I really liked Siberia. I did a homestay in a little village on Lake Baikal (maybe half an hour from Irkutsk, but I can't remember which one) and it was quite

I really liked Siberia. I did a homestay in a little village on Lake Baikal (maybe half an hour from Irkutsk, but I can't remember which one) and it was quite pleasant. It'd meet a lot of your needs, with no internet access, plenty of cold, and tons of outdoor stuff to do (and wolves, which might be considered a downside). It was easy enough to arrange the homestay. I booked it in Beijing as part of a trans-siberian trip, from one of the local outfits who arrange such things for English speakers. I expect that if you did the same, you could probably arrange to be left in Irkutsk for a year and negotiate a long-term stay from there. While we're in the area, Mongolia is also really cool and would remove power and cell coverage from your list of unpleasant western things. You could probably just outright buy a ger in Kharkhorin, and a horse to go with it, for a few thousand bucks. Drop it in any convenient patch of grass and set up shop for the duration. Good luck!