To accompany a previous post, The Sounds and Songs of Moscow, I have compiled a collection of the sounds I heard in Siberia. These sounds portray the peaceful, magical atmosphere found on Lake Baikal, the light solitude of the woods, and the rickety chugging of a train on an old railway. More than that, however, these sounds capture the spirit of the region of Siberia surrounding Baikal; this spirit is breathing, pulsing, full of life and constant movement.

1. Ringing the bell at a Datsan (a Buddhist monastery), with Anna Mikhailovna cheering us on
2. Icy southeastern shores of Baikal
3. Baikal at an empty swimming beach near Barguzin
4. Perched above the Angara River at sunset, near a family eating ice cream
5. In the woods, birds and quiet
6. Rhythmic footsteps on a wooden trail
7. Train passing through Tanhoy

You may notice that none of these recordings come from our journey in the steppe region south of Baikal, near Kyakhta and the Mongolian border. I found this land to be dark and lifeless, even while the sun was shining or light flakes of snow melted into my hair on the top of a hill. To me, the sound of the steppe is an uninviting silence.