Independent Ulan Ude

Back on the train we were bound for Russia, but not without a lengthy and intimidating border crossing process from the Russian guards. What we thought was going to be about a 12 hour over night journey turned into 24 hours. However some Mongolian red wine and a little bit of left over Chinapple kept things interesting. The carriage was so hot though, only one window could be opened. Hungover and stuck on the train the next day, it started to take it’s toll on us. We were bribing the lady to let us use the bathroom while stopped at the border. 

It was almost midnight when we arrived in Ulan Ude, apart of the Republic of Buryatia. A state of Russia but they consider themselves independent, with various cultural differences, it seemed to be a combination of Mongolian and Russian-Siberian influences. The appearance of the people also changed. There is no doubt about it, Russians have a distinct look! 

Anyway… On arrival we were greeted on the platform by a much older lady who didn’t have a vodka train sign or seem to know much about anything. A bit wary we followed her out anyway and eventually trusted her when she took us to our hotel, an ATM and a delicious Italian restaurant for a midnight dinner. 

Managing a few hours sleep we were met the next day by two young students studying English translation who were to be our tour guides for the day. A visit to the local museum, a wander through the streets and an irish coffee kicked things off. 

It soon became apparent that instead of big Buddhas every where we were seeing statues celebrating communism. Most famously was the big head of Lenin. We talked to the girls about the political situation of the country and both agreed that it was corrupt and not a democracy at all, but they were helpless to do anything about it. One told how initially students protested after the election wearing armbands, only to be thrown in prison. She said nothing was reported in the local media. 

Surprisingly, the weather was incredibly hot, not what we expected from Siberia! For lunch we were taken to a cafe for some scrumptious soup and another kind of dumpling before organizing a trip to an outdoor museum, documenting the history of the areas different tribes and ethnic groups over time. After a public bus trip we arrived to find it closed. But the lovely guides managed to persuade them to let us in. We quickly walked through the area, finding it a little underwhelming and managed to have a quick beer before jumping on another bus back into the city. One of our guides taught an English class and needed to be back in time. Somehow we all agreed to go along. It was great meeting the students, most at university aged 19 or 20. I got taking to a gorgeous girl, I think she was only 16. She told us how she loved the Beatles and music, while the language barrier was apparent, we all managed to hold conversations with them for about an hour.

The guides then took us for dinner to a pizza place, where we accidentally got them a little bit drunk off one beer. I don’t think they drink very often…

We went to a supermarket to stock up on some essentials before the next train. While waiting in line to buy an 8% alcohol beer, a concerned Russian lady in front of me wouldn’t let me get it. She didn’t speak English, but managed to take me back to the fridge and swap it for a light one. Oh dear.

We were then back on the train for a comparatively quick journey, on our way to Lake Biakel. 

Every day is going so fast, I can’t believe we only have two weeks left here!