Dutch blogger on Yakutsk life at -47°C (-53°F)

Popular Dutch blogger FrankVD came to Yakutsk for the first time for four days to understand how people survive in extremely cold conditions. He also tried Yakut dishes and took a dip in an ice hole at -47°C (-53°F). The video with Frank was published by local tour operator Roxana on her Instagram channel (an extremist organization, its activities are banned in Russia).

Frank tried raw foal liver with salt, boiled moose nose, the traditional fermented milk drink byrpakh, and fried fish, freshly caught during ice fishing. The foreigner liked the first dish the least, which made him visibly grimace, and he almost threw up a couple of times. Frank didn«t appreciate the moose nose either: »I chewed for 10 minutes before I could swallow it,« the blogger said.

However, Frank liked the taste of byrpakh. He compared it to cola, but a milky version: «It»s so strange. Usually, what«s carbonated should be sweet. It»s okay.« The Dutchman devoured the fish with great joy.

On his YouTube page, Frank has already published a long video of his Yakut journey: how he crawls under houses and wonders why the pipelines are above ground, takes a dip in an ice hole, almost freezing his nose and feet, then plays street football with children, meets a wolf, and digs a grave in winter.