Last post from Russia after three weeks here.

P.S.  9/6:  Now in Ulan Batar, Mongolia.  

Never sent the post below b/c I had problems trying to include the pictures I wanted so gave up when it got to be too late - sorry about that!  Leaving, we think and hope, on a 1 night/2 day tour out of UB in 90 minutes so will scramble to get at least something off before we hit the road to see part of the country.

This will be short since it's close to 10 pm already and we need to be up by 5:30 to catch the 7:24 train to Ulan Batar,(UB) Mongolia. Have written some notes for the blog as I've done for all others but need to cheat this time and basically just post photos with comments and save the notes for my next post.  BTW, that may not be for a good long while since we hope to go on a 2 day trek from UB 2 hours after getting off the train at 7am on the 6th.  Then we'll be back in UB for one night, then off again for another 3 night trek away from UB.

Before the pictures though, just want to say that Ulan Ude (UU as opposed to UB!) has been right up there with our favorite places so far this trip.  The people as I mentioned are so very genuinely friendly, the town is easy to walk around and navigate the minibus system to the Buddhist datsans; there's a sense of peace and calm right here in town as we sat and enjoyed the fountain spraying jets in time with the music at the Theater Sq; the museums are a joy to go to, etc.  

Forget my spiel and I hope my pictures will help you appreciate our love for UU and its people.

On makshruta (minibus UU style) to Ivolginsky Datsan: note the pretty bows that all young girls wear to school.

All boys wear suits to school that we saw.

At Ivolginsky Datsan  2 makshrutas and an hour out of UU.

More I. Datsan photos.

Monk at I. Datsan

Ist day of school and thus a festival in UU on 9/1; this took place in the main sq. where Lenin's head is, and thus 2 minutes from our hostel.  We watched it for a while and then went back to the hostel where we could hear it very well (!).

Bows for sale in  local UU market we saw all over Russia but we didn't know how popular they were.

Girls and their big bows watching the concert.

At UU Ethnographical Museum depicting Buryat culture through the ages from prehistoric times.

 Photo NOT taken with telephoto lens!!

 Still at Ethno Museum.

In UU!

Meat section of market in UU.

In downtown  UU.

Fountain in time to the music at night - really, really neat.  Missed the colored lights though when we were there.

Kate from near Sharbot Lake, Ontario, who had taught ESL for 4 years in the far south of S. Korea and on her long way home. 

UU Ethnographic Museum about 20 miles out of UU.

Steven with "Family's Protector: "It'll bless you long life, wealth and prosperity."

In front of felt yurt in E. Buryat section of museum.

In front of Orthodox church at E. Museum.

On 9/2, we went back to the UU M. of History to see a film from 1928 we weren't able to see 2 days previously.  It was all in Russian but Andrei, a senior staffer a the museum, was asked by Ayuna, the museum director,I think, to translate it for us.   Andrei asked us what we thought of Edward Snowden, Putin, etc and shared his opinions of both too - great discussion.  Ayuna asked me to make an impromptu speech about us, our lives, etc to local students on a field trip to the museum.  She then asked me to proofread/edit a letter she had written in English on behalf of the Buryatia Minister of Culture to the Kingdom concerning a donation of  icons, manuscripts to Bhutan's National Museum!  That took a couple of hours but was well worth every moment as it was truly an honor to help Ayuna.  As soon as we'd arrived at the Museum, i.e. BEFORE asking me to do anything, she had 2 lovely gifts ready and waiting for us as we'd promised to come back to see the film.

 

Museum staff in background.

Eggs have not been refrigerated from Iceland through Russia.

UU's Rinpoche Basha Datsan.

Rinpoche has the largest gold statue of Buddha in Russia and we were told, the 2nd or 3rd largest in the world.

Overlooking the city of UU at Rinpoche Datsan.

Rina, a Swiss illustrator, we met at the UU hostel.

Just 2 of her beautiful sketches from all over Russia.

Rina persuaded us to try this wheat flavored cola available from carts all over Irkutsk and Ulan Ude; thanks for suggesting it, Rina.

More Irkutsk, then on to Ulan Ude, further east in Siberiaburyat

Wrote the last Irkutsk post in a real hurry before dashing off for another late train so will add a few things I didn't have time to include then before posting about our next leg here to Ulan Ude.

• As I mentioned in the last post, we took minibus to Listvyanka on shore of Lake Baikal, the deepest fresh water lake in the world (according to the guide on the one hour boat ride we took); measured once at 1642 meters then after underwater earthquakes, was measured again to be 5 meters deeper; one spot in the lake actually measures 11 kms deep!
• The lake is 636 kms long, i.e. the same length as the distance from SPB to Moscow; 80% of the flora and fauna there are unique to the lake; one fish, the omul, is a huge regional delicacy - even I, who does not eat fish, had some and liked it. Steven, though, decided not to try it - I do know he will be far adventurous than I when it comes to trying new food when we get to SE Asia.
• Speaking of fish, the guide told us there is one fish called golimander (sp?) that is comprised of 80% fat and, if left out in the sun, will melt - yuck!
• While I was madly writing the last post at the hostel in Irkutsk, we chatted with a lovely couple, Vincent and Sophia, from Dresden in the former DDR; they had been childhood sweethearts and now engaged after 11 years together; both were wearing gold wedding bands on (to us North Americans) their ring fingers but Vincent explained they were engagement rings and once married next year, will switch the rings  to their right hands; they're on their way to Ulan Batar to catch a flight to Panama (the cheapest way to get there!) and then on to South America for the next 6 months.
• Intrigued to see equal number of left and right wheel drive cars in Irkutsk; did make it pretty hairy though when they were all turning corners at the same time.
• Being as vain as I am, I had my nails done before leaving Colorado 4 plus weeks ago which is a VERY long time to go without having the polish removed and a new color put on; had brought acetone nail polish remover with me but had to throw it out after it had leaked in my luggage in Reykjavik; I had asked a staff member at the I. Hostel to make an appt. for me to have the polish taken off but quickly cancelled it when I found out it'd cost a whopping 60 rubles or $18; I luckily found some acetone our last afternoon in I. at long last and it was only 90 rubles or $3.
• Another overnight train, this one to Ulan Ude, and each train getting more and more basic; wondering what the rest will be like come our last leg to Beijing!
• Ulan Ude, or UU for the blog, is the capital of the Buryat Republic; about 80% of the people are Asian in appearance so it feels much more like being in Asia than in Russia; the center of Buddhism in Russia is here in UU.
• By far the friendliest people we've met up til now: a number of times, people both young and old have come up to us, often VERY close, and chatted with us in English and welcomed us to their city; initially it was almost scary but seeing how friendly they were, we almost got OK with it!
• After dropping off our gear at the hostel, all of 2 minutes from the the city center and thus, the biggest sculpture of Lenin's head anywhere in the world, we found our way, natch, to Ulan Ude's city market for an hour or so and then on to the Museum of History.
• In 1923, according to an online article I brought from home, religious orthodox icons, Buddhist sculptures and paintings were stored in an "anti-religious" museum in UU and kept by generations of very devoted people until the ban on religion ended in the 90's; the bldg was then renamed the M. of History.
• We were the only visitors for close to 2 hours y'day; we were issued paper tickets much like bus transfers I remember from the "olden days growing up in Ottawa; every time we'd go from one room to another in the museum we were asked by one of the 4 staff on duty to show our tickets and then the door would be unlocked and lights turned on and the process reversed after leaving that room.
• The museum has an amazing collection of icons, Buddhas and thangkas, i.e. Tibetan Buddhist religious paintings on fabric, which Steven especially was thrilled to see again after seeing so many on his SE trip 40 years ago.
• On the itinerary I referred to our hoping to get a tour of the museum by Ayuna Turueva; we hadn't been able to do that but, in an amazing coincidence, it turned out that Ayuna was one of the staff on duty and she was very surprised to read in my notes my reference to her!
• Getting too late, well after 11 pm our time, for me to write more now so here are some pictures instea

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  Our hostel in Irkutsk.

  
  
  
  
  

  

  Irkutsk - the city of sculptures, at least to us.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  

  Thanks to Lina, we found out this sculpture, which we'd seen several times, is actually on the Irkutsk coat of arms - thanks, Lina!

  
  

  

  Russia - the land of crackers!

  
  

  

  Central Market in Irkutsk.

  
  

  

  Vincent and Sophia from Dresden in Irkutsk hostel.

  
  

  

  En route to UU.

  
  
  
  
  

  

  In our very rudimentary train carriage to UU.

  
  

  

  After getting dropped off by taxi right by our hostel.

  
  

   

  Steven at UU hostel making the last of his tuna sandwiches with tuna from home - so sad.

  
  

  

  Russian fur hat, anyone?

  
  

  

  In the bread shop in the UU market; the loaves of bread are only .75.

  
  

  

  Color of t.p. is all wrong - it should be a very dull beige - but store security guard told me not to take any more photos!

  
  

  

  The 2 soldiers ASKED Steven to pose with them in front of  "atriotic War" memorial.

  
  

  

  At M. of History in UU.

  
  
  
  
  

  

  
  

  
  

  

  With Ayuna Gurueva at M. of History in UU.

  
  

  

  Just after arriving at hostel  in UU.

  
  

  

  This Denver Post article from April, 2010 whetted my appetite to take the Trans Siberian journey; standing in front of Lenin's head.

  
  

  

  Fountain in Theater Sq. in UU.