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s freezing cold when the mercury drops to 10°C. But in Yakutsk, chilly means -50°C. With temperatures hovering around -40°C in the winter months, the Russian city, located to the east of Siberia, is considered by many as the coldest city in the world. There is one rule for those who visit Yakutsk in winter: don'

t stay outdoors for more than

15 minutes even you have bundled up. This is no bluff. Cold air can easily penetrate even your double-layered thermal gloves and socks, and numb your fingers and toes in an instant. Just a five-minute walk to a corner store could bring you frostbite. When venturing out in the cold, you are not advised to wear glasses. At -40°C or so, the metal sticks to your cheeks, and you will find it hard to take your glasses off. Shrouded in ice and fog, Yakutsk, home to over

250 000 people, is a city of otherworldly beauty. Against a hazy white backdrop, fur-clad locals, like snow angels, are often seen scurrying across streets. During the holiday season, beautifully adorned Christmas trees shimmer with an array of lights amidst snowflakes in public squares. To have a rare and brief moment of boisterous joy outdoors, the Yakuts huddle together in front of the trees, next to snow-capped bronze statues of legendary figures, which stand solemnly in the dark, completely unfettered by the cold. Yakutsk'

s cold weather―even by Siberian standards―makes the city a natural freezer. There is no problem with keeping food frozen in an open area. At road-side markets, fish are nicely bundled and arranged on wooden racks like bouquets of flowers sprinkled with snow. Growing crops is a forlorn hope in Yakutsk as the entire city stands on hard frozen ground. Fish and reindeer meat, often served raw, are the main staples of Yakuts. Dairy products are also widely consumed. Salamat, a creamy sour porridge made of wheat and butter, is usually eaten on feast days. Far away from other settlements, Yakutsk is a secluded world. In summer, when Lena River thaws, people can take a long boat ride to get there. But for most of the year, the Siberian city is connected to the outside world by plane, or a road scarily known as the Road of Bones. This road was built in the 1930s by inmates from labour camps. Many forced labourers died during the construction, and their skeletons made up part of the foundations. In the eyes of many, life in Yakutsk is mi........