Blogs from Ulan-Ude, Siberia, Russia, Europe - page 3

C'est avec de tres bons souvenirs en tete que j'ai repris le train en 3e classe, pour rallier Irkutsk a Ulan Ude. Huit heures dans ce train de nuit, fort calme, m'ont paru etre huit minutes. Au petit matin, dernier regard dans le wagon en quittant le transsibérien russe, a bord duquel je ne remonterai plus au cours de ce voyage. 6h10 en gare d'Ulan Ude et Natalia est au rendez-vous pour m'accueillir sur le quai. Elle est guide (mais pas blonde ; dommage pour Bécaud, on y était presque :D) et propose des séjours chez l'habitant dans le centre ville, solution que j'ai adoptée, tant le choix d'hotels bon marchés est pauvre dans le coin. J'ai donc posé mon sac a dos durant trois jours chez Valeria et Nicolai, qui se partagent un trois pieces ... read more

Today we visited Ivolgin Datsan, a budhist monastery some 30 km from Ulan Ude. There are few temples and budhist monks. Yes, budhist. It is some community of indigenous "buryats" who are leaving in this region, basically the mongol people. It was nice. First time we saw something like that. We met also 3 people from Czech rep. . 2 ladies, 1 man. All of them about 70 years old and also travelling by trains through Russia ! And also by "marshrutkas", which are the minibuses. You just wave your hand, and if there is some place left, the driver will stop. (it is for some 10 people). Cheap, very fast, very frequent. No timetables needed. We read about the war in Georgia. There is some higher police presence in the streets. Even in the restaurant, ... read more

From Olchon island we came back to Irkutsk, got tickets to Ulan Ude. Traveling all night. We found a hotel. The old socialist style. It was cheap. Now we know why. You have to pay even for the shower something extra - 40 RUB. Therefore I would not call it a hotel, but well ....... read more

Woke up this morning at around 7 and had cereal in a cup and coffee for breakfast. When we got off to use the toilet we discovered that we only had 2 carriages and no engine, we had been abandoned! The guards arrived at about 7.45 and waited on the platform smoking and chatting away to themselves and the dodgy looking money exchange man, until they decided to check our cabins and passports at around 9. A little later on we were joined by an engine which took us and our guards across to Naushki on the Russian side of the border. The countryside here at this time of the year could easily be mistaken for the central north island of New Zealand until you come across the houses which are a little different, once again ... read more

After four and half days in motion, Laura and I finally touched down yesterday afternoon in Europe. All I can offer here are a few mildly humorous observations about the numerous people we met on the way, and some casual remarks about the journey itself. Neither of us went mad. I didn’t sink into my soul and rummage clumsily around, rearranging my personality and the structure of my conscious mind. Nope. It was not a great voyage into the depths of our respective souls or anything that some people might hope a journey like it could be. We got on, played cards, read, chatted, smoked, ate, slept, toileted, wrote, listened to music and sang, and it was enjoyable and comfortable nearly all the way… We boarded in Ulan Baatar with an English couple and a ... read more