was a strange sensation after being away from it for more than a month! Bizarre!