It is the case, however, that I do hope to travel to Lake Baikal at some point in the not too distant future. I would like to visit the world's deepest fresh water lake, the home of the nerpa, and home to many unique plant species. In fact, Lake Baikal is home to more than 1700 plant and animal species found nowhere else on the entire planet. Baikal is said to be one of the most biologically diverse locations in the world. Of course, to get there, I plan to fly in an airplane, but I am serious about making the trip. In fact, I'm learning Russian in preparation for the journey.

There are other places in Russia I would like to visit besides Lake Baikal. Kamchatka, the Ural Mountains, the Altay Mountains, the Caucasus Mountains, and a few other locations make my short list. Most of these sites are in Siberia and most of these sites are far removed from the most populated parts of the Russian Federation. Just as I have no desire to visit Washington D.C. or New York City, I also have no intention of visiting Moscow or Saint Petersburg. Big cities are best avoided whenever possible as far as I'm concerned! So, although there is not any urgent need for a tunnel connecting Siberia and Alaska, it is a neat idea and regardless of how one gets there, in my opinion, Siberia is one of the places on Earth most worth visiting!