Has anyone been to Irkutsk, Russia?

Travel Info
Has anyone been to/ is from Irkutsk, Russia? I'm planning on travelling there next year to catch the eclipse, but since I'm on a tight budget I don't think i'll be able join one of those expensive tour thingys..would be great to find out from a local how to get around and stuff. Thanks.

Travel Tips

My wife studied there.

Are you talking about the annular eclipse in spring?

I would advise going to see the total eclipse (August 1, 2008), which will pass slightly further west (through Novosibirsk and Barnaul) and then all the way towards China. I might end up going to see that one.Here's a website I found, with a travelogue of people who have been there. Contact them for more info, if you like.

http://www.adventure-travel-tales-and-ti...
http://www.adventure-travel-tales-and-ti...