Lake Baikal - Siberia - Farm work
ReportLocation: Bugul'deyka, Russia
We have a small farm ( eastories farm ) in the village Buguldeyka on the Lake Baikal in Russia.It's located about 220km away from the nearest city Irkutsk.
We have 17 cows and 30 sheeps and about 25 hectares of field where we mov the hay in the summer.
My family and I would be very glad to host you and offer you a stay in our place. Please let us know in which period are you interested to come.
Our farm is not well developed, it’s simple, very basic. My uncle works pretty much with the animals during the whole year – in summer he collects the hay and in winter time he cleans the stable, feeds the animals and gives them the water. Seems to be simple, but in our conditions it takes a lot of time.
For years my grandmother, uncles and cousins had been living there doing this works and working in the local school. Our farm was never well maintained and the houses around neither. There was no need to make it better but there was also no finances for doing that.
I wanted to change it, so I decided to try Airbnb there, so they can get another way of income.
The idea worked out, since 2015 we continuously host guests and volunteers from all over the world, developing step by step our place.
Under our conditions we cannot keep on construction work during the winter time. Moreover there is lack on materials very often and also on workers. Because people here are used to do things like they were always made, we sometimes need just an idea from someone else, like you. Maybe you can show us how to resolve/improve some daily tasks - problems, how to decorate a place, which materials to use or how to place the furniture.
You are very welcome to come and if you decide to come I can make for you the invitation letter for the visa. We can agree later, which kind of work you can do there. There would be max. 4h per day of work or tasks to do let’s say. We can offer you free meals and basic fee for accommodation 800 RUB/night/person, including the sauna, that you can use every evening.
I almost forgot to present myself. My name is Ilja, I was born in the Soviet Union, Latvia but I grew up in Poland, studied in Germany and currently I live in Bologna, Italy. I have a family in the village Buguldeyka on the Lake Baikal, which I often visit and want to help them so they can maintain and develop their magical place.
I am sure you’d love it if you come there once.
