Aug 3, 2011 - Siberia!

The trip through to Russia was off to an auspicious start...rocking up to the train station and climbing aboard our carriage only to discover our Mongolian cabin mate had filled the entire cabin with black market stock ranging from camel blankets to DVD players to goat hair socks so there was no where to sit, let alone put our packs. As if that wasn't enough, the bags containing her illicit items were made of some sort of toxic substance that would be outlawed in any other country. The noxious fumes that rose as the plastic heated in the...

May 23, 2011 - From Yurts to Buryats

We didn't have much time to linger in Mongolia. It was time to get to our real goal: Russia. In a savvy move, we opted to take the bus into Russia instead of the train, thus trimming our estimated border crossing time from about 10 hours to about 2 hours and reducing estimated journey time from 20 hours to 11 hours. And unlike the train, the bus departs in the morning, allowing one to spend more idle daylight moments in motion gazing at the mesmerizing Mongolian countryside. We crossed the border about 5 hours north of Ulaanbaatar without...

Aug 26, 2008 - Ulán Udé

Llegamos a la ciudad budista y mongola de Rusia en un viaje corto (8 h) comparado con lo que hemos hecho en tren y lo que falta. Con la ayuda del mapa o guía y porque llegué temprano en la mañana, conseguimos fácilmente una habitación, notando rápidamente que los buriats (mongoles) hablan mejor inglés que los rusos. Desde luego que lo que realizamos de primero fue el paseo al monasterio budista (datsan) Ivolginsk; para ello precisé de un par de busetas para el recorrido de 35 km hasta el pueblo de Ivolga y el trayecto menor al datsan. Este...

Jul 22, 2008 - ULAN UDE

Day 9 - Resting our Train Legs in Ulan-Ude As we write this we find it strange to think that while it is 18:10 here in Ulan-Ude on July 22, you in Ontario have just entered the day and midnight is upon you! We have enjoyed a day exploring the city of Ulan-Ude in the heart of the Buryat Republic in Siberia. Our first impressions of this city: 1) It is REALLY big 2) The streets are well maintained, with lots of trees 3) There is A LOT of building. Much industrial and housing growth. 4) The people are much more friendly. Many are making eye...

Jun 1, 2008 - Ulan Ude, Russia

We pulled up to the homestay in Ulan Ude, Russia--the roads were unpaved and muddy, and every house had a guarddog. The homestay family was very friendly despite speaking no English. We went to see the largest Lenin head in the world which, ironically, was put in this part of Russia to remind the Buryats (an ethnic minority) of who was in charge. We also visited a Buddhist monestary outside of town. It was also the homestay mom's birthday, so we bought some pastries from the local grocery store and sang happy birthday to her. She was so...

Jun 3, 2006 - Eastern Siberia, Russia

It was a 3 day trip to Irkutsk, our first stop and I wrote this on our second day on the train. We have hopped off on platforms on the way and bought home cooked food from small stalls set up by locals. Potato and tomato salads, cabbage, beetroot salads. Belinda is studying the Russian alphabet and a few words. Unlike China there are no English signs whatsoever. However some words are recognisable, especially when we can sound them out. We have also had smoked trout, Russian pancakes and pastries, and also lots of trolleys pass our cabin,...

Mar 17, 2005 - Ulan Ude & Ivolginsk

Finding great new bars and restaurants inevitably requires talking with lots of people at local watering holes. And vodka shots are an almost inevitable peril that one must face in such pursuits. Last night my hosts were a gaggle of young Buryat surgeons who seemed keen to send me 1000km away to Vitim rather than suggest alternative pubs in Ulan Ude. But before setting off I'd have to at least drink a little toast with them. The reassuringly ¾ empty bottle was soon replaced, and by the time I'd finally escaped, the 11pm curfew on my...