We arrived in Irkutsk yesterday and met with the rest of the team, Olesya and Misha. We spent a busy day shopping around for materials with which Misha has built us very cool plankton net to collect microplastics. Our contribution to the process was desperately trying to stay awake (and miserably failing). We then headed to the dive center that are lending us tanks, compressors, weights and to their complete surprise an oxygen kit - the diver's magical first aid. Tomorrow we will join them on their club day: dive, non-vegetarian food followed by Bania (Russian sauna).
Today we had a press conference with the local media (!?) and then spent the day sorting our equipment at the rustic, forgotten in time yacht club where we are staying. It has all the essentials and is relatively comfortable: a warmish hut (the top floor which we share with mice), it doesn't have running water but there is a well and a bania. It even has electricity. We are clearly becoming old and civilized!
